Rio: We Had To Dig Deep

Rio Ferdinand praised United for summoning every last ounce of effort to get past Barcelona and reach the Champions League final on an emotional night at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

A wonderful Paul Scholes strike after 14 minutes gave United the lead, but some valiant defending was needed to stave off Barcelona's challenge late in the game.

In particular, Ferdinand and central defensive partner Wes Brown were magnificent in limiting Barca's chances.

"We had to dig deep in the end, but we feel we did enough to make it to the final," Rio admitted after the game.

"We had to show discipline, quality in the goal from Paul Scholes - and what a goal! - and then resilience. We stuck together and we're there now."

The Reds face an all-English encounter in the final in Moscow, against either Liverpool or Chelsea. But Rio insists he isn't bothered who United's opponents are.

"I don't care who we face in the final," he said. "We're there and that's all that matters."