Owen the toast of Man United after derby winner

By Rob Harris, AP Sports Writer

MANCHESTER, England — When Michael Owen's Newcastle contract was expiring last season and interest in the injury-prone striker seemed minimal, the only high-profile derby he looked set to enjoy again was with his horses.

But Sunday's Manchester derby showed that United manager Alex Ferguson was right to take a gamble on the 29-year-old forward and give him a chance to revive his fading career.

The free signing showed he can thrive as an impact substitute by climbing off the bench to score in the sixth minute of stoppage time and secure a thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester City.

"It's one of those few moments in my career that I'll look back on and see it as one of the highlights," he said. "To score in a derby is great, but for it to be as dramatic as that, you'd have to see it to believe it. It was such an entertaining game and it must be one of the best televised games of all time."

Saluted as "world class" by Ferguson, Owen hopes his first Old Trafford goal as a United player has silenced any doubters of his continued class in front of the net.

"It was always going to create a little bit of noise me moving to Man United," said the striker, who came up through the ranks of United's northwest rival Liverpool. "Even if they didn't take to me," he said of the United fans, "it's still a privilege to play in a team like this."

When Owen came on in the 78th minute to replace Dimitar Berbatov, United was being held 2-2 by City. Even after Darren Fletcher headed in his second goal to put United ahead for a third time, Craig Bellamy had time to level with his second in the 90th.

Despite spending so long waiting for his moment, Owen was clearly ready when his scoring chance arrived.

"In the first couple of minutes you're finding your feet, getting your eye and ball coordination going, but you're playing at the highest level and you have to be right up to speed straightaway," he said. "You've been sitting down on your backside for an hour, so it takes a few minutes to get into the game. But I got sent on for a reason, and that was to hopefully nick a goal.

"As soon as they scored I heard the announcement which said there were four minutes, so immediately I thought that we might get a couple of chances. When they score, you think 'that's it, it's probably going to be a draw', but you never stop believing that you can do it."

Neither did Ferguson, who is a horse racing fanatic like Owen.

"Michael was only on for something like 17 minutes," the 67-year-old Ferguson said. "He was the best man to be on there when the game is going to be in their penalty box. There is no one better at taking chances.

"His positional play, first touch and finish were absolutely superb. World class."

Ryan Giggs, who played a part in all four United goals in his 30th derby, provided the pass for Owen, who showed coolness despite the fiery atmosphere.

"Some games you get four chances and don't score and you get criticized," Owen said. "Today I got one and scored. That's the hard thing as a striker, you have to ride all the emotions." Link...