Fans of Manchester United, as well as general admirers of the way that Paul Scholes played the game, will have their own favourite goal scored by the midfield maestro.

There will be many that plump for his famous volley away at Bradford City, while others will no doubt opt for his effort that rocketed into the top corner of the net at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.

Both of those goals were scored in the year 2000, but his strike away at Aston Villa eight years ago today that also lives long in the memory, so much so that Scholes ranks it as the best of the 155 goals that he scored in a United shirt.

Villa midfielder Gavin McCann had seemingly made a useful clearance when he headed Ryan Giggs's inswinging corner in the 64th minute some 25 yards from goal.

However, waiting underneath the dropping ball was the familiar sight of Scholes, who adjusted his feet in time to unleash a looping volley. Goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly had plenty of time to see the shot, but he could do little to stop it as the ball cannoned into the net via the underside of the crossbar.

Speaking to FourFourTwo after his retirement, Scholes said of that strike: "My best [goal] is probably the one at Aston Villa when I volleyed it again from outside the area. That was more difficult [than the one against Bradford]."

That stunner from Scholes made it 2-0 after Cristiano Ronaldo had put the visitors in front six minutes earlier. The winger's first effort was blocked by Gary Cahill, but he fired the rebound beyond Kiraly.

Then, with five minutes remaining, Ronaldo put the outcome beyond any doubt. Wayne Rooney played in Gary Neville, who saw his slide-rule cross turned in by the Portuguese youngster.

Speaking after the final whistle, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for two-goal Ronaldo. "Today the players got to grips with the game, played some great football and showed determination," he said. "Ronaldo was unbelievable, he was a revelation today and he is as good as anyone in the country."

Meanwhile, Villa boss Martin O'Neill added: "We were playing very well indeed until they scored the first goal, which was very avoidable from our point of view.

"We lose possession, they score. We've got a lot of young players in the side and that sort of experience will bring them on immensely. You make mistakes against top quality sides and you'll remember them."

Villa: Kiraly; Hughes, Mellberg, Cahill, Barry; Agbonlahor, McCann (Angel), Gardner, Petrov, Davis, Sutton

Man United: Van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Fletcher, Park (Rooney), Scholes (Silvestre), Giggs (O'Shea); Saha