Marseille 0 - 0 Man Utd (United Must Now Win At Home)

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Sir Alex Ferguson knows Manchester United can afford no mistakes in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League tie against Marseille.

The two sides played out a turgid goalless draw in the first stage of the last-16 clash at Stade Velodrome on Wednesday night, meaning nothing other than a win is guaranteed to take United into the quarter-finals when they meet their French opponents at Old Trafford.

A similar position did not prove a problem for Ferguson's men back in 2008, when they reached the Champions League final on the back of an equally tight first-leg in their semi-final against Barcelona.

They have, however, lost from such positions, although Ferguson feels the 1998 quarter-final loss to Monaco is too far back to carry any significant

"That was 13 years ago," retorted the United boss.

"At this stage of the competition, away goals count. And you always worry. At this stage of the season, you are not playing any bad teams.

"But you would have to say, Manchester United at home, we have a good chance.

"All we have to do is win the game. I don't care if it is 10-9."

Ferguson admitted Wednesday night's draw was lacklustre, but was buoyed by Wayne Rooney's display after the forward produced an industrious shift on the left wing.

"He did what we wanted him to do," said Ferguson.

"The way we normally set up, with Nani or Ryan Giggs on the left, gives us more natural width.

"But Wayne worked hard, as he always does. He has great spirit but he was better when we played him through the middle in a 4-4-2 at the end."

Ferguson was also pleased with the manner with which Patrice Evra handled a tricky return to his homeland.

As a former Monaco player, Evra was always likely to be targeted by the Marseille fans.

However, his involvement in the World Cup strike wrangle made him public enemy number one.

"I expected it - and so did Patrice," said Ferguson.

"But he wasn't affected by it and he put in a strong performance. I had no worries about that."

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