BY OLIVER HOLT ( The Times )

IN ONE great flourish of inspiration and redemption, the men with something to prove lifted Manchester United beyond their doubts and fears as they soared above Internazionale at Old Trafford last night and landed on the brink of the European Cup semi-finals.

David Beckham, who had shaken the hand of his nemesis, Diego Simeone, before the game and managed a wry smile, answered his World Cup tormentor with a creative performance of such majesty and precision that Alex Ferguson, the United manager, launched into an unrestrained post-match eulogy about him.

Instead of the image of the petulant kick that felled the Argentina captain and that shocked, dazed walk to the dressing-room in St Etienne, here was the sight of Beckham standing in front of his exultant supporters, his arms raised aloft in triumph, after making both United goals for Dwight Yorke.

Equally emotive was the performance of Peter Schmeichel, the goalkeeper whose uncertainties have transformed him in the public mind from United's pillar of strength to their Achilles' heel. Last night, when United relaxed, when their concentration dropped towards the end of the game and Inter began to sense weakness at last, Schmeichel became a giant again, rediscovering the brilliance that seemed to have deserted him.

One save, from Zamorano's point-blank flying header five minutes after half-time, almost defied belief with the speed of its reaction. Then, when the danger seemed to have passed and the final whistle was due, Schmeichel flung himself at Nicola Ventola's shot and then watched in relief as Henning Berg kicked Francesco Colonnese's follow-up attempt off the line.

It is not over yet, of course. Inter will throw everything at the second leg of this quarterfinal in the San Siro in a fortnight. Twice before they have overcome two-goal deficits against English clubs, Liverpool and Aston Villa, and they will move heaven and earth to ensure that Ronaldo, who watched this game on television at home in Milan, is fit to lead their stuttering attack. Without him, they looked directionless and shorn of confidence.

Despite those caveats, despite the fact that United rode their luck, Ferguson was invigorated by the style of his side's triumph, a win that swept away much of the aura of invincibility that still clings to Italian clubs in the European Cup. Slowly but surely, United, who are now clear favourites to win the competition, are catching up, and this performance suggested that their dream of emulating the side of Matt Busby is in sight at last.

"I would have been happy with 1-0," Ferguson said, "so 2-0 was a really good result. I don't think it is over and we have still got a lot of hurdles to face. But I think we will score over there and that gives us a great chance.

"We have got big-game players in our side and I thought Beckham was outstanding tonight. I didn't say anything special to him about the circumstances of the game, but he distinguished himself out there. No one matched him and there were some terrific players on that pitch."

On a night that crackled with the rare kind of excitement reserved for the biggest European evenings at Old Trafford, Beckham got his first shot at atonement, his first chance to give voice to all his strangled resentments, after just two minutes. That time, he curled and dipped his free kick a few feet over the bar from 30 yards.

Five minutes later, though, he exploited the Italians' most glaring weakness, their inability to defend their flanks. Inter made a hash of a simple clearance, Yorke rose highest to nod the ball wide to Beckham, and he chipped it back perfectly into Yorke's path so that he did not need to break his stride as he ran on unchallenged to glance the ball almost nonchalantly beyond Pagliuca.

United allowed Inter back into the game for an uncomfortable period as the tempo dropped, but the Italians are painfully lacking in attacking focus without Ronaldo. Baggio and Djorkaeff looked marginalised on the flanks and for all their possession they never looked like equalising.

Instead, United nearly extended their lead. Beckham swung in another tantalising cross from the right, Colonnese missed it and Cole's volley was destined for the corner until Pagliuca deflected it wide with a fine reaction save with his outstretched left boot.

With the half almost a minute into injury time, though, the incessant prompting of Beckham paid off again. This time, Gary Neville fed him a simple pass that hugged the touchline. Beckham wrapped his foot lovingly round the ball and sent it arrowing straight on to the head of Yorke, who had climbed above his markers to nod the ball home from close range. It was his seventh goal in the competition and his 24th of the season.

Within a minute of the start of the second half, United spurned a gilt-edged chance to put the match out of reach. Yorke wriggled away clear on the right and crossed to the back post, but Giggs could only direct his free header wide of Pagliuca's left-hand post from six yards.

United had to rely on Schmeichel after that as Inter tried desperately to salvage something from the tie. Time and again the Dane thwarted them. Berg rescued United once and the only other time Schmeichel was beaten was by a stooping header from Simeone, but the referee ruled the goal out for an earlier push. Once again, the sweet smell of delayed justice was scented in the nostrils of the English.

Manchester United (4-4-2): P Schmeichel - G Neville, J Stam, R Johnsen (sub: H Berg, 46min), D Irwin - D Beckham, R Keane, P Scholes (sub: N Butt, 68), R Giggs - D Yorke, A Cole.

Internazionale (3-4-2-1): G Pagliuca - F Galante, G Bergomi, F Colonnese - J Zanetti, B Cauet, D Simeone, A Winter - Y Djorkaeff, R Baggio (sub: A Pirlo, 79) - I Zamorano (sub: N Ventola, 69).

Referee: H Krug (Germany).