Ferguson convinced United can be champions of Europe once again

Man Utd 1, Barcelona 0 (agg 1-0)

SIR Alex Ferguson's joy at reaching his second Champions League final with last night's 1-0 victory over Barcelona at Old Trafford was underpinned by the conviction that the present Manchester United side can emulate the squad who lifted the great trophy by beating Bayern Munich in 1999.

"I think we have a fantastic chance in the final, whoever we play," said the Scot, who will watch his opponents at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on 21 May when he attends tonight's other semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool. That tie at Stamford Bridge is poised at 1-1 after the first leg at Anfield.

Ferguson joked that it might be better for him if Liverpool were to go through because there could be more tickets available. "If it's Chelsea, Roman Abramovich will probably buy up all the tickets. But, really, I don't care who we meet, I think we have a fantastic chance.

"We're in the final and we deserve to be, because we have given some fantastic performances all the way through the tournament and we had some very good performers here tonight. We needed an exceptional performance in that game, because we knew it was going to be a long night.

"We played a fantastic football club in Barcelona, one with a marvellous philosophy about the way the game should be played. And you saw their behaviour was impeccable at the end, when they had lost."

It was the veteran midfielder, 33-year-old Paul Scholes, who scored the only goal after 14 minutes, creating a conflict that threatened to swing both ways at various times. The closing ten minutes were especially anxious for the home fans, as the Barca coach, Frank Rijkaard, tried to retrieve the tie by bringing strikers Thierry Henry and Eidur Gudjohnsen off the bench.

"Obviously, our strength at the back was what helped us through," said Ferguson, whose team have achieved 30 clean sheets in 53 matches in all competitions this season. "In those circumstances, when a team as proud and as talented as Barcelona are threatened with defeat, it's inevitable they will have a real go and that's what they did.

"But, for all the pressing they did, we didn't allow them any genuine chances; most of their efforts were from outside the box. In fact, we had the better chances in the second half and should probably have scored at least one more.

"Being without (Nemanja] Vidic and (Wayne] Rooney was a blow, but I can't fault the other lads who came in for their effort.

"They really worked out there to get us to the final. Now we can put that away and concentrate on our last two league matches. I'd like to think the result tonight should give us a lift for our league fixtures. It certainly can't do us any harm".

Rijkaard defied the common wisdom which said that defeat would mean the end of his tenure at Nou Camp. It may indeed, but he made it clear that he will not be leaving of his own volition.

"The thought of quitting hasn't entered my head," said the Dutchman.

"I've no intention of leaving Barcelona. This is a time when the club needs help, a time for people to pull together. The Champions League is a big event for this club, and now we're out. But it's not an easy tournament to win, the days are gone when one club would win it every two or three years."

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