O'Shea revels in Kyiv romp

John O'Shea feels United's romp in Kyiv has to rank among one of the best European away performances in his time at the club.

The Reds brushed aside the Ukrainian champions on their own patch, and the versatile Irishman has been delighted with United's improved away form in Europe.

"I think it's up there with one of our best away performances in Europe," he said. "I played against Juventus (where United won 3-0 in 2003) it was a joy to be involved in that.

"But games like this, where you are comfortable from start to finish, do not come along too often in Europe. We must make sure we get a few more."

Victory in Kyiv puts United on the brink of reaching the knockout phases of the Champions League. Having been in an identical position last year and only just won through, however, O'Shea is aware of the need to finish the job as soon as possible.

"The manager has reminded us we won our first three games in the group stage last year as well," he revealed. "The key is to finish as strongly as we have started.

"We have two home games to come now. We are in a strong position but we have to make sure there are no more slip-ups and we finish top of the group." Read more...

Rooney: We Can Rule Europe

Wayne Rooney is confident that United have the wherewithal to win the UEFA Champions League this season.

Despite a host of major injuries, Tuesday night's victory in Kyiv put the Reds firmly in control of Group F with three wins from three games, and on the brink of sealing an early berth in the knockout stages.

"We've got a few injuries at the moment - a lot of key players missing - but we have a good squad and we know we're capable of winning this competition," Rooney told ITV1 after the win in Kyiv.

"We play Kyiv again in a couple of weeks - and if we win we'll be through. I hope there's a lot more to come - because after a poor start to the season, we're doing really well."

The England striker found the net for the fourth straight United match, and he admits he is revelling in his burgeoning strike partnership with Carlos Tevez.

After a few games spent building their understanding, the pair combined to devastating effect against Wigan, Aston Villa and Dynamo Kyiv - bagging five goals between them in those three matches.

"It (the partnership) is really good," Rooney said. "Carlos, I thought, was brilliant (against Kyiv). His work-rate and his touches were great. We're gelling really well, and I hope that can continue." Read more...

Scholes blow for United

Manchester United fear they could be without Paul Scholes for their Premier League clash with Arsenal in 10 days' time. Scholes was forced to pull out of United's Champions League match with Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday after suffering a knee injury in training. Scholes had a hospital scan yesterday, and Sir Alex Ferguson met with his medical staff this morning to decide the best course of action. It is feared Scholes may need a cartilage operation.
David McDonnell, Daily Mirror Read more...