Ferguson hails evergreen Giggs after win
Ryan Giggs scored his 100th Premier League goal with a curling free kick
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Saturday, 28, Nov 2009 07:22
By Matt Hallam.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised Ryan Giggs after he scored his 100th Premier League goal in his side's 4-1 win at Portsmouth.
Giggs set up Wayne Rooney to put United into a 2-1 lead and won the penalty allowing Rooney to complete a hat-trick before capping a virtuoso display by curling in his sides fourth from a free kick.
The goal came on the eve of the veteran winger's 36th birthday and prompted Ferguson to wish his most decorated player happy birthday.
"He's an exceptional player, a rarity. He will play for two years yet," said Ferguson.
"Happy birthday. He's had it 36 times in his life, wait until he gets to 67. I think he'll be retired by then," he added.
The United manager was unhappy with the linesman's decision to flag for a Portsmouth penalty though and believes he put the referee under pressure despite being 50 yards from the incident.
"The linesman has put the referee under terrible pressure and he has to listen to the linesman who is 50 yards away," Ferguson said.
"You see these things every weekend in the penalty box. If you are saying everyone who wrestles at a corner or tugs at a jersey concedes a penalty kick then that's fine. But it doesn't happen that way and this linesman has changed the whole course of normal decision making.
"So it was a very disappointing result for us to get a penalty against us in that situation. Half-time came at a good time for us and the important thing was to keep our discipline and composure and play our football."