Ferguson praises match-winner Berbatov
Reuters - Tuesday 21 October 2008, 22:51
MANCHESTER - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson praised the impact of their record signing Dimitar Berbatov after the striker grabbed another Champions League double in a 3-0 home win over Celtic on Tuesday.
"He was fantastic. It was a marvellous performance again. He's bringing that composure to the last third of the field and his decision-making and passing are excellent," Ferguson told reporters after United's Group E victory.
"He showed some fantastic pieces of football and I think the players are starting to understand the type of player he is."
The Bulgaria international followed his brace away to AaB Aalborg with another pair at Old Trafford to leave United top of the group ahead of Villarreal and they are already close to qualifying for the knockout stages after just three games.
"You always feel when he (Berbatov) turns on back fours he will produce a pass that will mean something. There were three or four occasions tonight he was absolutely superb.
"He has got five goals for us already now and I think that's a terrific contribution," added Ferguson.
Celtic, who have lost 18 of their last 19 away games in the Champions League, had no answer to the pace and power of a United side helped by seeing Berbatov's goals allowed to stand when they looked offside before Wayne Rooney added a third.
WELL BEATEN
"You need a decision and to get two like that was a blow," Celtic manager Gordon Strachan told reporters. "But I am not going to sit here and scream about them. I know when I am well beaten and so does my team.
"I am just pleased that we showed enough guts to stay in there and it wasn't a rout and we got beat by seven. Roma got beat by seven here (in the quarter-finals in 2007)."
Strachan described United as the best team he had seen in Europe and said they were warm favourites to successfully retain their Champions League title.
"In the past couple of years we have played some terrific sides but I think that's the best," he told reporters.
"It was one of the best performances I have come across watching European football. It will take some team to beat them, that's for sure.
"Wayne Rooney was unplayable. When you see players like that you have to say he's a world-class player, backed up by a couple of other world-class players and six or seven international players."
The defeat left Celtic on one point after three matches, six behind United and Spanish side Villarreal.
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