Ferguson hails Man Utd fans: We could have scored seven

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the Old Trafford fans after last night's Carling Cup semifinal triumph over Manchester City.

The Reds boss described the atmosphere as “unbelievable” as the United clinched an injury-time victory over fierce local rivals Manchester City.

Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney got the goals, but the manager reserved special praise for the part the fans at Old Trafford played on the night.

“I thought our fans were unbelievable tonight,” he told MUTV. “When Old Trafford is like that, the players really respond to it. They dragged us home. I have to pay special tribute to them. They were wonderful.”

After a goalless first half, United looked up for it after the break and, spurred on by a vocal backing from 65,000-or-so vociferous Reds.

“We missed a lot of chances in the game and Edwin van der Sar made a fantastic save just after half-time. But our second-half performance was absolutely marvellous,” the boss said. “We could have scored six or seven goals and kept in control of the game.”