BY OLIVER HOLT ( The Times )

THERE is a poster of Ryan Giggs in the tunnel that runs beneath the main stand at Old Trafford. His team-mates have been assigned pictures of their own, each inscribed with one-word legends such as "determination", "cheek" and "power". Giggs's just says "inspiration" and Manchester United needed every bit last night as they negotiated the first hurdle in another year's quest for the European Cup.

What with the embarrassingly heavy FA Charity Shield defeat by Arsenal on Sunday and this nervous, if ultimately comfortable, win over LKS Lodz, United have packed enough uncertainty and soul-searching into their pre-Premiership games to last them until Christmas. Were it not for Giggs, who seems to have started with the same energy and penetration that characterised his performances last season, another inquest might have been under way last night.

Not that United were ever threatened by the Polish champions. Lodz were not good enough or ambitious enough for that. But the frustration that began to creep into United's game as they sought to improve on the early lead that Giggs had given them ensured that this match was hardly the stinging riposte they had hoped for after the reverse on Sunday.

"Giggs is getting better all the time," Alex Ferguson, the United manager, said. "Some players distinguish themselves in Europe and I thought he was absolutely wonderful tonight. My players were really up for it tonight. They did not enjoy it on Sunday and they wanted to do something about it."

The unanswered goals from Giggs and Andy Cole - after 81 minutes - should be more than enough to carry United beyond the Poles in the second leg of this second qualifying round for the Champions' League in a fortnight and into the group stage against the giants of the competition. They played calmly and professionally, waiting for their chances, but their lack of cutting edge on the day when a second bid for Dwight Yorke, the Aston Villa striker, was turned down is likely to be a lingering cause of concern. Martin Edwards, the United chairman, confirmed that an improved offer of £10 million had been made for Yorke. "It is our final one," he said.

It was only the intervention of Giggs that prevented United facing from the prospect of a tricky trip to eastern Europe with the thin cushion of a 1-0 lead. The United winger had given them the lead in the 16th minute, pouncing on a clever nod-down from Paul Scholes and stroking a shot past Wyparlo with the outside of his left foot, but his team-mates failed to build on that advantage, although there were bright points, notably an assured competitive debut from Jaap Stam, who hardly put a foot wrong after his uneven performance against Arsenal.

After the goal from Giggs, the crowd expected the floodgates to open, but the Poles became more resolute, United more profligate. Wyparlo prevented his side going further behind midway through the half when he hurled himself low to his right to palm away a low shot from the otherwise ineffectual Cole that had squirmed through a defender's legs.

United were still struggling to find their fluency but Lodz were not well enough equipped to take advantage and exert some pressure of their own. Instead, Krysiak was forced to head acrobatically off the line ten minutes before half-time after Stam's improvised chip over the goalkeeper.

United should have been awarded a penalty two minutes later when Butt was body-checked by Bendkowski and Beckham, cheered lustily with every touch, nearly added another spectacular free-kick goal to his collection when he curled a dipping shot over the Lodz wall but saw it shave the post and bulge the side-netting.

Lodz mustered their first significant attack of the night four minutes into the second half when Zuberek set off on a one-man charge down the United right. He sprinted past increasingly spirited challenges from Beckham, Butt and Stam before stinging Schmeichel's hands with a rising left-foot drive from 30 yards.

United soon hit back. Neville's persistence earned Cole an attempt to chip Wyparlo and the United striker missed another chance soon after when he turned his marker sweetly in the box but hit his left-foot shot too close to Wyparlo. The goalkeeper blocked it with his legs.

A sense of frustration began to creep into United's play now as Lodz kept ten men behind the ball in an effort to limit their margin of defeat.

Then, just when it seemed the second goal would never come, came another sublime piece of skill from Giggs. Receiving the ball with his back to goal, Giggs tricked his marker with a sharp turn and slid a neat pass forward to the galloping Irwin. Irwin crossed at full tilt from the byline and Cole redeemed his performance by hanging in the air at the back post and nodding the ball past Wyparlo.

Manchester United (4-4-1-1): P Schmeichel - G Neville, J Stam, R Johnsen, D Irwin - D Beckham, R Keane, N Butt, R Giggs - P Scholes (sub: O G Solskjaer, 80min) - A Cole.

LKS Lodz (3-5-2): B Wyparlo - W Bendkowski, R Pawlak, G Krysiak - D Omodiagbe (sub: A Jakubowski, 85), T Kos, T Cebula, Z Wyciskiewicz, D Zuberek (sub: J Paszulewicz, 72) - R Niznik (sub: R Carbone, 56), T Wieszczycki.

Referee: A Ouzounov (Bulgaria).