• 'I don't think we played as well as we can' • Ferdinand rues two 'soft goals'

The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Barcelona after his team's 2-0 defeat in Rome, admitting that the Catalans deserved their triumph and had played better than a sub-par United.

"We got into good positions but in fairness we were beaten by the better team," said a magnanimous Ferguson. "I don't think we played as well as we can but we were against a good team."

Ferguson admitted that he gambled on his attacking line-up, playing Wayne Rooney on the left and Cristiano Ronaldo at centre-forward. But neither could penetrate the Barcelona defence as United lost to their opponents' feared combination of Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, who scored a goal apiece.

"The first goal was a killer for us," said Ferguson, referring to Eto'o's opener after 10 minutes. "We started vibrantly but once they scored we were up against it. We couldn't keep the ball all night."

Ferguson said that his side will learn from their defeat and take plenty of positives from a season in which they won the Premier League and Carling Cup, and were chasing an historic quadruple before being beaten in the FA Cup semi-final. "They have done well," Ferguson said of his team. "We have had a long season - this was 66 games. They need credit for their resilience and for some of the football they have played."

The United defender Rio Ferdinand also admitted that Barcelona were the better side in Rome, ruing two "soft goals" that cost his team the match.

"On a night like this you need to be able to play your best football and we didn't produce it," Ferdinand said. "You have to give credit to Barcelona. They played well. I don't think any one of us can say we played well as individuals or collectively."

The Barcelona striker Thierry Henry said that his team had to beat the world's best to claim glory. "Manchester United are the best team in the world - they won it in January - and you have to give respect to them to come back again," said the former Arsenal forward, who played 75 minutes on his return from a month on the sidelines with a knee injury. "I have been waiting so long to get this title. Finally, today."