Sir Alex Ferguson left on edge by Man Uniteds casual second half showing

Published: 23 Apr 2009 - 00:11:17

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Sir Alex Ferguson left on edge by Man Uniteds casual second half showing

Michael Carrick's 82nd-minute goal confirmed victory for United following Wayne Rooney's ninth-minute opener. However, Ferguson suffered a double setback for the title run-in when he revealed that Gary Neville and John O'Shea will be out for "weeks" after both limped off. Related ArticlesMan United 2 Portsmouth 0Tevez hints at United exitPremier League actionNeville was forced off with a foot injury and his replacement O'Shea hobbled out after half-time after taking a heavy blow to his ankle. Ferguson said: "They are both out for weeks. They were both bad tackles but the referee did didn't do anything about them." The win moves Ferguson's team three points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand. But although United can now wrap up their 18th league title as early as the home game against Arsenal on May 16, Ferguson insists his team must sharpen up. He said: "We are in a better position than we were on Tuesday morning, but having seen that second half and how casual we were, I'm not taking anything for granted. "We should have been five or six up at half-time, but in the second half, I was stood there thinking we were going to throw it away. "We had some fantastic opportunities, but fortunately Michael Carrick came on and finished the game off for us." Ferguson's side achieved the victory without Argentine forward Carlos Tevez, who spent the game on the bench. It now appears the former West Ham player is heading out of Old Trafford after admitting that he sees his future elsewhere after failing to secure a regular starting spot.