Statistics & Post-Match Quotes | Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United

TEAM STATISTICS

MUFC PLAYER STATISTICS

* Anders Lindegaard (goalkeeper): 8/12 passing (67%), 0 goals conceded, 1 save

* Chris Smalling (right-center-back): 31/32 passing (97%0, 0 chances created, 5/5 long balls, 0 tackles, 2 interceptions, 8 clearances (3 effective), 3 shots blocked, 0 fouls

* Jonny Evans (left-center-back): 48/55 passing (87%), 1 chance created, 3/4 long balls, 1 tackle, 0 interceptions, 15 clearances (5 effective), 0 shots blocked, 1 foul

* Rafael (right-back): 62/71 passing (87%), 3 chances created, 1/5 crosses, 1/1 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 4 tackles, 5 interceptions, 9 clearances (5 effective), 0 shots blocked, 2 fouls

* Patrice Evra (left-back): 40/44 passing (91%), 1 chance created, 2/4 crosses, 2/2 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 1 tackle, 0 interception, 9 clearances (6 effective), 0 shots blocked, 0 fouls

* Michael Carrick (holding-midfielder): 110/116 passing (95%), 1 chance created, 0/0 crosses, 7/7 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 2 tackles, 0 interceptions, 2 shots (0 on target), 1 assist

* Anderson (central-midfielder | substituted off 84'): 75/84 passing (89%), 2 chances created, 0/1 crosses, 8/9 long balls, 0/1 through balls, 3 successful dribbles, 3 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 shots (2 on target)

* Tom Cleverley (central-midfielder | substituted off 66'): 51/55 passing (93%), 1 chance created, 0/2 crosses, 2/2 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 0 tackles, 1 interception, 2 shots (0 on target)

* Wayne Rooney (central-attacking-midfielder | substituted off 78'): 56/69 passing (81%), 2 chances created, 0/3 crosses, 6/8 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 2 successful dribbles, 1 foul won, 0 tackles, 0 interceptions, 6 shots (1 on target)

* Robin van Persie (striker): 41/49 passing (84%), 4 chances created, 1/5 crosses, 2/4 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 1 successful dribble, 1 foul won, 4 shots (2 on target), 1 goal

* Javier Hernandez (striker): 27/34 passing (79%), 3 chances created, 1/2 crosses, 0/0 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 0 fouls won, 4 shots (2 on target)

* Ashley Young (left-winger | substituted on 66'): 14/17 passing (82%), 2 chances created, 1/3 crosses, 0/0 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 1 foul won, 0 tackles, 1 interceptions, 0 shots

* Danny Welbeck (right-winger | substituted on 78'): 3/3 passing (100%), 0 chances created, 0/0 crosses, 0/0 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 0 fouls won, 0 tackles, 0 interceptions, 0 shots

* Phil Jones (central-midfielder | substituted on 84'): 4/4 passing (100%), 0 chances created, 0/0 crosses, 0/0 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 0 tackles, 0 interceptions, 1 shot (0 on target)

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Sir Alex Ferguson | MUFC manager (courtesy of MUTV)

(On the result's impact on the title race...) "We've got the three points and are still ahead in the league. Chelsea drawing tonight means it draws us away from them a little bit further. City are still on our tails so it's going to be a long season."

(Overall thoughts...) "It was a hard night and we played a lot of good football but we never quite finished them off. West Ham fought really hard and made it difficult for us. It was a great start and hopefully you go on from such a great start but we never quite finished it off."

(On the fantastic performance by his back four...) "They had skirmishes around the box and played high balls in there but you've got to defend them really well. They had a few blocked shots and that kind of thing but, in the main, we did defend very well. Evans, Smalling and Rafael, in particular, had fantastic nights. Rafael is maturing. He's 22 years of age but came here as a young kid and was in the first-team at 18. He made rash mistakes because he's such an enthusiastic boy but he's maturing and is learning from that."

(On if United suffered at times due to a lack of width in attack...) "We've operated with a diamond quite a few times this season so I don't think that's any excuse."

Michael Carrick | MUFC midfielder (courtesy of MUTV)

(Overall thoughts...) "It was by far not a classic. Obviously we weren’t at our best and the flowing football that you want to play and the chances that you want to create didn’t quite happen. But we got a clean sheet which was quite pleasing and I thought we defended well."

(More on United's defending...) "They had a couple of opportunities and when they put balls into the box like they did, those can fall to anybody. But overall I thought we defended well - we didn’t play as well as we could have but we won the game and managed to keep a clean sheet. A clean sheet is the biggest plus that we can take from tonight. They pumped a lot of balls into the box, asked questions and made us defend. Our two centre halves were terrific. West Ham had two big guys – as Carroll goes off, Carlton Cole comes on – and it can be tough."

(On not being able to score more...) "But we got the clean sheet. It is something to build on because the performance needs to be better. A second goal would’ve put us in a much better position going into the final few minutes but, in the end, we held on and we’re still in a good position at the top of the league. We are quite satisfied."

(On not going behind this time...) "It has been a while. We had a spell, about a year or two ago, when we were starting games really well and killing teams off really early. We want to get back to that because Old Trafford is a difficult place to play when you go a goal down. We want to make it that way, certainly in the games that are to come because going a goal down has made things a lot harder for us than they should have been. Keeping a clean sheet gives us something to build on in the future."