Alex Ferguson was left to rue missed chances after watching his team crash out of the Champions League against AC Milan last night. Hernan Crespo's second-half header gave Milan a 2-0 aggregate victory to ensure United failed to reach the quarter-finals for the second successive season.

Ferguson insisted there was nothing between the teams overall but admitted the Italians had been more clinical in front of goal. "If you look at the two games we had six good chances and we didn't take any of them. The margins at this level are very fine and that is what has decided the tie overall. I have no complaints about the way my team played or the way they adapted the game - but we just didn't get the goal that could have changed the game."

Ferguson continued: "We didn't get the break we needed when Ryan (Giggs) hit the post. We needed to score the first goal. That was the key to the whole contest, that was the chance - unfortunately we didn't take it."

Ferguson denied his team had been outplayed even though they were left chasing the ball for long periods. However, he does believe some of the younger members of his squad - such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney - will learn a lot from the experience.

"Experience was always going to count tonight," he said. "At 19 and 20, Wayne and Cristiano are not the final product. The only way they will become what we want them to be is by playing in games like this one. The most important factor in their development is their ability and temperament . . . in two or three years' time we will still be talking about them."

Ferguson was impressed by the professional way Milan approached the tie. He singled out Brazilian full back Cafu, who provided the cross for Crespo's winner, and skipper Paolo Maldini for special praise. "Cafu's performance was important - he must have two hearts the way he keeps going. And if Maldini carries on for another four or five years I think I will quit."

Ferguson had stated he believed the winners of this tie could go on to lift the trophy in Istanbul on May 25th - and nothing which happened last night has dissuaded him from that opinion. "Yes, I think they are good enough to win the competition - what they have is something special. We play a lot of European teams on their own grounds and have to tolerate a lot of histrionics. We didn't get any of that from Milan."