Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that Manchester City’s shock defeat at the hands of Southampton influenced his team selection ahead of their clash with Everton.

The Red Devils secured a 2-0 win against the Merseyside outfit to extend their lead at the summit of the Premier League table to 12 points with 12 games remaining.

Despite having a midweek Champions League tie with Real Madrid to think about, Fergie revealed that he could not pass up the opportunity to build a league lead and, as a result, fielded a strong XI:

“I thought I'd make seven changes but when the City result happened yesterday (Saturday) I thought it would be a more important game today for us because it gives us a comfortable lead.” He told Sky Sports.

"We knew if we got a result today it would put us in a fantastic position. We can make changes later in the season."

Ryan Giggs opened the scoring for the home side, drawing special praise from his manager:

"We've used up all the superlatives. He doesn't need any himself because his legacy lives on. He is a fantastic human being.

“At 39 years of age he is up and down that pitch all day and has fantastic energy. It is great to see."

The two sides drew 4-4 at Old Trafford last season and Fergie believes that the Toffees showed great determination late on in a bid to secure a point:

"They must remember bad experiences and that was one last year. In the last 15 minutes they showed a steely determination to make sure nothing happened."

Giggs made it 1-0 after 13 minutes, latching on a Robin van Persie pass before firing home.

The Dutchman doubled the scores just before half-time, rounding Tim Howard to put the ball into an empty net.

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