Manchester United Football Club News

• Nickname:Red Devils
• Founded:1878
• Manager:Sir Alex Ferguson

• Ground:Old Trafford
• Capacity:68,174

Fergie: Scoreline flattered us

16 Nov 2008 - 11:17:03

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Sir Alex Ferguson claimed Manchester United were flattered by the scoreline in their 5-0 rout of Stoke City.

Cristiano Ronaldo's two goals took the Portuguese winger's tally to 101 for the club, while further strikes from Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov and substitute Danny Welbeck completed the scoring.

However, after Ronaldo opened the scoring with a third minute free-kick, Ferguson felt his side struggled to break down their hard-working opposition.

"The scoreline was fantastic, but I didn't think we played that well in the first half," he told MUTV.

"I thought Stoke did really well, they kept their midfield close to the back four and were very difficult to break down.

"Maybe we scored too early but the speed of our game wasn't as good as it normally is.

"The goal on half-time killed Stoke and thereafter the second-half performance was marvellous. There was some great football, some great goals."

Meanwhile, Ferguson believes Ronaldo is back to his best after two free-kicks saw his pass the century of goals landmark for the Red Devils.

Ronaldo missed the opening weeks of the season following summer ankle surgery.

"You saw his celebration, he was very pleased and the crowd were delighted," he added.

"He's on fire now, he's back. He's overcome his operation and he is getting quicker with every game. His fitness levels are fantastic. The boy is back."