A goal and an assist from the Portuguese winger in three devastating minutes last night after coming on as a sub booked United a quarter-final date with either Middlesbrough or Chelsea.
Left out the squad for the big one against Real Madrid last Wednesday, he was then shaken up back in Manchester when his Bentley was hit by an unmarked police car on Friday.
Nani's appearances even before a hamstring injury robbed him of two months of this season had been intermittent and little to write home about.
His chances since his return have been few. The problem with the winger since he came to Old Trafford is that he has been consistently inconsistent.
He can be brilliant one day but then you have to wait another month for him to be brilliant again. Last night it was the latter.
An ankle injury for Phil Jones opened the door for him to enter the fray after 42 minutes and within two more he woke a slumbering Old Trafford.
First he rocked the post with a stunning volley from the edge of the box. Then he had another pop from 18 yards, this time forcing Adam Federici into a fingertip stop.
Antonio Valencia provided the cross, Nani took one touch with his left foot to kill the ball then fired home low with his right past Federici into the far corner.
The same foot that brought the goal provided some wonderful balls into the box and in the 72nd minute a whipped cross into the near post found Javier Hernandez who glanced home a header.
It was the little Mexican's 15th goal of the season. Moments like these make you wonder why the club are stalling on offering Nani a new deal, with his current one up at the end of next season.
The problem is he can frustrate more than he delights and his decision-making can leave the coaching staff exasperated.
Perhaps with his first goal since Halloween his recent nightmares will be over, but nobody will be holding their breath.
Reading made it a nervy finale when Jobi McAnuff seized on a loose ball, after Chris Smalling failed to clear, and poked home in the 81st minute.
The visiting fans chanted for 'Fergie time' and got four minutes of it, in which they had a free-kick and corner that saw the ball pinging about the box.
By the end he was pointing at his watch and rarely do you hear the home crowd whistling to encourage the referee to end it.
Brian McDermott had made six changes to his Reading side from their defeat at Stoke with a relegation six-pointer against Wigan coming up on Saturday. But they put up a real fight, as they have of late, to seriously worry United.
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