Ferguson happy with professional response

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has praised his players' performance against Aldershot after being humiliated against Manchester City only two days previous.

The Red Devils emerged victorious in their Carling Cup fourth round tie with the Shots thanks to goals from Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia in a 3-0 win.

United were looking for a reaction after being trounced 6-1 in Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford, and Ferguson was pleased the quality that his team illustrated. 

He told Sky Sports: "Aldershot fought really hard. They deserve a lot of credit because they never stopped running and they never stopped pressing the ball. They put a good shift in.

"We obviously had the quality at times and could have maybe scored a few more towards the end of the match when they tired, which was understandable.

"We are satisfied. In cup ties the main thing is to win the game and we are into the next round now."

The United boss conceded that a hearty response was essential after the misery of Sunday, and he declared himself a happy manager on Tuesday evening.

He said: "I think in any game we are looking for that. Obviously we had a difficult day on Sunday simply because we tried to play the history book.

"The nature of Manchester United is to go and win the game. With 10 men, nine men, seven men, no men, that's the nature and it's very difficult to change that.

"Tonight they kept their discipline and they kept their professionalism. I enjoyed it tonight and the players enjoyed it."

Will Manchester United fight back in the title race or will City run away from their rivals?

@T_Henman