Surprise Pair Pays Off

Sir Alex Ferguson surprised more than a few United supporters by selecting Ryan Giggs ahead of Michael Carrick for Sunday's six-pointer against Chelsea.

But by full-time, every fan in the full house at Old Trafford approved of the manager's midfield selection. Giggs was outstanding in the engine room and when he left the field late on to be replaced by Carrick, he received a standing ovation from the faithful.

"Honestly, Ryan was fantastic," praised Sir Alex on MUTV, before revealing, "I kept him particularly for this game, I rested him.

"I told him two weeks ago he and Darren Fletcher would play against Chelsea. I thought this game was made for them, given Ryan's ability to hold the ball and beat a man in midfield with that left foot. Ballack couldn't live with him really.

"It could have been a mistake - it's very easy to make a mistake when you've got a squad of 23 players. Genuine mistakes of course because you want to pick a team that wins and the supporters understand that. But today it worked and I'm glad it did."

Giggs was unjustly denied an assist during the game when Cristiano Ronaldo's header, from his cross, was disallowed by the officials. It followed a clever corner kick when Wayne Rooney quickly put the ball down in the 'd' and then rolled the ball into play for Ryan to collect - unfortunately without it being seen by the linesman.

"We've worked at that," revealed Sir Alex. "When you work at it and it's disallowed because the linesman's not watching...

Wayne clearly put the ball inside the little 'd' and Ryan noticed it, he took the ball in towards goal - why else would he take it in?

"Fortunately we managed to score from the next corner.

"Nemanja Vidic's headed goal from that final corner of the first half was a critical moment, according to the United manager.

"I think the goal right on half-time was crucial for us," assessed Sir Alex.

"We had some good chances in the first half and Chelsea had a lot of possession. They're very dangerous and they're very clever players but they didn't make any chances because we defended the 18-yard line very well.

"The first goal was the key moment because opened up the game for us. The midfield had far more space in the second half and we could have scored a few goals. I'm pleased with 3-0 though, it's a big scoreline, very unusual for these tight games."

With Chelsea defeated and Liverpool failing to win at Stoke on Saturday, this weekend could prove to be pivotal in the title race.

"It's a great day for us, and significant because we're chasing Liverpool," Sir Alex added.

"We've got games in hand and today gets us nearer. We've just got to make sure the home record is 100 per cent. If we do that, we'll have a good chance."