‘SHAPELESS RABBLE'

From The MEN:

‘In the end, they were nothing more than a shapeless rabble and were fortunate the margin of defeat was not much greater by the final whistle.

And though Edwin van der Sar could be fingered as the culprit for the opener as he let Mendieta's dipping 30-yard effort slip through his fingers, there is no doubting which area of his side Ferguson felt was responsible for the embarrassment.

"Defensively, I was very disappointed," said the Scot.

"The second and third goals were terrible ones to concede at this level. I would have to see the first one again but if you give players a free shot from that range, you are not helping the goalkeeper.’

Ferguson is now looking for a reaction in mid-week against Lille.

"All we have done is given encouragement to Lille. They will be really buoyed when they see this result. We will get a reaction, that is without question. It is my job to see that happens.

"But we also have to try to stay positive and make sure we don't make the same defensive mistakes again because if we do, we will be out."