ya bro..Sol Campbell to O.T

Since they hate Owen so much, did their hero scored a hattrick yet this season?

Can the source be trusted, its the sun ...

the 3rd goal that mickey owen scores....he was not offside is it because he was still in our half??

Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to his players after his makeshift line-up won impressively in Wolfsburg.

The United boss opted for a back three of Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra, with the latter being the only recognised defender in the starting eleven. Apart from conceding an equaliser to the hosts early in the second half, that trio - and the team at large - held firm to give Michael Owen the platform for a match-winning hat-trick.

The 3-1 win sealed top spot in Champions League Group B for the Reds and vindicated Sir Alex's faith in a new formation.

“It was an experimental system, but the good thing is there was (still) enough quality there," the United manager said.

"You have to trust that the players are good at their job. They are, and they’ve proved it again tonight.

“I thought our control in the first half was very good. It was the same in the second half but our threat towards the end and our speed in the counter attack was very pleasing.”

Sir Alex admitted to having concerns before the match, with so many senior members of his squad - especially defenders - unavailable through injury. The versatility of several players was therefore key to United winning in difficult circumstances.

“The players have applied themselves and that’s important in a game like this," said Sir Alex.

"Darren Fletcher, for example, plays all over the place. If you’ve got players like that who can adapt into a different system then it’s never a big problem.

The United boss also paid tribute to Owen's predatory instincts, following his clinical three goals.

“It was a fantastic hat-trick. You know how good he is in that penalty box. He’s on the shoulder, he makes runs across defenders, and his timing with his runs is fantastic. I’m really pleased for him.”

The Reds can now look forward to the last-16 draw on December 18, knowing that the second leg will be at home - a reward for finishing top of the group.

“It doesn’t matter who we play at Old Trafford, we always feel we have a chance," said Sir Alex. "And our away record over the last three years has been fantastic, so hopefully that helps us too.

“I think we’ll have to face a big team at some point, last year we had Inter Milan in the last 16 when they were top of Serie A. You take who you get and you have to trust the quality of your own players and the experience they’ve gathered over the years. They’re young but they’re a good team."

Hat-trick hero Michael Owen saluted his team-mates following United's fine victory over Wolfsburg.

The deadly striker put the Reds in front just before the interval, and then grabbed two more in the final ten minutes to secure top spot in Champions League Group B for the thrice European champions.

It was Owen's second three-goal haul in Germany, having fired England to a 5-1 win in Munich back in 2001. But while he was clearly delighted with this individual feat, the Reds' number seven was keen to share the plaudits with his colleagues.

Owen said: “Obviously I’ve scored a few hat-tricks in my time but it’s nice to get one that caps off a great team display. Me getting the three goals will probably grab the headlines but I thought it was an excellent team performance tonight.

"I was playing a bit deeper than normal because with us having so many players out we had to protect our back three," he added, explaining how the reshuffling of the side affected him.

"Me and Danny (Welbeck) were dropping in and trying to pick up their central midfielders where possible, while hopefully getting into the Wolfsburg box when there were chances to do so.

“European football is a different type of football to the domestic game. If you get one chance you’ve got to stick it away and thankfully we nicked a goal just before half-time.”

Owen and United are now looking forward to further European adventures in the New Year, following the draw for the knock-out rounds on December 18.

“It’s great being top of the league so we play at home second (in the next round)," said Owen.

"I’m not going to lie, you want as weak a side as possible (in the draw). I don’t know the other results tonight, and there are more to come tomorrow, but you want to avoid the big boys.”

Finally, after earning the match ball, Owen assured us that it was in safe hands.

“I’ve given it to the masseur, I get a bit shy when I’m holding it as it draws attention to me! Hopefully he’ll get it signed by the lads and then pop it in my bag when we get back to Manchester.”

Ferguson does expect strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Rooney to be fit for Saturday's encounter with Aston Villa along with Ryan Giggs, the only member of the 14 to be rested. Crucially, Nemanja Vidic has recovered from the flu virus that kept him at home.

"Our defence will be Fletcher, Carrick, Vidic and Evra,'' confirmed Ferguson, his statement suggesting that Wes Brown will not have recovered from a hamstring injury as he had hoped. If Wolfsburg had gone in front it would have made it very difficult for us,'' said Ferguson.

yes as long as before the half line, no offside can be called

Wolfsburg goal by Dzeko highlighted that aerial threat is always going to be our problem. Dzeko was unmarked. i'm not asking much as i was much delighted as u guys are but i can't seem to shake off the concern of facing Aston Villa. I'm confident though we will win against Aston villa but the concern is always there seeing the physical threat posed by Carew, Heskey, dunne.

Obertan > That Kid, nuff said. I personally think that Obertan deserve much more starting 11 compared to Wellback. His contribution to the game is simple awesome.

Sol Campbell to OT? I LOL'ed.