Sir Alex Ferguson found himself answering some unwelcome questions after Manchester United were brought down to earth by Benfica in their opening Champions League game on Wednesday night.

Flying domestically, where an unprecedented 18-goal spree has put them top of the Premier League after four games, a much-changed United team looked second-best during the 1-1 draw at Estadio da Luz.

Having conceded their first goal away from home in the Champions League since March 2010, Ferguson’s side might even have lost had it not been for the alert reflexes of second-choice goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard.

Lindegaard was a surprise inclusion ahead of David de Gea and Ferguson bristled when asked whether the Dane had now moved ahead of the 20-year-old Spaniard in the Old Trafford goalkeeping hierarchy.

“I don’t know why you ask these questions,” snapped Ferguson when asked by a television reporter if Lindegaard would play against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday. “You’re just looking for stupid, little things.”

Ferguson has been keen to protect De Gea after his United career got off to a jittery start following his close-season move from Atletico Madrid.

Some high-profile errors of judgment prompted media speculation that the Spanish under-21 international might be dropped, but Ferguson insisted that rotation between him and Lindegaard was a pre-arranged strategy.

“We’ve got two great goalkeepers,” explained the United manager in his post-game press conference. “We’re always trying to work out how to share things. David will play on Sunday against Chelsea.

“Coming into the English game is frenetic and tense. He (De Gea) is a young goalkeeper and there will be times when I will give him a break.

“He had a great game on Saturday and that’s why I decided to give him a break.”