Sir Alex Ferguson watched his side go
ten points clear of title rivals Arsenal but was far from happy
with the nature of Manchester United's performance during their 2-0
win over Fulham.
Dimitar Berbatov and
Antonio Valencia grabbed the goals as United eased past
the Cottagers at Old Trafford, but despite increasing their lead at
the top of the table Ferguson wasn't impressed with his
players.
"It was a result but I wouldn't say it was a job well done at
all," he said. "We were a bit casual and lackadaisical.
"In the first half we played some very good football and could
have scored a couple more, but we became wasteful with our
possession in the second and might have suffered for that."
Arsenal can reduce the gap to seven with a win at Blackpool on
Sunday, but with games running out, United's lead looks to be
formidable.
Berbatov's strike was his 22nd of the season and Ferguson purred
over the move that led to the opener. "That was a great goal,''
said Ferguson, who made eight changes in total, although he denied
he had taken Fulham lightly. "You trust the squad. It wasn't a risk
when you know the players. I picked the right team.''
Ferguson has already confirmed Valencia will start against
Chelsea in the second leg of United's Champions League
quarter-final with Chelsea on Tuesday. The Ecuador star has stepped
superbly back into the heat of combat after spending six months on
the sidelines with a major knee injury.
He nodded home the loose ball after
Aaron Hughes had cleared Nani's goalbound shot, his
first goal since August's Community Shield. "Valencia is a
marvellous footballer," Ferguson said.
"We chose the right time to take him off and get him fresh for
Tuesday. He will have an important role to play then."
It was the brightest part of Ferguson's afternoon given his
well-fancied horse, What A Friend, failed to complete the Grand
National at Aintree. "Apparently What a Friend was lying seventh
three fences out," he said, "but he came home tired".
Mark Hughes said his old club are on
course for the Treble, even if he accepts United still have plenty
of work ahead of them to emulate the heroes of 1999. "They could
win everything," he said.
"They are ticking games off and when you get to this stage of
the season, they have been here, understand what needs to happen
and what it takes. It is a big ask. Sir Alex would say himself it
is very difficult to do, but trust me, it is something they will
try and achieve. Good luck to them.''
If all goes to plan, United's season still has 12 games to go
and will reach its conclusion in the Champions League final at
Wembley on May 28.
