Centre back Rio Ferdinand opened the scoring, but United's frontline ran riot in Kyiv during a free-flowing and frenetic Group F encounter.

Despite pre-match predictions of a tight tussle likely to be settled by a single strike, the net bulged six times in the Ukraine capital as Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed the freedom of the Olympiyskiy Stadium's vast pitch.

Dynamo Kyiv did score two of the six goals, but never seriously threatened United's stranglehold on a third successive Champions League victory. The win leaves the Reds with maximum points so far in this season's competition and the opportunity to secure group qualification when Kyiv travel to Manchester in a fortnight.

United's first-half performance was as good as any European display in recent memory, with the Reds carving out a number of chances in the first half-hour. With Kyiv desperate for a win and manager Jozsef Szabo adopting a three-pronged strikeforce, United found gaps aplenty in the home side's defensive armour. 

Szabo's tactics left Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo with boundless space in which to operate and it was the Reds' no.7 who looked most menacing in the game's early stages. Tiberiu Ghioane decided the easiest way to halt the 22-year-old was illegally, but his 9th minute foul on the Portuguese winger ultimately led to United's opener.

Giggs curled the resulting free-kick teasingly into the space in front of Kyiv goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy, who remained rooted to his line. Instead, Rio Ferdinand,