MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER Alex Ferguson has bemoaned his side’s lack of composure after they scraped past Galatasaray last night.

A seventh-minute strike from Michael Carrick proved to be sufficient to win United all three points in their Champions League opener at Old Trafford.

However, the Turkish champions had several chances to get back into the Group H encounter and Ferguson believes United were lucky to have come away from the game with the victory.

He said: “We expected a tough game. In the first half we gave the ball away too often and they counter-attacked really well.

“In the second half, though, we were much more solid at the back, and all the chances fell to us. We could have scored four or five in the second half.  It was a good opening game, they were very confident in their possession, but all the good European teams are like that.

“You need to be confident that when you get possession you make it count. Missing the chances we did in the second half we kept ourselves on the edge.”

Despite the slightly disappointing performance, the Scot was pleased to see his side take maximum points following a dismal campaign in the competition last term.

“Three points in the opening game is very important, especially when you look at what happened to us last season,” Ferguson said.  ”Last season we got a draw at Benfica and then a draw at home, so it is a bonus that we got the win.”

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