Manchester United cruised to a 5-0 thrashing of Panathinaikos in their opening Group E Champions League game on Tuesday after hitting the visitors with a four-goal first-half blitz.

 The Greek league leaders were brushed aside with ease as United, winners of the competition in 1999, took an early grip of a group which also saw Rangers beat VfB Stuttgart 2-1.

 Panathinaikos are notoriously bad travellers and they lived up to their billing by crashing to a 14th defeat in their last 17 trips in the Champions League.

 The only surprise of the night was the lack of a goal from striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy, the top scorer in the competition last season.

 United went ahead after 12 minutes when French defender Mikael Silvestre forced a Ryan Giggs corner over the line at the second attempt.

 Te visitors couldn't cope with the pace and movement of Giggs and Van Nistelrooy and it was the forward pairing who combined to set up South African midfielder Quinton Fortune to drill home his first European goal for the English champions a minute later.

 Giggs, captain in the absence of Roy Keane and a constant threat, then provided the cross for Norway's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to make it 3-0 after 33 minutes, helped by a blunder by Greece goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis who allowed the ball to slip through his hands.

 Panathinaikos's sole threat of the first half had come moments earlier when Michael Konstantinou's sharp header had forced Tim Howard into a fine save.

 But they found themselves four down at the break when John O'Shea crossed for England midfielder Nicky Butt to head home.

 Raimondas Zutautas and the lively Konstantinou shot just wide after the re-start as Panathinaikos looked to restore some pride.

 But the game was over as a contest and United manager Alex Ferguson was able to rest Butt and O'Shea with an eye on Sunday's game against league leaders Arsenal.

 The Londoners will provide Ferguson's side with a far sterner test and there will be much bigger hurdles to overcome in their quest to advance further than last season's quarter-final defeat by Real Madrid.

 But they could not have asked for much more on the opening night of the tournament and completed a comprehensive victory eight minutes from time when substitute Eric Djemba Djemba scored his first goal for the club from close range after the outstanding Giggs had flicked on a cross from Gary Neville.

 "I think the performance in the first half was excellent," said Ferguson.

 "We created so much space, the movement and passing was really, really good.

 "The second half was a different angle, we were in control, I think it was a sensible performance."

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