Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson hailed their amazing comeback at West Ham United as the stuff of champions. In a sensational 19 minutes that included a 14-minute Wayne Rooney hat-trick, the leaders turned a 2-0 defeat into a 4-2 victory, propelling them eight points clear at the top of the table and piling the pressure back on Arsenal and Chelsea behind them.
"We played like champions," said a delighted Ferguson. "It was a real championship performance as far as I'm concerned.
"I said to them at half-time, 'Look, goal difference doesn't matter now - you're getting something from this game'.
"'The next goal wins the game'.
"That's why I put Ryan (Giggs) back to left-back to have a go and just attack.
"It paid dividends and I'm pleased with that."
