Ferguson praises match-winner Saha
Louis Saha is crucial to Manchester United
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Saturday, 01, Sep 2007 09:11
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to see the return of striker Louis Saha after the Frenchman scored a crucial goal to give his side a 1-0 win against Sunderland at Old Trafford this evening.
The home side dominated possession but failed to produce many clear-cut chances, and it was left to Saha to come off the bench and head in a Nani corner to give United three valuable points.
They move up to sixth in the table with eight points as a result.
"Louis Saha gave the players a target," said Ferguson. "He's very much needed, with his speed and his strength we've missed him so we're delighted to have him back.
"[In] the first half our passing was far too slow and we were not making many chances. I thought we deserved to win the game but it was a long day."
Sunderland boss Roy Keane, who got a fantastic reception from the United fans who adored him for over a decade, rued the fact that his team had lost to a goal that came from a set-piece after defending so well for over 70 minutes.
"When you lose to a set-piece it's very frustrating. One lapse and you can lose the game," said Keane.
"I'm delighted with the overall performance. It would have been nice to test their goalkeeper a bit more but overall I'm delighted with the players' efforts.
"The United fans were fantastic - and the Sunderland fans were too - but we're still leaving with no points."
Manchester United will be relieved to have got the three points, but Ferguson will still be worried by the lack of chances his team created and will be desperate to get Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney back.