It wasn’t one of those perfect hat-tricks. It wasn’t sublime, not the poetry in motion we have come to expect from Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yet it is hard to believe there will be a more valuable contribution to the David Moyes era than that of Robin van Persie on Wednesday night. It may even have kept the manager in a job.
A penalty, a side-foot from close range and a free-kick from distance had Moyes bouncing on the touchline like a man 20 years younger — or 20 years older if one recalls some of Sir Alex Ferguson’s more exuberant celebrations.
What a difference this was from the weekend. As insipid as United were against Liverpool, so they were bold and cavalier here.
As disengaged as Van Persie appeared four days earlier, so he was the life and soul on Wednesday night. He won the penalty, scored the penalty, scored the aggregate equaliser, nailed the winner.
It was also a huge night for Moyes, whose gamble on giving Ryan Giggs his first start since January paid off handsomely, with the veteran influential in two goals.
As for Antonio Valencia, it is fair to say he played Olympiacos with one eye shut after an early collision with Joel Campbell left him looking as if he had dropped his guard against Floyd Mayweather.
It was that sort of occasion; a night for men to show their mettle and while there may be scepticism over the quality of the opposition, this was a side of United too rarely seen this season. Scrappy.
United suffered a rash of penalties against them on Sunday, and this brought back memories of Phil Jones’s clumsy challenge on Liverpool’s Joe Allen, as Olympiacos defender Jose Holebas committed a similar offence.
He got on the wrong side of Van Persie and then clattered into the back of him as Giggs played a crossfield pass.
Referee Bjorn Kuipers pointed to the spot and Van Persie did the rest, striking the ball right and well enough that goalkeeper Roberto could not stop it, having guessed correctly.
Old Trafford was lifted — but it was the second goal, scored just before half-time, that convinced the majority this was going to be their night.
It was Giggs again, picking out Wayne Rooney, who got round Ivan Marcano and hit a lovely square pass for Van Persie to convert with ease.
The sight of Ivan Marcano and Olympiacos captain Giannis Maniatis in a pushing match as United’s players chased back to re-spot the ball suggested the way this game was going.
So it proved. In the 51st minute Danny Welbeck was fouled by Holebas and Rooney stood over the ball. He did a dry run past, allowing Van Persie to come in from another angle and curl the ball into the net.
It passed perilously close to Roberto on the Olympiacos goal-line but he was flat-footed. It wasn’t his finest night, to be frank.
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