Aston Villa 0 Manchester United 2: New England coach Fabio Capello saw Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney grab late goals for Manchester United to settle an uninspiring FA Cup third round clash at Villa Park.

Capello was able to cast his eye over a combined tally of nine players in the two starting line-ups who were eligible for England selection.

But it was Portuguese star Ronaldo who broke the deadlock with nine minutes remaining before substitute Rooney wrapped up the game in the dying seconds.

Rio Ferdinand hailed the introduction of Rooney from the bench as the inspiration behind United's win.

The tie appeared destined for a replay until the England striker's introduction. Asked if Rooney had turned the game, defender Ferdinand said on BBC1: "I think so. I think he's a fantastic footballer.

"He's been out for a couple of games. He looked very, very fresh when he came on. He's a player who's got bundles of energy."

Ferdinand also applauded the perseverance of Ronaldo, saying: "It was a scruffy goal but he scores goals. No matter how they go in, it's great for us."

Ferdinand insisted there was no thought of settling for a draw with the clock ticking down.

He said: "It's not in our nature. The manager wouldn't settle for that either."

And the defender insists the competition is high on his list of priorities.

"It's up there with the top things to win," he said. "We don't go into any competition thinking we don't care about the tournament. I think that's disrespectful for the tournament. If we could win that cup, it would be fantastic."