Boss Hails Away Fans

Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Manchester United's travelling support on Saturday evening, claiming the Reds' away fans helped inspire the side to a dramatic win against Aston Villa.

United's supporters at Villa Park initially watched on in horror as the Reds went 2-0 down inside 50 minutes against a side lying 17th in the Barclays Premier League table.

But the 3,127-strong away allocation never gave up hope and roared the Reds on as Javier Hernandez led a thrilling comeback.

The Mexican was involved in all three goals and rightly claimed the post-match plaudits. Sir Alex, however, was at pains to point out the role United's supporters played in the win.

"The supporters were fantastic," he told MUTV. "[Birmingham] is one of the local games for us now, in a way.

"You saw them today - they were great. We were inspired by that. There's no doubt that with great support like that you get inspired and you do something for it.

"The second-half today showed we never give in. We can come from behind [and win] against anyone, which is something we've done eight times this season.

"That's encouraging. Anybody who plays against us knows they have to play until the 95th minute."