Gary Neville admitted Manchester United had flirted with disaster after the world's richest club finally squeezed past non-league minnows Exeter City in an FA Cup third round replay.
Not until the 87th minute, when Wayne Rooney scored to complete a 2-0 win for the world's richest club, were United finally able to relax in the knowledge that they had secured their fourth round appointment with Middlesbrough at the end of this month.
United's Premiership colleagues Blackburn and Fulham also made it through, albeit in vastly contrasting style.
Blackburn were somewhat fortunate to come through with a 3-2 win over a Junichi Inamoto-inspired Cardiff while Fulham were always in control during a 2-0 win over another Championship side, Watford.
Joining the big boys in the fourth round were Hartlepool, who accounted for League Two's Boston by a 1-0 margin, courtesy of Adam Boyd's winner.
The win obtained by a near full strength Manchester United side was scarcely less embarrassing than the goalless draw that a second string United line-up managed against Exeter at Old Trafford ten days ago.
And Neville, one of a string of internationals restored to the side for Wednesday's replay, admitted things might have been very different if Exeter had made more of their chances.
"We knew when we drew the game two weeks ago that we were going to cause ourselves a few problems by having to come down here and tonight we had a lot of problems," the England defender said.
"Anybody who has played professional football knows that when you come down to play at any place it is difficult.
"Exeter put up a good display over the two games and probably deserved a little bit more for their work.
"But we got through it and that is the main thing. We play Middlesbrough a week on Saturday and we just have to put this behind us now."
Exeter boss Alex Inglethorpe said he was proud of his players' performance.
"After the early goal we conceded we began to fear the worse but we showed we could be solid and we kept going," said the 33-year-old.
The only consolation for Sir Alex Ferguson, who had billed that display as the worst of his 18 years in charge at United, was that it could have been infinitely worse.
On a bitterly cold, blustery night in the west country, his side might have been facing extra-time but for Exeter's failure to take their best chance of the evening, just after the hour mark.
It fell to veteran striker Sean Devine, who pulled away from Gary Neville at the back post as a cross came in from the left and pulled his volley from six yards wide.
It was the chance of the night for Exeter, the chance of a lifetime for Devine, who will regret to his dying day that he did not decide to take the ball down before trying to lash it past Tim Howard in the United goal.
Inglethorpe however was philosophical about the crucial miss.
"We didn't have many chances in the game, so those we did have it was important to take them," he said.
"But Sean is a great player and he will score plenty more goals and it is just unfortunate that one did not go in."
Devine was clearly offside when he did get the ball into the net nine minutes later, but the fact that he had the chance was indicative of the way Exeter's heart had proved more than a match for the superior technique of their opponents in a nerve-tingling second half.
The way the match finished would have been predicted by few who witnessed the opening stages of the match, and particularly the slick move that led to Ronaldo's opener.
Cutting in from the left touchline, the Portugal winger fed Paul Scholes and advanced into the area, where he collected an exquisite return pass with consummate skill before firing a low shot through the legs of Exeter's 18-year-old goalkeeper, Paul Jones.
United had enough chances to have killed the contest by half-time but Rooney and Ryan Giggs failed to take the best of them, setting the scene for a second half that Exeter dominated before Rooney finally waltzed round Jones to make the outcome safe for the Premiership giants.
Blackburn's latest signing, Robbie Savage, watched from the stand as his new team-mates were made to work hard for their narrow win over Cardiff.
A first half double by David Thompson, who had not scored for nearly a year-and-a-half, gave Rovers the edge at the interval after Jobi McAnuff had cancelled out the midfielder's first effort.
Morten Gamst Pedersen then extended their lead just after the break but James Collins ensured a nervous end to the match for the home side by pulling a goal back on the rebound from his own header.
Fulham eased past League Cup semi-finalists Watford with goals from German defender Moritz Volz and Canadian striker Tomasz Radzinski.