BY OLIVER HOLT ( The Times )

IT MIGHT not have had quite the panache or the unrelenting excitement of some of their earlier ties, it might not have been the most desirable way to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup. But once the mathematics had been done and the crucial results in Turin and Bilbao had been checked, Manchester United knew that they had done enough, that there was life after the group of death.

For once, United benefited from a Juventus victory. The Italians' triumph over Rosenborg in Turin helped to ensure that, even though Alex Ferguson's side could not beat Bayern Munich at Old Trafford last night, the point gained courtesy of Roy Keane's low drive two minutes before half-time was enough to take them into the last eight of the competition as one of the two best runners-up and keep their dream of emulating Matt Busby's boys intact.

Bayern, who equalised early in the second half with a scrambled goal from Salihamidzic, their Bosnia midfield player, gave United all manner of scares, but with ten minutes to go, both teams realised that maintaining the status quo in their match meant that both would go through. When the final whistle went, everybody was happy.

It was their resolve, what Ferguson later identified as their "patience and discipline", that saw United through. Outstanding performances from Andy Cole, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Peter Schmeichel at the spine of their team took them into the draw next Wednesday with the other giants of Europe such as Real Madrid, Internazionale and Juventus themselves. At last, an English team has found something other than heartbreak at the hands of the Germans.

"Being in that draw at all is a bonus," Ferguson said. "At the start of the group, it looked like a really difficult task for us to get past Bayern and Barcelona. I think we have achieved a lot just to qualify from that. We have scored 20 goals in the process and no one can dispute what that means. That is good form.

"We are not short on imagination and playing ability when we are against teams like that, but the most important thing is that we have showed we have the ability and the belief to do well in this competition, whatever else it throws at us."

That United managed to curb the unrestrained attacking instincts that had characterised the three draws and two victories that they had managed in their earlier ties bodes well for their prospects. Acutely aware of the need to snap their habit of conceding crucial early goals on big nights such as this, they had begun with utter determination etched on every face.

United nearly scored an early goal of their own. Seven minutes had gone when Beckham unleashed a raking crossfield ball over the top of the Bayern defence. Giggs got to it first, then Cole's shot was blocked and Yorke hit the rebound high over the bar.

Gradually, though, after Kahn had punched away a dipping shot from Beckham, Bayern recovered their composure. Playing with Matthäus in front of their back two in the midst of what was effectively a back five, Strunz curbed Giggs on the United left and Effenberg and Jeremies began to exert a measure of control over Scholes and Keane in the centre of midfield.

Their best first-half chance came in the seventeenth minute, when Salihamidzic slipped a clever pass through to the overlapping Lizarazu, France's World Cup-winning left back. He crossed low to the near post where Elber, the scorer of both Bayern goals when the teams met in September, dived in front of Stam but glanced his header wide.

Midway through the half, Cole dragged a shot just wide after a fine turn and a clever flick from Giggs, but Bayern exposed United's occasional vulnerability again after 28 minutes when Zickler ran unchallenged on to Effenberg's free kick but only succeeded in heading down on to Keane's thigh and the ball bounced away to safety.

Just before half-time, though, United took the lead. Beckham's pass freed Giggs on the left and when the United winger pulled the ball back from the byline, Keane ran on to it on the edge of the Bayern area and drove the ball low and true past Kahn.

Irwin was forced off at half-time after an earlier clash of heads with Zickler and Ronny Johnsen, his replacement, nearly put United ahead with his first touch. Beckham curled a corner deep to the back post and Keane turned it back across goal. Johnsen swung and missed, then hooked his second attempt over the crossbar from the edge of the six-yard box.

Almost inevitably, though, Bayern reacted to the setback by laying siege to the United goal. Schmeichel made a fine save from Kuffour's snap shot, but in the 57th minute, Bayern's pressure yielded its reward. Effenberg swung another corner in from the right and even though he slipped as he was taking it, Strunz nodded it on at the near post and Salihamidzic bundled it over the line.

Now, suddenly, the chances came thick and fast. Giggs wasted a United breakaway, Elber tried to deflect Zickler's shot past Schmeichel but could only prod it over the crossbar and Scholes ended an incisive run by shooting wide when he might have sought out the unmarked Giggs.

In the 67th minute, Beckham's curling cross from the right was glanced agonisingly wide by Cole, who had worked tirelessly and run endlessly all night, when it seemed it had crept just inside Kahn's right-hand post.

Gradually, though, the breathlessness ceased as both teams realised qualification was within their grasp. The last 15 minutes was like a phoney war. Butt came on for Yorke and United retrenched. After the mighty labours of their past five games, it was time for a rest.

Manchester United (4-4-2): P Schmeichel - W Brown, J Stam, G Neville, D Irwin (sub: R Johnsen, 46min) - D Beckham, R Keane, P Scholes, R Giggs - D Yorke (sub: N Butt, 64), A Cole.

Bayern Munich (3-5-2): O Kahn - M Babbel, L Matthaus (sub: T Linke, 60), S Kuffour - T Strunz, H Salihamidzic, J Jeremies, S Effenberg, B Lizarazu - G Elber (sub: C Janckjer, 82), A Zickler (sub: M Basler, 82).

Referee: D Jol (Holland).