What Manchester United Need To Do To Get to the Champions League Final

With their 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Wednesday, Manchester United are extremely close to punching their ticket to the final in Rome.

The team produced a great attacking performance against Arsenal, and only allowed the Gunners to take four shots during the game. 

It also was Ryan Giggs' 800th appearance for United, and the team looked supremely confident throughout the match. 

But there are several things that they are going to have to do to solidify their spot in Rome, and here they are.

1. Continue To Play Defense

Manchester United allowed four shots during the first leg, and only one of them was at Edwin van der Sar.

The defence that consisted of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, and goal scorer John O'Shea played a great game, and are the reason why United are leading after this first leg. 

However, Ferdinand went down with what appeared to be a rib injury in the closing minutes of the game.

Ferguson told manutd.com that Ferdinand has a crack in his ribs, and he could be out for two to three weeks. United fans know that without Ferdinand their defence is way weaker, and they know that they can't afford to lose him for a substantial period of time.

2. Finish Their Chances

During the course of the match, United took 14 shots, and seven of them were on target. 

From the moment Wayne Rooney took a shot that was robbed from going in by Almunia during the first minute, United showed they wanted to give the Old Trafford faithful something to cheer about in the first leg. 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez were both also denied by Almunia, from point blank and by the crossbar. 

The only goal of the match, which was scored by O'Shea, probably shouldn't have been a goal as Arsenal's defender Mikael Silvestre missed a chance to clear against his old team.

In the Emirates on Tuesday, United will look to get at least one goal. If they do, Arsenal will be forced to score three because of the away goal rule.

3. Don't Get Ahead of Yourself

United know that they cannot think of going to the final in Rome without getting a good result at the Emirates.

Also, they cannot think that their place in the final is sealed because it won't be until the final whistle is blown.

They need to get that elusive away goal, but it would help their cause even more if they can score more than just one.

It's also vital that the defence doesn't quit at all during the match. It is extremely unlikely they would because Sir Alex won't allow them to.

He and the rest of the team want to have more European glory and become the first team since AC Milan to win consecutive European titles.

Finally, if Manchester United do all of this, they will succeed in getting to the final in Rome. They will definitely need to have Rio Ferdinand's services for the match if they want to accomplish this.

Also, they will need Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov, and Tevez to produce great performances, and perhaps a goal, along with all of the other players on United.

If United can follow these guidelines, they will be on course for more European glory and another Champions League trophy cabinet at Old Trafford.