Sir Alex keen to bury semi ghosts

Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is still haunted by United’s Champions League semi-final failings and is urging his players not to let this latest opportunity slip through their grasp.

The United boss reflected on the last four losses to Borussia Dortmund in 1997, Bayer Leverkusen five years later and the most recent to AC Milan in 2007 in the build-up to the semi-final second leg at the Emirates.

Already 1-0 up following the first game at Old Trafford, Sir Alex is well aware of just how close his side are to booking a spot in Rome on 27 May, a year after beating Chelsea in Moscow. But painful past experiences mean he is taking nothing for granted.

"We have the lead and we are only one kick away from Rome. But we won't be complacent. At this stage of the Champions League you can't be complacent," he insisted.

“There have been times when we’ve thrown semi-finals away. The one against Dortmund was an example of that, we had so many chances to win the tie, it was amazing we didn’t.

“Then there was the tie with Leverkusen – we got a bit nervous in the first leg at home, but were very unlucky in the second game, we had three shots cleared off the line and hit the bar.

“The semi-final against Milan was a game we just weren’t in – we were really disappointing.

"So there has been a mixture of different things which have prevented us from going on to the final, but we’ve won both we’ve got to and hopefully we can do so again this year."