They played the music from the Magnificent Seven for him, “Welcome Home” and “I Want You Back” by, appropriately, Take That. He entered, last in line and tracked by his own TV camera, to the theme from Rocky and joined the other players in holding aloft a banner saying: “Let’s kick racism out of football. His autobiography was going for only pounds 5 but this had less to do with lack of popularity or the end of the Net Book Agreement; more that everyone had it already.On that famous forecourt underneath the Munich memorial some wore onions round their necks, berets on their heads. It’s a credit to his preparation and how he looks after himself.”Most were drained at the end of an emotionally exhausting day. It began hours before the kick-off, with Sir Matt Busby Way throbbing with buyers and sellers of inventive merchandise: red and white confetti, French tricolours.

“He was tired at the end of it but he can be well pleased with his performance and his stamina. Thus did the actor out on loan, as one of his heroes, Jim Morrison, once sang, return to centre stage after eight months of suspense and suspension. Curiously he seems, during that time, to have become an even better player, such is the stoking of the legend, but this was good enough All the touches and flicks were there, if a little rusty. The eye for an opening remains that of a footballing eagle.
“He has done well,” Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, said. Here’s the plot. We’ll have him laying on a goal after 67 seconds, then rallying his team after they’ve been outplayed and equalising with a penalty, before scoring the winning goal in the last minute No you’re right We’ll save the last-minute winner for another episode Don’t want to give them too much too soon. He was back.Manchester United (4-3-3): Schmeichel; P Neville (Scholes, 72), Bruce, Pallister, G Neville; Butt (Beckham, h/t), Keane, Sharpe; Cantona, Cole, Giggs.

Substitute not used: Parker.Liverpool (3-5-2): James; Scales, Ruddock, Babb; McAteer, McManaman, Thomas, Redknapp, Harkness; Rush, Fowler. Substitutes not used: Warner (gk), Kennedy, Collymore.Referee: D Elleray (Harrow).n The knee injury that caused Manchester United’s Denis Irwin to miss yesterday’s match has forced his withdrawal from the Republic of Ireland squad for next week’s game against Latvia.More football, pages 26 and 27. Cantona coolly dispatched the penalty.Though Cole, with an acrobatic overhead kick, and Redknapp, with a free- kick, went close Cantona had had the final say This time everyone knew what he meant. Having come in for John Barnes – missing for domestic reasons – he had provided the midfield with bite and Fowler with the pass for his second goal. But now he dithered in possession, was tackled by Philip Neville and the ball broke to Cantona He fed Giggs who tumbled under Redknapp’s challenge. Gary Neville was caught on his own and brushed aside by Fowler who delicately chipped Schmeichel to put Liverpool ahead. United pushed up but Liverpool remained in control.Then calamity befell Michael Thomas.

The only other time it was tried this season, at Aston Villa on the opening day, it was abandoned after shipping three goals in 37 minutes. Eight minutes later it looked as if a repeat performance was looming. Butt, suffering from a groin strain, came off, David Beckham came on and the team reverted to a three-man central defence, aping Liverpool. Less than a minute earlier a sweeping move involving Cantona had given him a clear chance, but it fell to his wrong foot and he shot tamely at David James.At half-time Alex Ferguson, the United manager, gambled. Fowler, though, was not to be denied and six minutes later he again came in from the left and drilled a ball inside Peter Schmeichel’s near post as the goalkeeper anticipated a cross.Schmeichel’s anguish was shared by Lee Sharpe. A hamstring injury to Mark Wright meant John Scales had been pitched in for his first game of the season while Jason McAteer was making his full League debut for the club.

However, slowly their passing began to gel and United were forced so far back that Ryan Giggs became an auxiliary left-back.The equaliser should have come after 22 minutes but Ian Rush, who had a quiet game, just failed to reach a clever chip by Fowler Four minutes later came the penalty appeal. His cross reached Nicky Butt who went past Phil Babb with his first touch and scored with his second.For a few minutes Liverpool looked lost. Despite all the attention he found space on the left and Andy Cole found him. The balloons and ticker-tape which greeted Cantona’s arrival were still blowing across the pitch when United took the lead.Inevitably it was Cantona who was at the core.