Nani's Confident

It was a case of mission accomplished for Reds winger Nani after he helped United earn a 1-1 draw against Valencia and qualify for the Champions League knockout phase as Group C winners.

A point on Tuesday against the Spanish side secured United's position among the top seeds for next Friday’s Last 16 draw and ensured the Reds will not face fellow group victors Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

It was a job well done, according to the Portuguese international, who was unlucky not to add a second United goal shortly after Anderson’s 62nd minute equaliser. Nani told MUTV: "Valencia are a great team and they played some fantastic football – one or two touches, every player involved. It’s difficult to play against a team like that, like Barcelona.

"But we did well and we should have won the game because we created a lot of opportunities to score more goals. Still, it was a good result because we finished in first position.

"Before the competition started, we wanted to finish first in the group and we did it. Now we are happy and we wait for the next team. We have to be confident because we know that if we are to get to the final we’ll have to face strong teams."

Nani and his team-mates' attention now turns back to the Barclays Premier League, with a crunch match against title rivals Arsenal looming on Monday night. The Reds currently sit in second, one point behind the Gunners, after last weekend's postponed trip to Blackpool paved the way for Arsene Wenger's side to leapfrog United.

Nani, who scored in last season's 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium, admits matches against Arsenal will always capture his imagination: “It’s always a fantastic game. Everyone wants to play the big games and I think it will be a fantastic atmosphere. Arsenal are doing well but we are doing well, too. We just have to concentrate on our own performance and try to win.”