Ferguson revels in United performance

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was pleased with his side's performance as they cruised past Schalke to move closer to this season's Champions League final.



United were dominant in Germany with Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney both scored in a 2-0 away win.



Giggs, who had missed a couple of fantastic chances, was played in by Rooney and finished well before Rooney added a second only two minutes later.



"Our concentration, intensity and speed of passing was excellent,'' Ferguson said afterwards. "We had less chances in the second half but were more dangerous, when Chicharito scored and it was offside it told the players they could beat the goalkeeper.''



"Juventus in 1999 will always be on the list of great performances away from home in Europe but this certainly ranks as one of them.



"The players have confidence and trust in each other and they are peaking."



Ferguson also suggested the ability to name the same starting 11 that played against Chelsea in the previous round was significant.



"The continuity of selection in these games gives us good experience and work-rate and I have good options with the likes of Nani, Scholes and Anderson. We have selection problems now but that is what we want,'' he added.



The Scot is in the market for a new goalkeeper with Dutch veteran Edwin van der Sar retiring at the end of the season and has been linked with Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer, who performed marvels on the night to keep the score respectable.



"He was fantastic," said Ferguson. "That is one of the best performances I've seen against Manchester United."



The United boss even suggested he could rest key players in the return leg as the fight to win the Premier League takes priority.



"Depending on the result on Sunday [at Arsenal] I could make two or three changes because we play Chelsea the following weekend.



"We are a bit disappointed we didn't take more chances but overall we are delighted with the performance. In the first half especially we had some good chances and we were disappointed at half time not to be in front.''



But Rooney refused to accept that United now have one foot in the final at Wembley, aware that Schalke scored five goals in the San Siro against Inter in the quarter-finals.



"Schalke are a good team and we can't take them lightly. We need to make sure we are professional and fully concentrated,'' he said.



Giggs, who became the oldest player to score in the history of the Champions League, insisted the players were confident they would be able to find a goal despite being constantly denied by Neuer.



"We knew that if we kept creating chances one would go in and hopefully I would get one on my left foot rather than my right,'' he said. "Before the game we would have taken 2-0 but now we are slightly disappointed.''




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A Champions Performance - A Vital Win

Wayne Rooney's swearing fit of joy/relief after he completed his unpredictable hat-trick pretty much summed up the feelings of the majority of Manchester United fans. This was a man who knew he hadn't played as well as he could have in the first half, and the pressure had been building. He had started ahead of the Premier League's top scorer, who sat on the bench with his new short hair cut, waiting to come on - a call many United fans were asking for. But he proved everyone wrong with that third goal which hauled United over the line ahead of an irritatingly hard to get past West Ham side.

United dominated the play, but after two very avoidable penalties were conceded and scored by Mark Noble, it was an uphill battle at the ground where a second string United team had conceded four in a Carling Cup encounter with Avram Grants side. Sir Alex was frustrated by the situation they were in; "Being two goals down was a travesty in terms of possession and chances created." 


So, sitting up in the stands, watching his players from above, the veteran United manager was in the perfect position to decide what to change - and big decisions were needed. The big substitution at half time was taking the perpetrator for the first penalty, Patrice Evra off, and throwing on the baby face Javier Hernandez, a young man with a growing goalscoring reputation.


It paid off, and in the 64th minute, a free kick was won. Now since Beckham and Ronaldo left United, there  has been a distinct lack of goals from free-kicks, especially at vital times. As Rooney stepped up, many I'm sure were expecting it to pathetically rebound off the wall, but this was not the case. Instead, Rooney scored 
the first of his three goals, and United were suddenly back in the game.


An Antonio Valencia cross was brought down superbly by Rooney and he took a touch to smash it into the bottom left hand corner of the West Ham net in a delightful finish. United weren't going to stop there however, oh no. Typically, United would go for the win, and, with all of the momentum of a quick fire double from an inspired Wayne Rooney, they were in the driving seat, with no chance of hitting the breaks.


When the little Brazilian Fabio worked his way into the box and was closed down by Upson, it looked like any chance was gone, but a clever little flick which hit the defenders arm prompted Lee Mason to point to the spot, for Rooney to step up and place into the corner. It also prompted Rooney to confront his critics with his potty mouth in front of the camera, in the midst of being mobbed by his United team mates. 


The win was there for the taking, but United were not safe yet, and United fans would have been thinking back to the early stages of the season when late goals were all that seemed to be occurring. Nevertheless, a nicely played counter attack saw Rooney roll it to Ryan Giggs, who never seemed to stop after being moved to left back at half time, and the Welshman crossed it across the ground for his little Mexican team mate to do what he does best from a few yards out.


Sir Alex Ferguson reacted to moving eight points clear of Arsenal in the table:

"We played like champions today, we kept our heads up and didn't lose faith in our ability.

"It's never easy coming here. They are fighting relegation but we had to do our thing.

"We dominated that second half and it was a real championship performance.

"Arsenal have a game in hand. It could go to goal difference but I somehow don't think so."

Berbatov came on and played brilliantly. His touch is, as ever, exquisite, and his hold up play is superb. It was a small cameo that may push him into contention for starting the Champions League game against Chelsea, but in Ferguson's mood of playing Rooney and Chicharito may over rule again. That is the beauty of it though, because the bench is so strong - Nani, Michael Owen, Chicharito and Rooney started on the bench - showing the strength in depth at United.


It was a a Champions performance, and a performance that has stepped United closer to holding aloft that Premier League trophy, ahead of Arsenal who drew at the Emirates against Blackburn.


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Jose Mourinho Pleased With The Performance Of Lassana Diarra

Jose Mourinho has admitted that he was pleased with the performance of Lassana Diarra in victory over Atletico Madrid.

“I opted for three midfielders because I knew the team was tired and to make the team more compact,” said Mourinho.

“I wanted to rest some players but I did want to risk our championship chances ending today. It was a risk but you have to take each day as it comes. Now we will have three days of rest.”

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