Ferguson salutes unruffled Rio

Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Rio Ferdinand for his “maturity” after Manchester United’s 2-1 victory at Tottenham as he vowed to continue picking the defender for as long as possible despite his looming eight-month ban.

Ferguson had toyed with the idea of leaving out Ferdinand from his line-up at White Hart Lane after the centre-back was handed the suspension just two days earlier.

However, the United boss, whose club are set to appeal against the punishment, which is due to come into effect next month, instead relied on Ferdinand’s ability to put his disciplinary problems to one side.

United seized a 2-0 lead through strikes by John O’Shea and Ruud van Nistelrooy and while Spurs hit back through Gus Poyet, the visitors survived late pressure to ensure that they will top the table at Christmas.

Ferguson declared: “I was really pleased for Rio. It was probably the best thing to play him to get a lot of things out of his mind by concentrating on playing. I felt he acquitted himself very well in the circumstances.

“I think that he merits his position in the team because of his performances. Strangely enough, since this happened, he has become better and better.

“I think he’s matured, while he and Mikael Silvestre have formed a great partnership. With those two and Tim Howard, we’ve got a great backbone, so why should I change it?”

Ferguson also had a warning for his side’s title rivals after leaping above Chelsea and Arsenal to lead the Premiership by a point.

“Historically, we’ve always shown our determination in the second-half of the season and hopefully we can prove those statistics right again,” he insisted.

“It’s not going to be easy but I think the players are ready for it. The important thing is to be there at the turn of the year.

“I always feel that when you see the league table on January 1, you know how things are going to pan out for all positions.”

United surged into an early lead at White Hart Lane as O’Shea volleyed them ahead after 14 minutes before van Nistelrooy scored against Spurs for the fifth consecutive time, albeit via a deflection off Anthony Gardner.

“I think Ruud will claim it. He had a strike at goal and you know what strikers are like, I’d certainly claim it,” the United boss told Sky Sports.

Spurs finally came alive in the second-half, with Poyet pulling a goal back with 27 minutes left, but United still proved too strong.

“It was closer than we would have liked. We did well for the first hour and our experienced players – Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane – were fantastic. We ended up scrambling but we still got the three points,” said Ferguson.

Spurs boss David Pleat was not surprised by the selection of Ferdinand, who was booed by several Tottenham fans.

“It was a typical Alex ploy to suggest he might not play and then say to him ‘go on, son, you’re going to have to face everyone before long so go out and do it now’,” he said.

“The booing? I don’t think it’s relevant. What do you expect them to do? Cheer him? That’s just down to the tribalism of football.”

Pleat, whose side are just two points above the relegation zone, added: “We could have been very vulnerable after half-time when we were chasing the game but we showed a lot of character.

“I feel that we could have got a draw. We stood up and were counted. We tried to redden Alex’s face a bit more, but were unable to.”