Going into yesterday's derby game with Manchester City we were underdogs in many people's eyes for the first time in a long time. The poor results we had over the last two weeks and good results City had meant there was a general feeling building around Manchester that there would be a City victory and we were aware of that.

So what you saw from us yesterday in our 1-0 victory was a real determined performance and I thought we controlled the game and had the better chances. Paul Scholes in midfield was the main difference between the teams. He was like an extra player; he dictated the pace of the game and passed them to death. The way he managed to get to the ball in the last minute to head the winner was fantastic. He fully deserves the accolades he gets.

We showed great spirit and fight to win at their ground. Our title challenge was probably expected to end yesterday but we've given ourselves hope. For us to score so late in the game proves we still have that never-say-die spirit that has been a big feature of our performances over the years. It was great to be part of the victory yesterday and there is no sweeter way to win a big game than in the last minute.

Yesterday's game was billed as the biggest ever derby and we had to use our experience to remove ourselves from all the hullaballoo and concentrate on the football match. We are confident of our ability and we know we are a difficult team to play against.

We wanted to have authority and show good control in our passing and we did that. In the first half we had two great chances, so even though the goal came at the end we could have scored more on the day.

I think we were the team pressing forward as the game went on. They brought on Patrick Viera and Shaun Wright-Phillips in the second half to try and shore up the middle and gain possession. Although that did work to an extent, I still felt we were the team that looked more dangerous going forward and I think we probably shaded the game and deserved to win.

Another key part of our victory yesterday was the performances of Nemanja Vidic and Jonny Evans, who were excellent at the centre of defence. Everyone is aware that City's great strength is their front players. They had scored five and six goals in their past two games so we were delighted to keep a clean sheet. City had a couple of moments but you would expect that when they're playing a home.

We were certainly happy to see Wayne Rooney play yesterday because we are always going to miss him when he is injured.

He is unique and has proved difficult to replace because the penetration, strength and pure aggression he provides is different to what other players offer.

Yesterday he played 65 minutes of a tough game in very warm conditions, which was a big ask for him because he hadn't trained properly for two weeks due to the problem with his ankle. It's great to have him back and we hope now he can stay fit until the end of the season and have a big impact for us.

Whether or not our win yesterday prevents City qualifying for the Champions League is not an issue for us. The great thing about Manchester United is that we never get carried away with what other teams are doing, even if they are local rivals. We just concentrate on our job and as much as we possibly we take the emotion out of the game and try to win for ourselves. We are striving to win the championship, so we can't concern ourselves with whether City get fourth spot.

As far as the title race goes, it has been such a strange season that if Arsenal win today I wouldn't rule them out. There may be more twists and turns to come and I wouldn't like to rule out any scenario involving ourselves, Chelsea and Arsenal just yet.

Yesterday people probably thought the championship would have been decided by us dropping points and Chelsea winning at Tottenham, but that wasn't the case.

Obviously we would prefer to be in Chelsea's position because they are ahead, but we know if we win our three remaining matches and Chelsea slip up again, the title will be ours. We were hoping there would be twists and turns before the end of the season like there was yesterday, and we hope there are more to come.

The manager asked us if we still want to win the championship and we do. While we still have a chance to win it, we have to go for it. The fundamental thing we have to focus on is winning our remaining three games rather than concerning ourselves with other teams.

Too many times this season we haven't done our job when we have been thinking about possible scenarios in the league table. We have to get those points on the board because it doesn't matter what Chelsea or Arsenal do if we don't win our games.

Rooney the outstanding candidate

Wayne Rooney has been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year Award and he is the outstanding candidate this season.

He has been fantastic with his goals and general level of performance, as well as helping England qualify for the World Cup. He is also a very popular player with fellow professionals, and when people are putting names on a voting form it is important they like the players they are voting for.

Everyone has seen how important he is to us and I expect him to win it. In fact, I expect him to win all the individual awards this season and I just hope he collects the team awards to go with it.

Send your questions to Gary Neville to sunday@timesofmalta.com.