Good value for the win

We had a bad start against Liverpool in last Sunday's game but I thought we were the better team in the end and deserved the victory.

I could have got closer to Fernando Torres in the middle for Liverpool's early goal. He did a good little bit of movement but I should have got shirt-tight and made it a lot more difficult for him; I will just have to make sure I do it next time. Losing a goal early is never good and it put us on the back foot a little bit but when you're out on the pitch you have to stay strong mentally and we all did. It's better to lose a goal early than losing a goal at 0-0 with five minutes left when there is hardly any time to recover. I felt we responded well and it didn't affect us that much.

It was uncharacteristic mistakes that led to the goal, and for the rest of the game we defended well.

Getting a goal back before half-time through Wayne Rooney's penalty was crucial for us. There was some debate about whether Javier Mascherano should have been sent off for the foul that led to the penalty, and although before the game I don't want to see players sent off, I'm sure if it had been at the other end people would have been saying it was a red card.

From my view, I know full well the pace of Antonio Valencia and there is no way anyone would have been able to stop him getting towards goal and having a shot from 10 yards. So for me, the foul stopped a clear goal-scoring opportunity and the letter of the law does suggest it should have been a sending off.

However, I can see why the referee didn't send him off because it was quite a way out and there were a few Liverpool players centrally, but knowing Valencia I don't think any of them would have got across in time.

Then in the second half I felt we restricted Liverpool to very few chances, apart from the scrambled chance at the end, and we were good value for our win. The winning goal from Ji-Sung Park was fantastic and it was a great cross from Darren Fletcher. There have been players over the years who have been unsung heroes, but they thrive on the big game occasions; Park is one of them. His performances against AC Milan over two legs were absolutely outstanding and his performance last Sunday was also first class.

Park does a great job for the team and really comes to the fore on the big stage.

His performances in the last three big games have been really instrumental. He is a really great professional, he works hard and he is someone that all the team likes.

It was a big win for us. This was one of those games that people looked at and thought we might drop points, particularly since we lost to them twice last season and again this season. So we were happy to come through it.

It was a great atmosphere and our fans were in full voice. Anyone who has been to Old Trafford for a Manchester United vs Liverpool game knows it is one of the best atmospheres around.

I think our defensive unit will play a big part in the title run-in. Having Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand available in central defence is a big plus for us, as is having Edwin Van Der Sar in goal. We have not had a solid defence all season because of injuries and it will be crucial towards the end that we keep the spine of the team fit. Ferdinand and Vidic in particular are players that we need because we don't concede a lot of goals when they are together.

Winning these matches gives us great confidence. When we came off the pitch after the defeat to Leeds United in January we experienced the other extreme of football. We now have a big two or three weeks coming up that could define our season. We have Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Bayern again in a week, so these are season-defining moments. But we are going into this period with confidence.

The Chelsea game will be a massive game but the following week at Blackburn we have a local derby against a team that is fighting for its life, battles hard and can give us a difficult game. All the remaining games will be difficult and we need to defend well and attack with vigour and purpose. We always feel we can score goals; we just have to make sure we don't make defensive mistakes and concede.

There is so much experience throughout our squad but experience without performance is nothing. Inexperience with performance is just as good and you need players with energy and enthusiasm alongside experienced players. Whether you are a 35-year-old or 25-year-old player, you need to perform well to win the Premier League.

Test of endurance

Our away tie on Tuesday at Bayern Munich in the Champions League will be a really difficult game. It could be tight but we will be looking to score goals. Every time we play away in Europe in the knockout stages we have to try and get some away goals because it gives us a cushion for the home leg.

German teams are always very difficult opponents. They are very tough mentally and there is always a good atmosphere in the stadiums. Bayern have very talented players like Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben and I have never played a game against Bayern that was not extremely difficult and a test of endurance for both teams. They have a great stamina and determination to succeed.

Over to you

Is it true that United players recommended to Sir Alex Ferguson that he sign Cristiano Ronaldo after they played against him in a friendly with Sporting Lisbon in August 2003? And do you think Ronaldo could play for United again later in his career?
John Barbara, Gudja

I wasn't actually in Lisbon for that match but I know a couple of the players were really impressed by what Ronaldo did in that game. A couple of the lads mentioned to the manager after the game that they thought we should sign him, but the manager had already done his homework on him and the deal was in place. We signed him pretty much after the match.

Whether or not he will come back to Old Trafford someday, I don't know. He has just moved to Real Madrid. A return to Old Trafford has been mentioned in the past few weeks but I wouldn't pay too much attention to that. Manchester United have to concentrate on the players that we have got and not on the players that have left.

Send your questions to Gary Neville to sunday@timesofmalta.com.