The plot of the upcoming movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is all about Jack Sparrow's quest for the elusive fountain of youth upon the high seas. Clearly, the movie's writers weren't even trying for any sort of realism, because everyone knows that the source of everlasting life is in Manchester, England, where 37-year-old Ryan Giggs continues to school players.
Or, as the banner read at Old Trafford in the Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday between United and Chelsea: "Giggs: Tearing You Apart Since 1991."
And so the United veteran did it again, setting up two goals in the Red Devils' 2-1 quarterfinal win over Chelsea.
The entire run-up to the first goal was clinical, merciless. On the brink of halftime, United had the benefit of a set piece near the Chelsea goal after Michael Essien was called for a handball. The ball ended up at the feet of Wayne Rooney outside the box. But he couldn't shoot, because old man Giggs was shouting for it on the far right side. Rooney obliged; Giggs quickly passed to John O'Shea. From there, it was magic: Nicolas Anelka, in a moment to forget, took the bait from one of the game's most pedestrian players, as O'Shea got the ball back to Giggs. The Welshman picked out a small corridor of space and found Javier Hernandez at the far post.
Then, in the second half, Didier Drogba was brought on, and he scored in the 77th minute. Old Trafford gulped. It was game on -- for literally a few seconds. On a lightning-quick counter, Rooney got the ball to (who else?) Giggs, who found an open Park Ji-Sung for the second tally.
Game over. United won 3-1 on aggregate and reached the Champions League semifinals for the fourth time in five years. Chelsea's European campaign -- the obsession, as Sir Alex Ferguson called Roman Abramovich's desire to win the competition -- will have to wait another season.
You really can't say enough good things about Giggs. In the first leg at Stamford Bridge, he was the one who brought down a long, diagonal pass from Michael Carrick with the silkiest of touches to find Rooney for that match's only goal.
On Tuesday, Giggs proved that no matter where you start him, he'll drift into open spaces, where he can burn teams. It's been written time and again that United will be at a loss when he finally hangs up his boots. But do you think anyone at Old Trafford is wringing his hands right now? They've all got visions of a Treble dancing in their heads.
But while we should recognize Giggs for his key contributions over these two legs, others deserve applause. Like Rooney, whose all-around effort, passing and finding smart positions to wage attacks was a key to the game. Like Nani and Park, who gave United width when Chelsea's defense was too narrow. Like Hernandez, who's leading the line with a poacher's instinct. And like Edwin van der Sar, the 40-year-old keeper who must have sneaked a sip or two from whatever Giggs is drinking. In the 29th minute, Nemanja Vidic failed to clear the ball, and Anelka had a chance to attack on the right side. But Van der Sar came way off his line and, using all of his 6-foot-5 frame, stuck out his leg to steal possession. All that came between Anelka getting a free shot on goal and United regaining control was the length of a couple of studs on Van der Sar's boot.
Chelsea was working on its own thin margins, having to score to stay in the tie. Carlo Ancelotti tried to mix things up a bit, giving Frank Lampard a bit more freedom in the midfield; it almost paid off, as Lamps missed a gilt-edged chance in the first half. The manager also started Fernando Torres with Anelka. The two linked up a bit in the first half, but in the end, El Nino's struggles continued. Short of a GPS-guided ball, the Spaniard isn't going to find the back of the net right now. So off went Torres at halftime, and in came Drogba to give the side a bit more of a target and ability to hold up the play.
That didn't get the desired result right away, so off came Anelka in the 60th minute for Salomon Kalou.
Ancelotti just can't figure out how to handle integrating Torres into the team. You'd think he was trying to solve a Rubik's Cube, so ineffective he's been at attempting different looks and formations. Will he eventually arrive at the realization that Torres will only produce if he's the lone striker? And where will that leave the others?
Chelsea will have plenty of time to ponder this, as its European campaign is done and dusted. United marches on, with Giggs, the veteran, leading the way. Will he run out of gas as the team is still alive in three competitions? Who knows, but whoever coined the phrase, "The older I get, the better I used to be," hasn't seen him play. We should all have whatever he's been drinking.