Sir Alex Ferguson saluted his two-goal match-winner Wayne Rooney, whose elevation to the status of highest-scoring Englishman in Champions League history was perfectly timed. With Manchester United being held by the stubborn and occasionally cynical Romanians of Otelul Galati, Ferguson needed something special to kickstart their Group C campaign after two draws.
And, following a tactical switch, Rooney’s two second-half penalties moved him to 26 goals in Europe’s elite competition, above Paul Scholes (24). Rooney had an embarrassing penalty slip against Arsenal earlier this season but Ferguson, asked if he had considered relieving the forward of spot-kick duties, scoffed: ‘Why should a miss make a difference? He slipped.
‘We played Rooney further upfield in the second half and that made the difference. I wasn’t so much concerned at half-time but we knew what we needed to say to the players because our possession wasn’t creating any penetration.‘I don’t think we were lucky at all, we were the better team. We dominated possession and improved in the second half through Nani, Rooney and Anderson. Those three players changed the game.
'We are pleased after drawing the first two games. That created a certain pressure but we acquired a victory tonight and we're happy with that.' However, United’s victory was marred by the sending-off of captain Nemanja Vidic, shown a straight red card in the 66th minute for a touchline challenge on Otelul midfielder Gabriel Giurgiu. It brought an abrupt end to Vidic’s first United game since the opening day of the season.
Ferguson felt it was a harsh decision by German referee Felix Brych, saying: ‘I’ve looked at it and his foot’s certainly high. I can understand the referee’s interpretation because German football is different to English. It was certainly a booking but I thought a red card was a bit harsh. DailyNews UK
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