Boss relieved by Rooney strike

Sir Alex Ferguson was annoyed with himself for not employing Wayne Rooney in a central role earlier against, after the striker scored within moments of switching position.

Rooney spent much of the match in a wide left position as the Italians dominated the early stages of the second half, but moved inside when Owen Hargreaves replaced Anderson.

Sir Alex's switch to 4-4-2 reaped instant dividends, as Rooney pounced on a mistake from Roma goalkeeper Doni to give United a vital second goal.

"I should have put Wayne Rooney through the middle quicker," Sir Alex told ITV after the match. "It (the second goal) was an instant reaction to that.

"We maybe had some lucky breaks in the second half, they could have scored a couple when they went through on the left hand side against us."

Rooney's goal, which followed a superb first-half header from Cristiano Ronaldo, gave United a 2-0 lead to take into next Wednesday's second leg.

With the Reds looking well placed for a semi-final place, Sir Alex was highly satisfied with a job well done in the Stadio Olimpico.

"It was a very good team we were playing against," he said. "I think we had to defend really well at times. It was a good disciplined performance, we had good possession of the ball and that's not easy in that atmosphere.

"And we didn't lose a goal, which is really vital. It's a fantastic scoreline for us, and we're very, very pleased."

The only sour note of the evening came as Nemanja Vidic limped off in the first half with a knee injury. The Serbian is set to undergo a scan to determine the extent of the blow.

"We don't know," said Sir Alex. "We hope it's a nerve. It's a knee injury anyway, we're just praying it's not anything other than a nerve injury."