Manchester United Football Club News

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

• Ground:Old Trafford
• Capacity:68,174

Slow start stuns Ferguson

03 May 2007 - 08:14:29

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Sir Alex Ferguson admitted his Manchester United side had been well beaten, after a 3-0 loss in the San Siro to AC Milan sent the Red Devils crashing out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage.

Goals from Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino secured a 5-3 aggregate win for the Rossoneri, with Ferguson left to rue a sluggish start by his team.

He said: "It is disappointing to come so close. We had done so well to get here, but I have to say that we never came out of the blocks.

"Milan were fresher and better prepared physically, but we had to cope better with that situation.

"We had to get through the first 25 minutes of the game without cutting our own throats. But we gave away two sloppy goals. We should not be losing goals like that.

"The name of the game in Europe is that you don't give the ball away. Milan kept the ball far better than us.

"They've been together for many years and that great experience is not to be dismissed. Compared to that, my team lacks experience. You only get that by keeping a team together over a long period.

"But the nature of our football is that we recover from disappointment. We've had to do it before after big European nights and we'll do it again."