YOU HAVE TO PITY THEM

Owen has been so poor lately that he has taken to singing his own praises:

'That was the first real chance, against Arsenal (in the FA Cup final in 2001) it was the same scenario but you always have to be alive as a striker. When you have a back four as strong as ours you may as well make use of it. There is still a bit to go and achieve but it's great to get the first trophy in the bag.'

'I'm delighted for everyone. The players have taken a bit of stick and it's nice for everyone connected to the club.'

Jerzy Dudek added on Sky Sports 1: 'I'm very pleased, the team performance was fantastic and I think we deserved it today. It's a little payback (for me), a great week for us to win against Auxerre and a massive win today. There was pressure on me before the game but I concentrated and the boss said you will be the hero, I believe in you.'

Danny Murphy chipped in with his cheeky Scouse wit: ‘It was a great win. The lads performed well, they did brilliantly. Days like this don't come round very often and United deserve credit for making it a game and a half.'

Gerard Houllier takes a longer view:

'We have beaten a good team today. Jerzy was our hero of the game at times. To play Manchester United - don't forget they had two more days rest than us - required strength and discipline. We will probably get a bit of relief now and we can play in Premiership with less pressure on us because we know we are in Europe.'