Manchester United captain Gary Neville hailed their never-say-die attitude after yesterday's 1-0 win at Stoke City. "We know we'll always create one chance and we know our strikers are good enough to take that chance," he told MUTV. "We've learned to remain patient and not to panic, and we did that today.

"It was a massive three points and you could see what it meant with the way we celebrated the goal.

"It was a great touch from Dimitar Berbatov [to set up Carlos Tevez for the winner] and it's important we have players who can come off the bench and help you win matches."

But United's victory wasn't all about the front men. The Reds' defence was kept on its toes all afternoon via a barrage of high balls and long throw-ins, not to mention a lively performance from Stoke striker Ricardo Fuller.

"We defended well and it was a massive physical challenge," Neville said.

"They're all huge players - I don't think there's anybody in the Stoke side who's shorter than 6ft.

"They were continually playing the ball forward, which was a bit of a throwback to some of the teams we used to play, like Crystal Palace and Wimbledon.

"But Manchester United are a tough team to play against, both in attack and defence, and we don't shirk anything."