Statistics & Post-Match Quotes | Manchester United 2-0 West Bromwich Albion

MUFC PLAYER STATISTICS

* David de Gea (goalkeeper): 7/16 passing (44%), 0 goals conceded, 1 save

* Nemanja Vidic (right-center-back): 31/42 passing (74%), 1 chance created, 4/11 long balls, 4 tackles, 4 interceptions, 19 clearances (12 effective), 3 shots blocked, 1 foul

* Jonny Evans (left-center-back): 43/49 passing (88%), 0 chances created, 2/4 long balls, 1 tackle, 0 interceptions, 15 clearances (6 effective), 2 shots blocked, 3 fouls

* Chris Smalling (right-back): 38/44 passing (86%), 0 chances created, 0/1 crosses, 2/3 long balls, 0 successful dribbles, 1 tackle, 1 interception, 6 clearances (3 effective), 0 shots blocked, 1 foul

* Patrice Evra (left-back): 50/54 passing (93%), 2 chances created, 0/2 crosses, 2/3 long balls, 1 successful dribble, 0 tackles, 1 interceptions, 3 clearances (2 effective), 1 shot blocked, 1 foul

* Michael Carrick (central-midfielder): 60/68 passing (88%), 0 chances created, 0/2 crosses, 4/5 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 1 successful dribbles, 2 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 shots (1 on target)

* Tom Cleverley (central-midfielder | substituted off 83'): 52/60 passing (87%), 1 chance created, 1/5 crosses, 3/6 long balls, 0/2 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 0 tackles, 3 interceptions, 0 shots

* Shinji Kagawa (central-attacking-midfielder | substituted off 66'): 30/31 passing (97%), 2 chances created, 0/2 crosses, 3/3 long balls, 0/1 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 0 fouls won, 1 tackle, 0 interceptions, 1 shot (0 on target)

* Antonio Valencia (right-winger): 40/47 passing (85%), 2 chances created, 2/10 crosses, 0/0 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 1 successful dribble, 0 fouls won, 2 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 shots (0 on target), 1 assist

* Ashley Young (left-winger): 26/31 passing (84%), 4 chances created, 4/8 crosses, 1/1 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 3 fouls won, 1 tackle, 1 interception, 3 shots (2 on target)

* Danny Welbeck (striker): 27/30 passing (90%), 0 chances created, 0/0 crosses, 2/2 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 1 successful dribble, 0 fouls won, 3 shots (2 on target)

* Robin van Persie (striker | substituted on 66'): 7/9 passing (78%), 0 chances created, 0/1 crosses, 1/1 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 2 successful dribbles, 1 foul won, 2 shots (2 on target), 1 goal

* Paul Scholes (substituted on 66'): 11/11 passing (100%), 0 chances created, 0/0 crosses, 0/0 long balls, 0/0 through balls, 0 successful dribbles, 3 tackles, 0 interceptions, 1 shot (0 on target)

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Sir Alex Ferguson | MUFC manager (courtesy of MUTV)

(Overall thoughts...) "The pitch was a problem for us with the way we pass the ball - it slowed our game down a bit. We did well in the first half, we dominated at times, but you must give credit to West Brom who had more of the game in the second half and were a threat with their crosses. They were very resilient and stubborn and worked really hard when it came to defending. They had quite a bit of possession into the second period so we decided to bring Robin and Paul Scholes on just to settle us down a bit and they did that well, and of course Robin scored a fantastic goal. It's a good result considering how heavy the pitch was - that's two games in four days on it and it's not easy. The slowness of it killed our speed really."

(On van Persie's impact as a substitute...) "Robin is a fantastic player. He came on and changed the game for us. Every time the ball went to him he got hold of it and he did really well for us."

(On Kagawa...) "Shinji did very well in the first half. Obviously you expect him to tire with it being his first game for a couple of months and at that point we brought Robin on. I'm very pleased with Shinji - he did his job very well and he worked very hard in the early parts of the game."

Ashley Young | MUFC winger (courtesy of MUTV)

(Overall thoughts...) "It's always a concern when you're one-up and we were playing counter-attacking as they were having more possession. As soon as Robin [van Persie] got the second goal, the game was over but we defended brilliantly. The back four and the keeper were fantastic today."

(On the clean sheet...) "Getting a clean sheet is brilliant. Every one of them at the back was fantastic and deserve a pat on the back and a clean sheet for how much work they put in. It wasn't an easy pitch out there today. It was boggy and everybody will be tired tomorrow because they put in a good shift. I don't think we wanted that drama again after the other night [against Newcastle]. We wanted to get off to a good start, which the manager said, and we managed to do that."

(On the first goal...) "Obviously I want to somehow claim the goal as it'd be my first [of the season]. I guess I can't but if there's a way, I will try and claim it as much as I can! I was just speaking to someone and he was saying it was exactly the same as the one last season [on the opening day at The Hawthorns when Steven Reid scored an own goal]. It's always nice to see the ball end up in the back of the net. Then Ben pulled out his hand from somewhere and managed to save it. That's why he was England No1 at one point. He's a fantastic keeper but he was the one saying about the deflected goal being the same as last season. It's just one of those things and I'm delighted to get three points."

Steve Clarke | West Brom manager (courtesy of WBA.co.uk)

(Overall thoughts...) "I think the 2-0 scoreline puts a gloss on it that probably Manchester United don’t deserve. I’m not going to say we deserved to win the game but I think if we’d come away from here with a draw nobody could have complained. I think they were agitated because they knew the Albion had control of the game. There was a period in the second half where if any team was going to score it was us. In the first half we were maybe a little bit too timid in the game. But we defended okay and restricted them to few chances. The second half was much better. We got forward into their half of the pitch and showed what a good team we are. We just spoke at half-time about being too respectful and said to get it forward.

(On the pitch...) "It was difficult to play because the pitch was dreadful, so trying to play through the middle was something we were getting caught out by in the first half."

(On the second half...) "We went a little bit more direct in the second half and once we got it into their half we got it down and we tried to create chances that would have got us the goal that would have got us a deserved point. I think the fact they had to bring some of their big guns on showed how well we were doing in the second half. I think the second goal is just a consequence of the fact we were 1-0 down and were chasing the equaliser. The few chances they got away at the end of the game were the consequence of us being a little bit too open."

Ben Foster | West Brom goalkeeper (courtesy of WBA.co.uk)

(Overall thoughts...) "I thought we did really, really well. In the first half I thought we maybe gave them a bit too much space and we stood off them a bit too much. In the second half we showed a big improvement and there was a time towards the end of the game where we could have nicked something. We’ve played like that for a lot of the season and I think we’ve gone under the radar a little bit. People don’t really talk about us that much and we just go about our business quietly and that’s what we’ve been doing all season. I think everybody is happy with the shift that we put in today and unfortunately we didn’t get the result - but we can all hold our heads high. We came out really strongly and we didn’t give them a second on the ball. We put them under a lot of pressure for quite long periods of the second half and if we’d have started a bit better I’m sure it would have been a different game"