Giggs gamble pays off for Sir Alex

Sir Alex Ferguson watched Ryan Giggs inspire Manchester United FC to a crucial 3-0 defeat of Chelsea FC and then revealed he had been saving the veteran Welshman for the rematch of last season's UEFA Champions League final.

Vital win
The 35-year-old, making his 549th league appearance for United, sent in the corner for Nemanja Vidić to open the scoring just before the break, with Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov adding further goals. United are now within one point of Chelsea and five of leaders Liverpool FC, with two games in hand, and the manager had special praise for Giggs.

'Fantastic'
"Ryan was fantastic," Sir Alex told MUTV. "I kept him particularly for this game, I rested him. I told him two weeks ago he and Darren Fletcher would play against Chelsea. I thought this game was made for them, given Ryan's ability to hold the ball and beat a man in midfield with that left foot. [Michael] Ballack couldn't live with him really. It could have been a mistake – it's very easy to make a mistake when you've got a squad of 23 players. Genuine mistakes of course because you want to pick a team that wins and the supporters understand that. But today it worked and I'm glad it did."

Next target
Giggs could make his 550th league appearance on Wednesday as United look to overtake Chelsea when they face Wigan Athletic FC. A further victory against Bolton Wanderers FC on Saturday would take United top for the first time this season, ahead of Liverpool's game against Everton FC on Monday and Giggs is already looking formward. "It's nice to get the three goals," Giggs said. "We wanted to win, but a clean sheet and three goals against a very good side is pleasing. It sets us up for midweek."

Scolari warning
Former Chelsea manager José Mourinho watched on from the stands ahead of FC Internazionale Milano's meeting with United in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League and he will have been impressed with the manner with which Sir Alex's side dominated the game. The holder of Mourinho's former role, Luiz Felipe Scolari, had not previously lost an away league game since taking over at Chelsea this summer, but had stark words for his squad. "Now is the time for me and the players to be thinking about the future," he told Chelsea's official website. "We lose everything, or we are men and we regroup. This is the time, it is only this way. The second way is dead." He added: "Manchester United were better than us. I think it's done some very big damage because we didn't come here to play like this."