London  - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said he believed his side will reach the Carling Cup final despite their 1-0 defeat at Derby in the first leg of the semi-final on Wednesday.

United were beaten by Kris Commons' superb shot after half an hour, but Rob Hulse missed a good chance to extend their lead later on.

Ferguson said the Championship side could live to regret their missed opportunities.

"I think we are lucky," Ferguson said. "We could have lost by more.

"In any semi-final you hope to give yourself breathing space and you hope to win the game. But we expect to recover from a 1-0 deficit against anyone at Old Trafford and I am sure we will. We were so bad and Derby will rue the fact they didn't score more."

New manager Nigel Clough will be in charge for the second leg as he takes over the role on Thursday. (dpa)