Red reverie for two-goal Carrick

'Everything just clicked'
United delivered a stunning statement of intent as they overturned a 2-1 first-leg loss with a superb display of attacking football at Old Trafford. After Carrick opened the scoring with an eleventh-minute chip over Doni, United struck twice more before the 20-minute mark to build a platform for a victory that will live long in the memory of players and supporters alike. "Everything just clicked and the first 20 minutes won us the game," the 25-year-old said.

Perfect start
"We knew we wanted to start very well but to start so well and to carve out the chances and to score the goals we did was a great feeling and to carry it on for the full game was the stuff of dreams," added Carrick. The English international finished up with two goals, curling in the sixth on the hour, to head a score sheet that also featured Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Alan Smith, Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra.

'Huge night'
"It is the first time I have scored two in a game like this and big nights like this are where you want to perform," he said. "It is a test for you and you don't want to let the opportunity slip by and we certainly didn't do that tonight. We knew it was a huge night for our season. After two defeats in the last week people were starting to half-question us but the performance tonight showed what we were all about."

Seventh heaven
After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this term, this was the perfect response from United who had not scored seven goals in continental competition since a 7-1 victory as holders over Waterford AFC in the 1968/69 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round. "The game last week gave us a lot of confidence, to be down to ten men [following Paul Scholes's sending-off] for such a long time and to get that result gave us a good chance," Carrick added. "To finish the job as we have is just unbelievable."

Ronaldo praised
For two players, Carrick and Ronaldo, there was the added personal satisfaction of claiming their first goals in the UEFA Champions League. Afterwards Carrick singled out his Portuguese colleague for praise. "We keep saying every week he gets better and better, and the bigger the occasion the bigger the performance. He's going to have a big say in our finish to the season. He is probably the best around at this moment – he is just great to have in our team."