Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra says their penalty won at 2-0 down was key to victory over Tottenham.

"That goal was key," Evra told MUTV. "The manager told us at half-time that if we scored once we'd go on to win, and we believed that. But we knew we needed to score in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

"We knew we needed to wake up in the second half. At 2-0 down it was very difficult. We started very slowly and without any aggression. We let Tottenham play too much."

Evra admitted Sir Alex had "made a speech" in the dressing room at the interval. But the boss's team-talk wasn't the sole inspiration behind a stunning second-half performance.

"I have to say congratulations to the fans. We came off 2-0 down and were clapped off the pitch by our fans. That's unbelievable.

"The fans were very important today and I'd like to congratulate them. It's very difficult for opposition teams to play at Old Trafford when the crowd gets behind us."