Ferguson: Gives United the thumbs-up
Sir Alex Ferguson is not taking Manchester United's place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for granted after a 2-0 win away to Roma.
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney have put the Premier League leaders in a commanding position ahead of next week's second leg at Old Trafford.
United beat Roma 7-1 at home at the same stage of the competition 12 months ago, but Ferguson is not yet plotting a last-four clash against Barcelona or Schalke.
"We can't take anything for granted, but we definitely feel like we can reach the semi-finals," said Ferguson.
Ronaldo scored his 36th goal of the season, and his seventh in the Champions League, to head United in front just before half-time.
Ferguson felt that goal was a key moment in the match and also acknowledged that his side enjoyed some good fortune at the Stadio Olimpico.
The United boss added: "It was a marvellous result for us. We showed discipline and composure on the ball.
"Ronaldo's goal changed the game for us. It was a fantastic header.
"His spring and courage to go in front of the defender surprised the Roma player.
"It was a centre-forward's header - it reminded me of myself.
"I thought Roma had some good chances the first 15 minutes of the second half.
"But there are breaks in a football match and I think they were with us today."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 24th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 17:30 | Rubin Kazan vs Dynamo Kiev |
| 19:45 | AZ vs Olympiacos |
| 19:45 | Arsenal vs Standard Liege |
| 19:45 | Barcelona vs Inter Milan |
| 19:45 | Debrecen vs Liverpool |
| 19:45 | Fiorentina vs Lyon |
| 19:45 | Rangers vs VfB Stuttgart |
| 19:45 | Unirea Urziceni vs Sevilla |
| Wednesday 25th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 17:30 | CSKA Moscow vs Wolfsburg |
| 19:45 | AC Milan vs Marseille |
| 19:45 | Apoel Nicosia vs Atletico Madrid |
| 19:45 | Bayern Munich vs Maccabi Haifa |
| 19:45 | Bordeaux vs Juventus |
| 19:45 | FC Porto vs Chelsea |
| 19:45 | Man Utd vs Besiktas |
| 19:45 | Real Madrid vs FC Zurich |
| Tuesday 8th December | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Atletico Madrid vs FC Porto |
| 19:45 | Besiktas vs CSKA Moscow |
| 19:45 | Chelsea vs Apoel Nicosia |
| 19:45 | FC Zurich vs AC Milan |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 4th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Lyon 1 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Fiorentina 5 - 2 Debrecen | |
| Dynamo Kiev 1 - 2 Inter Milan | |
| Rubin Kazan 0 - 0 Barcelona | |
| Unirea Urziceni 1 - 1 Rangers | |
| Sevilla 1 - 1 VfB Stuttgart | |
| Standard Liege 2 - 0 Olympiacos | |
| Arsenal 4 - 1 AZ | |
| Tuesday 3rd November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Maccabi Haifa 0 - 1 Juventus | |
| Bayern Munich 0 - 2 Bordeaux | |
| Besiktas 0 - 3 Wolfsburg | |
| Man Utd 3 - 3 CSKA Moscow | |
| Marseille 6 - 1 FC Zurich | |
| AC Milan 1 - 1 Real Madrid | |
| Atletico Madrid 2 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Apoel Nicosia 0 - 1 FC Porto | |
| Wednesday 21st October | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Juventus 1 - 0 Maccabi Haifa | |
| Bordeaux 2 - 1 Bayern Munich | |
| Wolfsburg 0 - 0 Besiktas | |
| CSKA Moscow 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Olympiakos FC | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Standard Liege | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | AZ Alkmaar | 4 | 2 |
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