BY KEVIN McCARRA ( The Times )

FOR Manchester United, this match contained one joust too many with the extraordinary. Alex Ferguson's side had shown pluck to establish a 2-1 lead, but, in the last minute, Schmeichel, the goalkeeper, tried to force his way through a knot of bodies and failed to reach a throw-in by Lizarazu. Elber then bustled through to claim his second goal of the night.

"It was an error of judgment when he decided to come for the ball and missed it," the manager said. "His performance on the night did not deserve it. No one is blaming Peter." The prospects of both sides in group D of the Champions' League remain obscure. United will curse a draw that, before the game, would have seemed a fine achievement.

There is so much to exasperate them. In stoppage time, Sheringham might have retrieved the victory, but Kahn leapt to reach it. United must take what satisfaction they can from stripping sheen from their adversaries' present reputation. Bayern, with a single point in group D, should be subject to gloom, having heard of Barcelona's win over Brondby.

Against all expectation, the European Cup has often reserved a demeaning role for Bundesliga sides. Bayern last won the competition in 1976 and since then German clubs have triumphed on only two occasions. In that period, Nottingham Forest alone have been as successful. The theory that Ottmar Hitzfeld's side can seize the European Cup has no evidence to substantiate it.

Last night, they were an unstable mixture of attacking swagger on the wing and ramshackle play in defence. After falling behind, United were soon to acquire the belief that, even when ahead, Bayern, remained within reach.

Despite their occasional flamboyance, United have yet to learn how to exert the control in defence that saps the opposition's will. Elber, the Brazilian centre forward, enjoyed repeated success in peeling away from his markers to savour lavish space on the left wing. That ploy was at the heart of the first goal, which began when he drifted free of Stam to take Effenberg's pass.The United deficiencies, though, were trivial when compared with the error of the officials, who failed to note that Bayern players were twice offside in the move. Jancker should have been penalised when collecting Elber's pass. Instead, he used his strength to hold possession and, when United failed to clear, took a break of the ball to set up Elber. He, too, ought to have been ruled offside but was left to float a shot high into the net.

Despite the flaws, neither team lacked the resources that make recovery possible.Gradually, United started to manoeuvre in midfield and build attacks that removed the poise of the German defenders. Sheringham, restored to the line-up in a match where his height allowed him to duel with powerful adversaries, might have had an equaliser as early as the 23rd minute.

Beckham pulled a corner back to him and the forward struck a drive that rebounded from Kahn, the surprised Bayern goalkeeper. Symptoms of disquiet were evident and Matthäus, the captain, was to be booked five minutes later for a foul on Blomqvist. He will now miss Bayern's next match, against Barcelona.

Still flustered, the veteran lost the ball to Beckham in the 29th minute and permitted an equaliser. Sheringham sent Beckham down the right and his precise cross was headed into the net by Yorke. Nothing in this contest, though, was to remain static. Beckham was soon to prove susceptible to the same irrational impulse that saw him sent off against Argentina in the World Cup.

The difference last night lay only in the inattentiveness of a linesman. Beckham was booked, in the 39th minute, and that misdemeanour, coupled with a yellow card in Lodz, means that he cannot face Brondby in Denmark. A graver punishment could have awaited the incident that ensued within moments. In an altercation with Salihamidzic, he took a mild kick at him and then swung an arm into the Bosnian. The linesman's flag remained at his side. It took the athleticism of Schmeichel to sustain a mood of relief. Two minutes from the interval, Elber was again unmarked as he eased into a position beyond the far post and cut the ball back to Salihamidzic. Schmeichel, moving the wrong way, adjusted to parry the shot with an oustretched right leg. Bayern were lacking in such resilience when, in the 48th minute, they conceded the remarkable goal with which United took the lead.

Yorke reached a long free kick and guided it to Scholes. One would not have envisaged that he could force his way past such experienced and hardy men as Babbel and Matthäus.

The tenacious midfield player did so and surged on in pursuit, applying the pressure that caused Kahn, the goalkeeper, to fail to gather. Scholes, almost stumbling, rolled the loose ball home.

The response by Bayern eventually culiminated in menace. In the closing stages, Effenberg drove wide, Elber hit a lamentably miscued attempt from 12 yards, Jeremies forced a good save from Schmeichel and Daei, a substitute, lifted an Elber cross over the bar. To Ferguson's dismay, it took United themselves to engineer Bayern's breakthrough.

Bayern Munich (3-5-2): O Kahn - M Babbel, L Matthäus, T Linke - T Strunz, S Effenberg, J Jeremies (sub: T Fink, 83min), H Salihamidzic (sub: B Goktan, 63), B Lizarazu - G Elber, C Jancker (sub: D Daei).

Manchester United (4-4-2): P Schmeichel - P Neville, J Stam, G Neville, D Irwin - D Beckham, R Keane, P Scholes, J Blomqvist (sub: J Cruyff, 68) - D Yorke, E Sheringham.

Referee: M Batta (France).