Derby County 0 Manchester Utd 1:IT IS NO surprise that Manchester United have such confidence in Ben Foster although this was not supposed to be the afternoon when the goalkeeper demonstrated his ability.
Further Derby County humiliation had been envisaged in the wake of their midweek mauling at Stamford Bridge yet it was Alex Ferguson's side who courted embarrassment here until Cristiano Ronaldo allowed the champions to escape with their reputations intact.
Ronaldo's late strike was the 31st of a remarkable season although it might easily have brought parity rather than the three points which have strengthened hopes of retaining the title. Having scored the only goal for Wolverhampton Wanderers against United four years ago, Kenny Miller must have felt as if he was travelling back in time when he tore clear in the 39th minute before his low, right-footed shot was brilliantly turned away by Foster's outstretched left hand.
It was Foster's second outstanding save in the space of 60 seconds, after Mile Sterjovksi had been denied moments earlier, and did much to dispel the theory this might be a welcome fixture in which to make his United debut. "I thought (Derby) would be a bit down and it might be a quiet game for me but it turns out I was a bit busier than I thought I'd be," said the 24-year-old. "But I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm delighted to get the win and keep a clean sheet."
It was an assured performance that might well unsettle Edwin Van der Sar, currently out through injury, and the suspended Tomasz Kuzczak, although Foster says he does not expect to challenge either for a starting place yet. With more recovery time needed in the wake of a serious knee injury that was diagnosed on England duty last summer, the former Stoke City keeper revealed he expects to find a new home during the next two months.
"I've only been back from injury two weeks and I was delighted to get the game but I'm not looking to overtake the other guys," said Foster, who has enjoyed two successful loan spells at Watford. "If I was Edwin van der Sar or Tomasz Kuszczak and I was being kept out of the team, I'd be very disappointed. I don't expect to be in the team. I may have to go out on loan for the rest of the season to play some games and then maybe next season it will be a different story."
There is certainly little doubt about his potential within Old Trafford. "We believe he is good enough to be England's number one," said Carlos Queiroz, United's assistant manager, who described the saves that denied Miller and Sterjovksi as "crucial".
The Portuguese added: "(Ben) has a great future ahead of him. We believe he is one of our best players and, when you are talking about one of the best players at Manchester United, you've got a great chance of playing for England."
That Foster was such a key figure here was indicative of the home team's improvement following their drubbing at Chelsea. Having appeared to be gripped by foreboding in the opening 20 minutes, when Ferguson was entitled to claim "we should have been four or five up", Derby gradually grew in belief and, for a period before the break when Foster was unexpectedly called into action, threatened to produce the biggest upset of the Premier League season.
Robbie Savage's energy was often the catalyst. "I've been going home and reading stuff about myself," said Savage. "People saying that my legs are gone and I'm finished at this level and I have been believing it. It's been dreadful. But I think today I proved I can still hack it at this level."
It will be a long time before Ronaldo faces similar questions even if he struggled to contain his frustration for 75 minutes here as the combination of bad luck, Roy Carroll's goalkeeping, poor finishing and the woodwork conspired against him. Persistence finally brought reward, however, when the Portuguese despatched Wayne Rooney's cross to leave Derby crestfallen.
