Wastefulness irks Sir Alex
“In the first half you saw some of the best football you’ll see all
season. It was absolutely fantastic. But we missed about four or
five chances, so instead of going in five-nil up at half time we
were one-nil up and made it difficult for ourselves.”
- Sir Alex Ferguson
Bewitched at times, bemused at others by a display in which his
side were dominant yet profligate, Sir Alex Ferguson was unsure of
how to react to United’s win over Portsmouth.
Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick goals were the telling bookends
in a match in which the Reds passed up a hatful of chances, and
briefly looked like letting the visitors steal an unlikely point.
Clearly relieved by the result but wary of some aspects of his
side’s performance, the United manager cut a concerned figure after
the match.
“I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest,” Sir Alex told
MUTV. “In the first half you saw some of the
best football you’ll see all season. It was absolutely fantastic.
But we missed about four or five chances, so instead of going in
five-nil up at half time we were one-nil up and made it difficult
for ourselves.
“That only encourages your opponents and they kept digging in
and got two opportunities in the second half, and I was saying to
myself: ‘we’re going to throw this away.’ It can be so
embarrassing. You’re talking about throwing a game away when you
should have been five or six up.
“We missed some fantastic opportunities, and in one way you’re
saying to yourself: ‘this is fantastic, I’m enjoying this,’ but on
the other hand you know what happens when you don’t take chances.
Fortunately Michael Carrick’s come on, made a fantastic run and a
good finish to kill the game off.”
United’s win, married to Liverpool’s concession of two points at
home to Arsenal on Tuesday evening, puts the champions three points
clear with a game in hand.
After his side’s display against Pompey, however, Sir Alex says
nothing has been decided yet.
“We’re in a better position today than we were yesterday
morning, that’s for sure,” he said. “Having seen that second half
and how we got so casual, I’m not taking anything for granted.
“We’ve got to put our foot down all the time. I don’t even
consider leeways in this situation, I don’t think we have a leeway
unless we keep performing properly.”