Derby 0-1 Man United

Mar 16 2008 Jamie Hewitt Reports

CRISTIANO RONALDO was like a cat with nine lives as he saved Manchester United's blushes and sent them top of the table.

The Portuguese star converted his ninth of 11 chances as Derby keeper Roy Carroll produced a dazzling display that almost netted his side a shock point.

United boss Alex Ferguson was left purring over Ronaldo's performance and hailed his persistence.

Fergie said: "In the first 20 minutes we should have been four or five up and that would have made it much easier.

"You have to admire the second half from Derby. They made a real battle of it.

"But the name of the game is to win and we have to thank Ronaldo again. It was a fantastic goal because it wasn't easy to take.

"The ball bounced up off the turf and he had to get up and over it and make sure he kept it down. It was a good finish.

"It was probably his hardest chance of the match because he had a lot of them.

"Everybody trusts him now and what you have to admire about the boy is that his courage is beyond question.

"I don't know how many fouls he has on him every game. Last week there were three in the first seven minutes, and seven in total, yet no one was booked.

"He made a comment last week that he is getting a bit frustrated with it all but he has to trust the game.

"People want to see footballers like him and we have to give him encouragement.

"We tell him to keep doing what he is good at, not to stop. That is what we would hate to see."

Everyone inside the ground expected a rout after Derby leaked six at Chelsea in midweek. It looked like men against boys for the opening 20 minutes and although it creaked the home defence held firm.

Ryan Giggs should have done better with a downward header but directed his effort straight at Carroll.

Ronaldo curled a left-foot shot wide with only Carroll to beat and Giggs also fired past.

A15-yard curler from Ronaldo rattled the post then Giggs again sliced wide.

Portuguese star Ronaldo, on the end of some rough treatment from Darren Moore and David Jones, was again a whisker away just after the half-hour.

But his superb shot was brilliantly saved by Carroll, who joined Derby from Rangers in January.

Derby dared to venture forward and debut keeper Ben Foster turned aside a snapshot from Mile Sterjovski then produced a stunning stop to deny Kenny Miller.

United ended the half with a Wayne Rooney drive into the side-netting and a shot across the face of goal from Ronaldo.

After the break it was Ronaldo who had all the chances, two from long-distance free-kicks early on that swerved viciously.

The first was brilliantly parried by Carroll, who then saved his point-blank header from a Giggs corner, while the second was inches past the post.

A drive into the side-netting followed and with 71 minutes gone Derby were dreaming of an unlikely draw.

But in the end there was to be no stopping Ronaldo as he found the net five minutes later with a 12-yard sidefoot finish to a Rooney cross after he raced on to a ball from Darren Fletcher.

The game ended with two more chances for Ronaldo but Carroll was equal to the task.

Derby boss Paul Jewell was happy with his side and said: "There are ways to lose matches and today we lost with a bit of dignity and went down fighting."

On Ronaldo, Jewell joked: "If he was good looking, he would probably have everything.

"But he's a brilliant footballer, surrounded by brilliant footballers."