ANOTHER superb display from Radek Cerny spared Rangers' blushes, but could not mask what was a one-sided affair.
The Czech keeper (pictured) kept Rangers afloat last week at Liverpool and if anything was even more outstanding this week, denying Antonio Valencia and Phil Jones in the first half and also somehow keeping out a Danny Welbeck curler in the second.
Without his excellent reflexes, the punishment would have been much more severe - and that is before you factor in United hitting the crossbar in the first half through Jonny Evans and Phil Jones sending a low shot against an upright in the second.
United may have been impressively free-flowing in attack, but the Rs were often ragged at the back and invited trouble by playing way too openly.
They were regularly picked off on the counter-attack as they chased the game and United could, and perhaps should, have made it more chastening.
Rangers could hardly have made life more difficult for themselves in their quest to recreate another bear-pit atmosphere like the one which did for Chelsea.
With less than a minute played, United were in front, and far too easily, as Wayne Rooney nodded past Cerny from close range – having instigated the opening with a nod out to Antonio Valenia in acres of space on the right.
Soon after, Rooney and Nani combined to give Welbeck a glimpse of goal – the effort being blocked – then Nani embarrassed Armand Traore with a dart into the danger zone.
Home fans were encouraged by a towering header from Heidar Helguson that shaved an upright and even more buoyed by a fine move started by a superb crunching tackle by Matt Connolly on Rooney.
As United players moaned at Rangers for not putting the ball out of play for Rooney – who had stayed down, but was clearly not seriously injured – Joey Barton found Jamie Mackie scampering down the right and Jay Bothroyd should have done better with the low cross that followed.
It may have been on his weaker right foot, but the Rangers striker had no excuse for lifting the ball harmlessly over the bar.
But United never looked more than a heartbeat away from taking the game out of QPR's range and only the superb reflexes of Cerny kept it at 1-0 when Valencia followed up with a close range shot after Connolly had cleared a Rooney shot off the line.
It was his second great save, having raced off his line to deny Jones after the ex Blackburn man was given the freedom of the pitch by a back four looking all over the place and sliced a apart by one simple pass from Rooney.
Rangers could ill afford to give United any gifts with Sir Alex Ferguson's men, but Barton's square pass on 56 minutes proved costly.
Michael Carrick picked up possession in the centre circle and was allowed to advance unhindered towards the Rangers area before dispatching low to Cerny's right.
Neil Warnock sent on Adel Taarabt and DJ Campbell late on and the pair combined to almost give Rangers a life line – Campbell volleying over from close in – but for every chance or half chance created, United seemed to create three or four, and in truth it was a stroll for them.
Line-up: Cerny; Young, Gabbidon, Connolly, Traore; Mackie, Barton, Faurlin, Wright-Phillips (Taarabt 66); Helguson (Campbell 66), Bothroyd (Hill 76). Subs not used: Kenny, Orr, Derry, Smith. Attendance: 18,033
