Ferguson hails 'phenomenal' Rooney
Ferguson described Rooney's performance as world class
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Wednesday, 27, Jan 2010 10:40
By Matt Hallam.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Wayne Rooney after he scored a late winner in his sides League Cup semi-final victory over rivals Manchester City.
Second-half goals from Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick had overturned City's first-leg lead, however Carlos Tevez levelled the score with 20 minutes remaining.
The tie looked to be heading for extra time as the final whistle approached, however, Wayne Rooney headed Ryan Giggs' cross past Shay Given in injury-time, sending United though to the final where they will face Aston Villa.
Speaking after the game, Ferguson praised his striker's match-winning performance in the derby.
"It's a derby game and you like to win them," he said.
"There was a lot of spice and at the end there was a special kind of celebration. We stayed patient and looked a threat when we stepped it up.
"I thought Wayne Rooney produced a world-class performance tonight, he played better than he did on Saturday when he scored four goals. Phenomenal."
Rooney believes United deserved their win and paid tribute to another of United's star performers on the night - Darren Fletcher.
"When we were at them they didn't know what to do and they just couldn't cope with us," he said.
"Darren Fletcher was unbelievable and he's been like that for years. He's a bit of an unsung hero for some reason but he's what United are all about. He's world class and I wouldn't swap him for anyone in the world."
Fletcher highlighted United's team performance though and believes they sent a message to their city rivals
"It was all about the team tonight. Everyone was up for it, everyone put the shift in and we deserved to win it," he said.
"It's easy to talk, but it was important for us to do our talking on the pitch and we did that."