Sir Alex surprise at scoreline

Sir Alex Ferguson was left in awe at some of the attacking, penetrating football United produced again Portsmouth, but was baffled that the scoreline was a deceptive 2-0.

The Reds created a host of chances and could have easily trebled the scoreline, but he remains satisfied with the quality of United’s play.

“It was a fantastic performance from us,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s one of the best displays of the season.

“I just can’t believe it was only 2-0,” he added. “We opened them up so many times. There was a bit of misfortune, shots were blocked and the goalkeeper made a few saves. But we missed some chances.

“But we have to think about the performance. The energy we put in was tremendous. I’m really pleased with that.

“The movement and penetration was very good. And I thought Ji-sung and Nani were really helped that from the flanks.”