MUTV

Bewitched at times, bemused at others by a display in which his side were dominant yet profligate, Sir Alex Ferguson was unsure of how to react to United's win over Portsmouth.

Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick goals were the telling bookends in a match in which the Reds passed up a hatful of chances, and briefly looked like letting the visitors steal an unlikely point. Clearly relieved by the result but wary of some aspects of his side's performance, the United manager cut a concerned figure after the match.

"I don't know what to make of it, to be honest," Sir Alex told MUTV. "In the first half you saw some of the best football you'll see all season. It was absolutely fantastic. But we missed about four or five chances, so instead of going in five-nil up at half time we were one-nil up and made it difficult for ourselves.

"That only encourages your opponents and they kept digging in and got two opportunities in the second half, and I was saying to myself: 'we're going to throw this away.' It can be so embarrassing. You're talking about throwing a game away when you should have been five or six up.

"We missed some fantastic opportunities, and in one way you're saying to