Sir Alex Salutes Match-winner

Sir Alex Ferguson hailed his generals on the pitch at Eastlands after Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and especially Paul Scholes played a big part in a crucial derby win.

"They've been in so many derby games over the years, they are vital to us now," said Sir Alex. "Apart from their own contribution, their experience helps other players as well."

The manager said Scholes was the pick of his performers, and not just for his decisive goal. "I think he was the man of the match to my mind. I thought he was absolutely fantastic. He’s such a skilful player, he was wonderful today," praised Sir Alex.

"I was prepared to put him forward a little bit, knowing that there’s no-one better at ghosting into the penalty box and getting into the good positions. There was no-one near him. It was a free header and he took it very well."

Had Scholes not scored with 15 seconds left, the boss believes it would have become "very, very difficult" for United to win the league.

"Obviously we’re now hoping Tottenham win tonight [at home to Chelsea, 17:30]. If they do, then the title’s back on," he said. "Our win is a big boost to Tottenham because they can go fourth, that’s where their incentive comes. After tonight we’ll know better [how the title race looks].

"I think we deserved to win our game, although I began to wonder if we would win it after missing a few chances. I thought we were heading for a goalless draw.

"[Never giving up] is a quality that’s part of our history, it’s a fantastic thing to have. Knowing how many late goals we've scored, you just have to hope it's going to happen again. It did happen and I think the way we’ve won has given our supporters great excitement. They were fantastic today as they always are.

"Over the years 1-0 wins have been instrumental in a lot of our championship wins. It’s a big result for us."