Players' energy pleases Sir Alex

Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with United's effervescent performance against Aston Villa, on a day when fatigue could have been forgiven.

Continuous rain made for difficult conditions at Old Trafford but the players coped brilliantly, not only to compete but also to create some wonderful play for the enthralled home fans.


"I think we showed fantastic energy today," said Sir Alex.

"That's a very pleasing aspect considering some of the players had been away for internationals and it was a very heavy pitch."

Ferguson's men followed on from their 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool with a display that gave Villa little hope of ending their miserable run against the Reds - this was the Midlanders' 14th consecutive defeat in meetings with United.

"I said last week the players had reached a peak and that continued today," assessed the manager.

"I think the players realise now it’s a race to the line and we need consistency, we need real focus. They want to play at their very best. There’s good evidence of that in the last two games.

"Being at home is always an advantage of course but we’ve played against two very good sides so these (last two games) are good omens for us."

However, Sir Alex insists he's not relaxing yet - not with Chelsea and Arsenal among the remaining six fixtures for United, and the Gunners gaining a last-gasp win at Bolton earlier in the day.

"We don’t feel that close (to the title) with six games left. We wish it was only one. Nonetheless I think there’s great confidence in the way the team is playing and that’s always good at this time of year."