Phil Jones insists the triumph at Aston Villa wasn't all about his winner, but admits he enjoyed ribbing first team coach Rene Meulensteen about the strike, his first in senior football.

The 19-year-old played in midfield - before switching to defence when Rio Ferdinand was replaced in the second half - and got on the end of a Nani cross to show great composure in front of goal with 20 minutes gone.

After admitting recently during a recent ManUtd.com webchat that he wasn't sure how he'd celebrate, he decided to point to the bench after receiving some light-hearted stick from Meulensteen.

"I'm delighted to score but it wasn't about the goal," he stressed to MUTV. "It was about three points and I thought the lads did exceptionally well. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game as Villa are a tough team to beat at home but we played terrifically well.

"After last week, when I stuck one in the back of my own net, I was delighted to score and get off the mark. I signalled to Rene as he was giving me a bit of stick for not scoring. It's just a coincidence that I scored today so I gave him a point of the finger!"

Sir Alex also had a chuckle about the celebration, adding: "We'd kept winding him up and saying: 'We paid £16million for you and we can't even get a shot off you!' The staff have been giving him stick so he was very, very pleased."

Jones, meanwhile, was satisfied with the performance and another clean sheet ahead of the important trip to Basel in midweek.

"We probably should have killed the game off," he added. "We had chances in the first half and second half but we're happy with the clean sheet and the performance.

"I suppose it is in the back of your mind [that City had already won and extended the lead at the top to eight points]. But we're focused on what we've got to do and, when we cross that white line, we're only in control of what we can control. The gaffer said we'll take ten 1-0 wins if we win the league so that's what we're doing."

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised a “good result” after United recorded a commanding 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

Phil Jones scored the only goal in the tea-time kick-off against Alex McLeish’s side; volleying Nani’s chipped cross past the helpless Shay Given during a confident Reds display.

And although Sir Alex was impressed by the football on show in the Midlands, the United boss believes his side could have sealed a more emphatic victory.

“I thought we deserved the victory. We had great possession at times and I think we were a bit wasteful with chances we had in the second half," he told MUTV. "But a win away from home at Villa Park - which is always a difficult place to come – is a good result so we are happy.

“I think we should be finishing games off and I’d like to do that, but the one good thing is our concentration levels away from home.

“In fairness to us, I thought we controlled the game. Some of our football was good, there were some good performances from the lads and there was a good rhythm in our game. It’s a good passing pitch and I always enjoy coming here."

Saturday’s result was United’s fourth 1-0 win in five previous league matches, following slender victories over Everton, Sunderland and Swansea City.

Obviously, Sir Alex would like to see the Reds return to the free-scoring form which yielded heavy wins earlier in the season, but explained why confidence and three points are more important.

“We have certainly showed good concentration in the last few away games, particularly defensively. Yes, we could do better in the finishing department but I think consistency will help us in terms of confidence.”

Manchester United ace Anderson is being driven barking mad after buying two huge Bernese mountain dogs — and ending up with ten.

The crocked midfielder, who is currently out of action with a knee injury, jumped on a United players’ bandwagon of purchasing the loveable hounds from a shop in Salford, but forgot to specify a pair of the same sex.

Now the frisky mutts have produced eight offspring, and poor Anderson has been left desperately trying to offload the pups who can grow to weigh up to eight stone and gobble through four cups of dog food a day.  

A United source told The Sun: ‘He's been asking the lads if they fancy a dog — they all think it's hilarious.


Sizeable: A Bernese Mountain Dog

‘He's even approached people in parks while walking the dogs to see if he can find any takers.

‘But at the moment he's stuck with them and these things grow to be enormous.

‘He'll have to buy a castle to house them all.’

lwn pg bsok ke pg lusa?

looks a bit like him.... well with his fat pay check he can afford those 10.

Our "FCB" nightmare goes on.
2009/2010: FC­ Bayern
2010/2011: FC Barcelona
2011/2012: FC Basel

England striker Wayne Rooney's ban for the Euro 2012 Championship has been reduced to two matches from three after an appeal to Uefa in Switzerland.

He was punished after being sent off for kicking Miodrag Dzudovic during a 2-2 draw with Montenegro in October.

Rooney, 26, will now be available for England's third Group D game, against joint hosts Ukraine, but will miss the fixtures against France and Sweden.

The third match of his ban has been suspended for four years.

A Uefa spokesman told BBC Sport the third game ban would kick in only if he is sent off for violent conduct in another European Championship match.

"The ban applies only to national team competition governed by Uefa," said the spokesman.

Rooney has also agreed to do one day of community service with a Uefa project.

Smalling sees Jones partnership

Chris Smalling insists he and Phil Jones are ready to become the heart of Manchester United's defence.

Both Smalling and Jones have earned plenty of plaudits this term, with each of them both making their England debuts.

The pair are regarded a central defenders, but they have never played there together with United, with Smalling seeing most of his recent action at full-back and Jones in midfield.

But with Nemanja Vidic now ruled out for the season and Rio Ferdinand yet to discover his top-form, many are predicting that Smalling and Jones will soon be installed at the heart of United's defence by Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I do hopefully see us eventually playing in the centre of the defence. We're both young and that's where ideally we want to play," said Smalling.

"There's a good bond between me and Phil. We get on really well. Phil has done really well since he's come in.

"I think he can play pretty much anywhere, which is good for United and England.

"We're both happy playing anywhere. Playing in different positions, as we have been doing, is good experience for both of us.

"You have to be able to adapt. That's important."

Smalling added: "Rio and Nemanja have been a massive help since I've been at the club. They've got so much experience.

"I can learn so much from them."

Anybody who witnessed Manchester United's demolition of Wolves on Saturday might not think Sir Alex Ferguson's side are in a particularly charitable mood these days.

But on Monday the Red Devils were altogether less troublesome than their moniker suggests, as they held their annual charity 'United for UNICEF' gala dinner.

The event, hosted at Old Trafford, celebrated twelve years of partnership between the two organisations - the longest such link between a Premier League club and a charity.

Chart-topping singer-songwriter Emeli Sande performed at the event, which was hosted by actor and broadcaster Angus Deayton and attended by several first team players and their wives and girlfriends, along with the boss himself.

Also present and correct were 'The Only Way is Essex' star Mark Wright and 'Coronation Street' actress Catherine Tyldesley.

Serial tweeter Rio Ferdinand mentioned the event on the social networking site and even gave a 'big shout' to one girl's parents, who donated £10,000 to UNICEF so she could meet and greet the players.

Wright also got in on the Twitter action, saying he was having 'a lovely night for such a lovely cause', which Ferdinand promptly retweeted.

Boss Ferguson will hope he can have a similarly pleasant evening after his team visit Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

If the players are anywhere near as sharp as they were here, he should have no trouble cutting through the QPR defence.

macheda is set for january loan ...

Federico Macheda's agent Giovanni Bia has confirmed the Italian striker is set to leave Manchester United on loan.

The 20-year-old has been limited to two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season.

He also started the Carling Cup defeat to Crystal Palace and also featured in the Champions League exit in Basel.

His agent admits he needs regular first-team football, and is set for another loan - after he spent time with Sampdoria last term.

Loan

"I spoke last week with (sir Alex) Ferguson: I think that Federico will play somewhere else in January," Bia told Sportal.

"He can no longer continue to be on the field for only 15 or 20 minutes, he must absolutely find more space.

"There are requests, but not from Italy. In the first week of January we will evaluate the proposals that we've received.

"Macheda's departure, however, has nothing to do with the elimination from the Champions League of the United "

EXCLUSIVE: United starlet to open Inter talks

Manchester United starlet Paul Pogba is ready to snub Sir Alex Ferguson and open contract talks with Italian giants Inter Milan.

The French teenager, who's viewed as one of Fergie's brightest young talents, is out of contract in the summer, which means he can agree terms with a club outside England as early as New Year's Day.

Pogba's advisers have been testing the market for him and Inter are the most keen to take advantage of his position.

Fergie has been hoping that Pogba will stay on at Old Trafford, where he has seen some first-team game time and could well have taken advantage of the absences of Darren Fletcher and Anderson in the second half of the campaign.

However, the Pogba camp and his advisers, who also represent Manchester City's ex-Inter striker Mario Balotelli, are set on an exit.

Ferguson is expected to shun Pogba if he does to commits to Inter, leaving him out of the side for the remaining months of his contract.

United suspect Pogba has made up his mind to leave them and are already searching the globe for a young midfielder to take his place in the squad - and ease their shortage of bodies in that area.