Sir Alex: Ronaldo's on fire

Sir Alex Ferguson says Cristiano Ronaldo has reached top form after watching the Reds winger strike two unstoppable free-kicks in the 5-0 win over Stoke.

The United boss was pleased to see Ronaldo score his 100th and 101st goals for the Reds with two wonderfully struck set-pieces.

It indicates that the Portuguese winger is now back to his very best following a start to the season disrupted by an ankle operation in the summer.

"You saw his celebration, he was very pleased and the crowd were delighted," said Sir Alex.

"He's on fire now, he's back. He's overcome his operation and he is getting quicker with every game. His fitness levels are fantastic. The boy is back."

United's five-star performance against Stoke wasn't all about Ronaldo. Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov and Premier League debutant Danny Welbeck also chipped in. And Sir Alex was pleased with the way the Reds defended against Stoke's physical and aerial threats.

"We did some work on it during the week. We handled the throw-ins very well - I think the crowd helped us there!" he said refferring to United's fans jeering whenever their was a throw-in that didn't fluster the Reds rearguard.