Ten minutes into the second half at Aston Villa on Sunday, Man Utd were two goals down and facing an early exit from the FA Cup.

Ruud van Nistelrooy was not in the Man Utd starting line-up because of a groin injury.

But the match situation forced Sir Alex Ferguson to gamble on his star striker.

And the �19m man duly delivered a brilliant brace from the bench to seal a memorable 3-2 triumph for United.

His first strike, a fierce volley from David Beckham's cushioned header, brought the visitors level.

But he showed even greater control and poise to slot home his second just two minutes later.

Running onto Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's through ball, he outpaced the Villa defence, stayed on his feet as he rounded Peter Schmeichel and calmly guided the ball into the empty net.

Even stunned Villa manager John Gregory was forced to admit afterwards: "Van Nistelrooy cost �19m and he is worth every penny of that."