Fergie: United are top dogs
Sir Alex Ferguson felt his Manchester United side proved they are
currently the best team in England despite drawing 1-1 with Chelsea
at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils had a great chance to extend their lead at the top
of the table to six points after Louis Saha opened the scoring with
a well-executed finish, but ultimately had to settle for a draw
when the striker diverted Ricardo Carvalho's header away from Edwin
van der Sar after 69 minutes.
Following the game, Blues boss Jose Mourinho felt the draw played
into the hands of his reigning champions as they seek to overcome a
fierce title challenge from Old Trafford.
However, Ferguson is sure that over the course of an exciting 90
minutes United justified their status as the current top dogs in
The Premiership.
"We proved we can compete and that when we reach the high levels of
performance we are the best team in the country at the moment,"
said Ferguson.
"The test for us now is to step forward from this because winning
championships is about beating other teams.
"If we want to win the title, consistency is the name of the
game."
However, Ferguson was disappointed to see United concede from a
second half corner and allow their winning position to slip against
the Londoners.
"It is disappointing to draw because we were in a winning position
and allowed them to get an equaliser," Ferguson added.
"They had a lot of possession but didn't create a chance. We did
well on the counter-attack and had two magnificent opportunities to
get a second.
"But the longer the game goes on everyone starts to get a bit
nervous. Even so, they weren't causing us any bother until the goal
and I thought Edwin van der Sar had it covered until Louis headed
it in.
"In games like these, you need a little break at times - and we
didn't get it."
The first half strike was particularly significant for Saha after
his penalty miss against Celtic in midweek, and Ferguson revealed
the French international was desperate to make amends at Old
Trafford.
"Good players do that, they can't wait for the next game, and all
week in training you could see that," Ferguson added on Sky
Sports.
"He was like a caged animal, dying to get into the game, taking
penalty kick after penalty kick after training yesterday, which
demonstrates his eagerness to eradicate his miss from the other
night and I'm sure that if he does take another one he won't let us
down."
Michael Carrick was named man of the match to signify his growing
influence after a summer move from Tottenham Hotspur, and Ferguson
believes his summer signing is maturing into a key player at
United.
"Absolutely I thought he was fantastic, he is getting better all
the time," said Ferguson.
"He did a marvellous job for us, he is improving because he is
getting more mature.
"He is still a young man but he is at a big club and he is rising
to the challenge and that is pleasing to see."
One sour note for The Red Devils was two late injuries sustained to
both Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo, with both players being
substituted with four minutes to go.
Ronaldo picked up an injury after a hefty tackle from Ashley Cole,
whilst Saha pulled up almost simultaneously, but Ferguson is hoping
the duo can be fit for Wednesday's game at home to Everton.
"We will have to wait and see," he said.
"We will do our best to get them fit for Wednesday. We have to go
again. That is what champions are made of."
