Van Nistelrooij injury mars United triumph

An injury to Ruud van Nistelrooij was the only disappointment for Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United FC edged a narrow UEFA Champions League Group F encounter 2-1 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Hamstring strain
Having scored both of United's goals, the Dutch striker was withdrawn at half-time with a hamstring strain, and without his presence in attack, the visitors were forced to endure a difficult second half at the BayArena "Leverkusen are a really good side and the win tonight is a huge step towards reaching the next round," said Van Nistelrooij. "Obviously I am pleased that I got two goals tonight."

'Happy for Ruud'
With the striker having come in for some criticism for his lack of goals this season, his manager was delighted to see his run of goals in the Champions League continue. "I am really happy for Ruud because after his performances last season, the expectations are really high," said Sir Alex. "It is always hard to win away from home and always hard to win in Germany.

Pressure situation
"We had to sweat because we weren't playing well going forward and therefore we had to defend well. But we dealt with the pressure well and only allowed them three real chances in the whole game. All in all it was a good night in the Champions League for us."

Misery for Toppmöller
The Scot's opposite number, Klaus Toppmöller, was disappointed after his side's spirited performance failed to earn them a point. "We played some really good football this evening and were not rewarded for it," he said. "We were two goals down at half-time and had to fight our way back into the match."

Neuville injured
With Leverkusen already struggling with injuries, Toppmöller has been forced to add another name to the club's long sick list. "Oliver Neuville picked up a groin injury and had to come off in the first half and during the break Thomas Brdaric told me that he was nursing a knock and would only be able to play for another ten minutes," he said. "I really have no options left."

Praise for Lucio
Toppmöller revealed that Brazilian international Lucio had also gone into the match injured: "I would like to compliment Lucio for his effort," said the white-haired coach. "He came to me before the match and said he would give it a go despite his injury and I thought he played a great game for us."

'All we need is a win'
Defeat notwithstanding, Toppmöller maintained that his side are only one win away from putting another excellent run together in the Champions League and refused to abandon hope despite successive defeats in the opening two games of the competition. "Last year everyone thought we were out and look how far we got in the end," he said. "All we need is a win to put our game back on track."

'We were the better side'
Midfield player Carsten Ramelow echoed his coach's optimism, saying: "We were the better side, but we were unlucky. However, if we can keep up the good form then we have still got a chance." Playmaker Bernd Schneider added: "We were so close to beating Manchester United today. But we conceded two silly goals."