Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has defended his decision to start Saturday's defeat at Chelsea with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench.

Ferguson said: "Given we had played Barcelona on a Wednesday there was no way I could play the same team at Chelsea as it was a lunchtime kick-off.

"I have to give my team the best possible chance of getting to the Champions League final.

"This club should have had more success in Europe, so it was very easy for me to make those changes on Saturday."