Not too happy with the 3-0 win yesterday, boss Fergie says Manchester United could have done it more comfortably
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Alex Ferguson |
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Teenager Danny Welbeck was the unlikely opening scorer as Manchester United eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win away to Southampton at St Mary's yesterday.
Victory for Sir Alex Ferguson's side set-up a last 32 clash against top-flight rivals Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Ferguson has never suffered the embarrassment of elimination from the third round, the stage at which clubs from England's top two divisions begin their Cup campaigns, since becoming manager of the 11-times record winners in 1986.
And the English, European and world champions rarely looked like blemishing that record against a Southampton side struggling at the foot of the Championship and reduced to ten-men for the majority of the match.
"I think it was okay," said Ferguson of United's display.
"They (Southampton) are a very young team so you would expect us to win but we could have done it more comfortably."
Turning to Welbeck, the 67-year-old Scottish manager added, "He did fine. He's got a good temperament to play the game and he is still growing. The potential is definitely there."
No secret
Asked how he'd avoided the kind of humiliating Cup exit suffered on Saturday by local top-flight rivals Manchester City, Ferguson replied, "I don't think there's a secret.
"The most important thing is that the players focus and concentrate on it. We always keep saying that to the players 'don't shock us'."
Ferguson left midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo out of his squad for the trip to the south coast while Wayne Rooney was named only as a substitute, with 18-year-old Welbeck partnering Dimitar Berbatov up front.
There was nothing Saints shot-stopper could do to prevent Welbeck giving United a 20th minute lead from the resulting corner.
United introduced Rooney for the final 27 minutes and the England striker almost made an instant impact when he ran onto Berbatov's clever chipped pass and rounded Davis before rolling the ball wide from a tight angle.
The visitors created countless chances before substitute Darron Gibson applied a close range finish to Rooney's 81st minute cross to make it 3-0 for his first senior United goal.
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