Ryan Giggs became the oldest outfield player in the Uefa Champions League history

Veteran Ryan Giggs defied his 40 years to control the game from midfield and echoed Rooney's thoughts.

'Like Wayne said, we owed the fans this result,' he said. 'It was very good. It was always going to be tough not to concede a goal.'

Moyes gave the 40-year-old a rare start, and he was instrumental in United levelling the tie on aggregate by half-time.

Giggs may have lost the pace of his youth but all the intelligence remains - and he was picking the passes that made the difference. One angled cross saw Wayne Rooney's header turned on to the base of the post by Olympiakos keeper Roberto.