Ferguson hails United maestros

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (L) speaks to Dynamo Kiev manager Oleg Luzhny after their UEFA Champions League football match at Old Trafford, Manchester, north west England, on 07 November. United won the match 4-0.

Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed his side's best Champions League start in five years as a reflection of the match-winning brilliance of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo.

All three of United's stellar performers found the net as United booked their place in the last 16 of the tournament with a 4-0 win over Dynamo Kiev, their fourth win in four starts in group F.

Young Spanish defender Gerard Pique opened the scoring with the help of a somewhat fortunate ricochet off the back of Tevez's head but after that it was all plain sailing against the outclassed Ukrainians, who have yet to claim a point in this campaign.

"It was good for young players to come up against a different system of play," Ferguson said after handing both Pique and right-back Danny Simpson their first European starts.

Manchester United's Carlos Tevez celebrates scoring against Dynamo Kiev during their UEFA Champions League football match in Manchester. Manchester won 4-0.

"It is difficult against three centrebacks and for 20 minutes we didn't make any openings.

"It took time for us to really open up the game. We needed a break and we got one for the first goal. The second was an excellent piece of football and in the second half we could have scored more goals, although we could also have lost some."

It is the first time United have won their first four matches in the group stage since the 2002/03 campaign and Ferguson is optimistic about this side's chances of going all the way this season.

"One thing about this team is that they do create chances -- either from individual ability or good combination play," the Scot said.

"There is never a moment where you feel we are at a dead end in terms of imagination. We are always hopeful that someone will produce that bit of brilliance -- it does not matter if it is three at the back or 20 at the back."

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo (L) is challenged by Dynamo Kiev's Carlos Correa during their UEFA Champions League football match in Manchester. Manchester won 4-0.

Kiev's stand-in coach Oleg Luzhny appeared to concur with Ferguson's view of the match as he admitted United had "dominated us in every part of the game."

"We had no discipline, no organisation and we just did not play well and they should have scored more," the former Arsenal defender bluntly admitted.

Ferguson confirmed that the missing Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves had been simply rested but admitted that Edwin van der Sar had been substituted at half-time because of a recurrence of a foot injury he has struggled with for most of the season.

United scarcely got out of second gear but, bolstered by memories of the ease with which they had been able to dismantle Kiev in a 4-2 win in the Ukrainian capital last month, they did not have to.

After a tepid start, they took control of the match through Pique in the 32nd minute.

A free-kick from Ronaldo on the right of the area was headed goalwards by Carrick but cannoned into the back of Tevez's head and looped up kindly towards Pique, who nodded in his first goal for the club.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (R) challenges Dynamo Kiev's Pape Diakhate during their UEFA Champions League football match at Old Trafford, Manchester, northwest England. United won the match 4-0.

Nemanja Vidic then went close with a header from another Nani corner before Tevez put the outcome beyond any kind of reasonable doubt with the help of some poor goalkeeping from Alexander Shovkovskiy.

Picking up a loose ball ten yards inside his own half, the Argentina star was allowed to advance deep into Kiev's territory before exchanging passes with Rooney and beating the goalkeeper from the edge of the area.

Tevez spurned two good chances to add to his first-half goal before making way for Louis Saha, whose clever pass found Nani in sufficient space on the right to deliver the cross which Rooney volleyed in for United's third goal of the evening.

Ronaldo completed another four-goal with five minutes left by running on to Nani's pass, turning delightfully inside defender Pape Diakhate and finding the far corner of the net.