Boss: Tevez tipped the balance

Carlos Tevez came off the bench to save United's 100 per cent Champions League record on Tuesday night, to the relief of his manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Reds were heading towards defeat and therefore a difficult final group match in Rome until the Argentine striker entered the fray as a half-time substitute. Ryan Giggs also came on to help turn the tide against a Sporting Lisbon side fighting to stay in the competition.

"The substitutes brought better impetus, better rhythm and more speed to our game and we looked more like ourselves," Sir Alex told MUTV.

"I think Tevez made the difference. Ryan’s experience helps of course, and he showed great confidence and composure on the ball. But Tevez was the one who kept running at them, turning them and moving all the time. He became a handful for them."

Cristiano Ronaldo was also a handful against his former club - but only after Tevez and Giggs joined him on the pitch. The first half was forgettable for all those in red as Sporting took a shock lead through Abel's stunning shot from a crossing position on the right wing.

"If you don’t exert your influence at home in Europe then you can leave yourself open to embarrassment," said Sir Alex.

"The goal we lost was a bit bizarre - I think it was bad defending by us - and I think it gave them a real foot in the game. I just felt there was no impetus in our game, our possession of the ball wasn’t great and I felt I needed to make changes at half-time."