Manchester United Reaction

Last updated : 15 October 2006 By Paul Farrington

Paul Jewell

"They battered us in the second half I don't think we had a shot on target, there is no getting away from the fact that Manchester United are a great team, and when Giggs came on, they changed the shape to 4-4-2 and they annihilated us really.

"At first they played 4-3-3 and we forced them to change their shape, and then they looked a different outfit.

"I cannot be too critical of my team because they gave everything in the first half. They started the second half like a house on fire, and we never got to grips with it. They could have scored a couple of goals before they got the equaliser.

"It was disappointing for their first goal, it was from a set piece, and when you are playing against top teams, you should make if harder for them to score goals against you.

"When you are in the middle of a run like we are in, you have to be careful that you don't lose confidence. Our season will not be shaped by what we do against Manchester United, although it would have been a great springboard for us had we got something from the game.

"We were beaten by a far better team and there is no shame in that! We've got to make it more difficult for teams to play against us, and make them dig more. We've got to get our resilience back."

Sir Alex Ferguson

"The change in formation was a big factor. Wayne produced a great performance in the second half after we moved him into the middle.

"Ryan made a real difference when he came on. I was planning to give him about thirty minutes or so but he was keen to get on and I decided to change things at half-time. I thought all the front players were a real handful in the second half and we could have scored a few more goals."