Boss: Reds roll on

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with the win at St. Andrews but was quick to praise Steve Bruce's Birmingham City.

"I think we're getting towards top gear," the boss told Setanta Sports. "You could see signs of that today. Some of the movement up front was very good. Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez are big threats for all our opponents, and the forward line is looking much better now.

"I actually thought Birmingham were by far the better team in the first half, although we did carve out some good chances for ourselves. They played very well and you have to give them full credit. I would say it was the hardest game of the season so far."

Sir Alex admitted he was relieved to keep Birmingham quiet in the early stages and said Bruce's Blues had unsettled his players with their physical attributes.

"They're a good team and they have lots of pace and aggression. That made it very difficult for us and I was happy to go into half-time at 0-0.

"In the second half we retained possession far better and looked more threatening in the final third of the pitch. We made more use of the ball in that area and defended much better.

"Cristiano Ronaldo showed good composure and pace to go past people for his goal. He took it very, very well."