Anderson Off The Mark

Having seen Anderson finally break his goalscoring duck after 78 competitive matches, the Brazilian's team-mates were naturally delighted for him.

The 21-year-old lashed home a fine goal at Tottenham to put the Reds on the verge of an impressive victory, and Rio Ferdinand claims the signs were there in recent weeks that Ando's drought was set to end.

"I think the lads have seen it coming," Rio told MUTV. "The international break gave him plenty of time to train and we've seen glimpses of what he can do. He scored a good goal for the Reserves and I think he's got the knack now of scoring.

"Hopefully he can go on a good run now and score more because if he does that he'll be a top-class player."

The Brazilian took plenty of ribbing from his colleagues during his drought, and it seems that ending it will not bring an end to the friendly banter.

"He's had a bit of stick about his celebration," added Ryan Giggs. "But we're all pleased. His performances have been really good since he's come to the club. He's a top player. He knows he needs to add goals to his game and hopefully he'll score a lot more."