"We missed three excellent chances and needed to take one of them," Ferguson said after the match.
"Both teams played with great spirit, it was a very open game and really we needed to take our first chance. We were very unlucky when Ryan hit the post - that would have changed it."
He told ITV: "It was a hard game. Losing the goal at Old Trafford was the killer for us. We had a great spirit tonight and it took a fantastic header from Crespo to decide it. I'm disappointed to go out but we've gone out to a very good team. Experience showed at times tonight - our decision-making could have been better but you only get that through playing and my players will get better.''
In other comments Ferguson is still making noises about the future rather than the now:
"I've no complaints. I think we've done well. There was a great level tonight, the skill was fantastic. It was disappointing to go out, ok Milan are a very, very good team, but we're not very far away. At times our decision making let us down. Not dramatically so, but our young players showed that they've got the flair to play and I think that's important on an occasion like tonight."
From The Guardian:
"It's very easy to be overly critical but over the two legs it has come down to the ratio of chances taken," said Ferguson. "My hope was that we would score the first goal and that would change the complexion of the game. The first chance fell to Ryan, and who knows what would have happened if that had gone in? It's a very fine line at this level of competition. I have no complaints in terms of the level of our performance but we needed that first goal and they got a huge break when Ryan hit the post. You've got to take those chances at this level and unfortunately over two legs that is what it has come down to."
"We had two other opportunities that both fell to Ruud van Nistelrooy and his lack of match sharpness cost him. If Ruud had had a few more games behind him, who knows again?"
"I have to give Milan great credit," he said. "There was a fantastic spirit between the two teams. There were no histrionics from Milan and they were very professional. Overall I didn't think there was a lot between the two teams but there was a period in the second half when Milan imposed themselves on the game and were a threat to us. Sometimes our decision-making was not great but that comes down to experience. Cafu and Paolo Maldini were fabulous. For me, Cafu was the player of the night."