Manchester United secured a place in the FA Cup final and kept their treble challenge on track with a 4-1 rout of Watford in the semifinals on Saturday.
Ferguson’s perfect record both at Villa Park and in semifinals with United remained intact at a canter after Wayne Rooney’s two goals and strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kieran Richardson ended Watford’s dream.
It was nothing to compare with the stunning thrashing of Italians Roma in their midweek Champions League encounter but it was still another step towards Ferguson emulating his achievements of 1999 with triumphs in Europe, the Premiership and FA Cup.
Watford had looked energised away from their difficult struggles in the league campaign and their first half equaliser by Hameur Bouazza, together with an impressive start to the second period, had served to create a more interesting tie than many had expected.
But once Rooney had swept in United’s third, Ferguson was planning his return to Wembley for the first final staged there since 2000, with either Blackburn or Chelsea — who play on Sunday — the opponents that must attempt to halt the Old Trafford juggernaught.
Ferguson claimed Rooney’s double had capped his best performance of the season.
”I thought Wayne Rooney played his best game of the season,” he said. ”He was absolutely fantastic. Alan Smith has given a breath of fresh life to the team as well. He has come in at the right time after getting over his injury problems.
”It was an absolutely fantastic performance. Maybe even as good as Tuesday against Roma in terms of the endurance of the team, the courage of the team and the way they accepted the disappointment of Rio Ferdinand being injured and having to change the team around.
It was absolutely magnificent. I’m so proud of them.”
The only disappointment on another triumphant day for Ferguson was that first half groin injury suffered by Ferdinand.
The England defender will have a scan on Sunday and Ferguson will be hoping he is not ruled out for long as United enter the decisive final weeks of the season.
”We’ll send him for a scan tomorrow,” he said. ”It’s a groin injury. We’re hoping it’s not too long. We’ll get the results in the afternoon.”
Ferguson was adamant that United had produced the finest evening at Old Trafford in their illustrious history in the incredible defeat of Roma in the Champions League.
And they extended their scintillating week in the seventh minute with another spectacular goal. Rooney seized upon fatal hesitancy from the Watford defence to sidestep Adrian Mariappa and hammer an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
It looked as if another rout was likely, with Alan Smith nearly creating a second for Rooney shortly after.
But Watford, whose Premiership existence will be confirmed as over within the next few weeks, seemed to be less anxious without the necessity for league points at stake and were not as over-awed as the neutrals had feared.
A sustained period of steady pressure nearly resulted in a shock equaliser, with Bouazza — the scorer of the winner against Plymouth in the previous round — nearly catching out Edwin van Der Sar with a long-range effort.
But the Algerian international did surprise United in the 26th minute — with another dazzling finish. Gavin Mahon’s long throw was not adequately dealt with by the United defence and the striker hooked a spectacular overhead kick in off the crossbar.
However, the equaliser inevitably acted as an irritant to Ferguson’s men and they were ahead again barely two minutes later.
Rooney broke clear down the right and presented Ronaldo with the simplest of tasks with a finish from two yards out.
Portuguese international winger Ronaldo cannot have envisaged a more impressive week, coming days after his one-man demolition of Roma and signing a new £120 000 a week contract.
Damien Francis flashed a header wide for Watford but the Premiership’s bottom club needed goalkeeper Richard Lee, a boyhood United fan, to expertly repel a Rooney shot over the crossbar from close-range just before half-time.
Watford, to their credit, looked more determined after the break with van der Sar needing to be alert to keep Bouazza’s deep cross from finding the corner.
But Rooney’s second, in the 66th minute, ended the Hornets’ adventure for another year as he tapped in Smith’s pass. Substitute Richardson added a clever fourth late on, advancing to chip Lee, with Smith the creator once again. – Sapa-AFP