Sir Alex hailed the fans' role in United's come-from-behind victory against Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford.

A Premiership record 76,098 supporters were on hand to witness a stunning second-half performance that saw the Reds run out eventual 4-1 winners. But even with the scores level at 1-1, the United boss said he never doubted the result.

Sir Alex told MUTV: "They overcame being 1-0 down, they kept making chances, kept their nerve, showed their composure and the fans were fantastic. The culmination was just too powerful for Blackburn.

"Paul Scholes' [equalising goal] won us the game, in a sense. The crowd were always going to take us over the line after that. The fans were magnificent, the best in years."

The Reds trailed at half-time, but never panicked in their pursuit of an equaliser.

"All they have to do is keep their nerve," the United manager said. "The players kept making chances and showed composure. Cristiano Ronaldo: some of his football today was out of this world.

"And Ryan Giggs, Ji-sung Park… the front players were also fantastic. The combination