Source: Daily_Mail
Anders Lindegaard: We're lucky to be at Manchester United
Anders Lindegaard was thrilled Manchester United could help make manager Sir Alex Ferguson's day even more special with three points against Sunderland.[LNB]Ferguson joined United 25 years ago and has guided them to 24 major domestic and European titles, and it was announced the north stand at Old Trafford had been renamed in his honour.[LNB] Happy to be here: Lindegaard is proud to play under Sir Alex Ferguson[LNB]Goalkeeper Lindegaard said: 'It says it all. One of the biggest stands in the world is called Sir Alex Ferguson. I would be thrilled if I could have just one seat out there called Anders Lindegaard's seat.[LNB]'He has created this club almost fromthe bottom and he's the biggest manager in football history. We deserved to win and to reward the manager on his 25th anniversary with aclean sheet and a win is very good.'[LNB]Thematch itself was certainly not one of the more memorable of Ferguson's reign but United dominated both possession and chances, and the only goal of the game went their way just before half-time when Red Devils old boy Wes Brown headed into his own net.[LNB]Lindegaarddenied the occasion had got to the players and instead blamed a failureto play at a high enough tempo for their scrappy performance, although he had no complaints about the defensive side of the display.[LNB]TheDane said: 'Some of the wisest words I've learned since I came here came from the manager, and that's "play the game, not the occasion".[LNB]'We've tended to slow down our pace when we've played opponents in a lower gear than ourselves. We have to do that better.[LNB] 'I think we played very well defensively, we didn't let Sunderland have any chances almost the whole game. It's maybe the best we've played defensively all season, but there's still room for improvement.'[LNB] Guard of honour: The players and fans gave Fergie an ovation ahead of the unveiling of the North Stand's new name[LNB] [LNB] Lindegaard was making only his second Barclays Premier League appearance for United since joining the club 12 months ago from Aalesund, but he had little chance to impress as Sunderland were kept at arm's length.[LNB]The reigning champions were boosted by the presence of both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in central defence, starting together for the first time since the opening day of the season.[LNB]Lindegaard added: 'Obviously the two of them know each other very well and they complement each other very well. The two of them played absolutely amazingly. It was very enjoyable to be goalkeeper behind them.'[LNB]Ferguson has surprisingly kept Vidic on the bench for recent Premier League games following his recovery from a calf injury, and he explained his decision to bring the Serbian back in at the expense of Jonny Evans.[LNB]The Scot said: 'When I saw they had (Connor) Wickham and (Nicklas) Bendtner, two big powerful lads up front, I felt we needed experience. Jonny Evans has been fantastic and, looking long term, Jonny Evans will be there, but it was Ferdinand and Vidic's day.'[LNB]While Lindegaard was given little opportunity to stake his claim for a regular starting spot, Sunderland goalkeeper Keiren Westwood certainly showed his class on his Premier League debut.[LNB] Welcome back! Wes Brown scores the winning goal... for his former club [LNB] [LNB] With Craig Gordon and Simon Mignolet both out injured, the 27-year-old stepped into the breach following his summer move from Coventry and pulled off a number of good saves, most notably a double stop from Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra in the second half.[LNB]Westwood said: 'I want to play. This is my opportunity and I want to take it. Of course you don't want to see someone else injured and Simon's a great lad who I feel for.'[LNB]The keeper felt Sunderland could count themselves unlucky not to come away with anything from Old Trafford, particularly given the goal was scored by one of their players.[LNB]'It was unfortunate but we'll have to take it on the chin I suppose' said Westwood.[LNB]'We put in a good performance and were unlucky but we've got to take the positives from it. We kept our shape fantastically and I don't think we deserved to be one down at half-time.' Redknapp: They'll end up taking Fergie out of Old Trafford in a box... and I'll be the sameTottenham lead chase to sign Beckham as former United star turns back on PSGClick here for the latest Premier League table, fixtures and results All the latest Manchester United news, features and opinion [LNB]
