Ambrose scores with 40-yard rocket, Alex Ferguson apologizes

Crystal Palace midfielder Darren Ambrose gave his side a 1-0 lead in their Carling Cup quarterfinal against Manchester United with an absolute screamer to the top corner in the 65th minute. Man United equalized just four minutes later with a Kiko Macheda penalty, but Palace managed to score again in extra time to advance to a semifinal date with Cardiff.

Man United, unsurprisingly, went with a young side (plus Dimitar Berbatov) that just didn't get the job done, leaving Alex Ferguson atypically contrite and befuddled after the match.

From The Mirror:

"I don't know where to start, to be honest with you," said the gutted United manager. "I want to apologise to the fans because that was not a Manchester United performance.

"I don't want to take anything away from Crystal Palace, and I wish them every success and hope they get to the final because they put in a fantastic mammoth effort.

"Every one of their players worked their socks to get to the semi-final, but I'm very disappointed.

"I'm not going to go into the ins and outs of it, we were beaten and it was a very disappointing night for Manchester United."

He didn't blame the referee, he didn't berate the press, what has this man done with the real Alex Ferguson? Of course, a goal like Ambrose's will stun anyone into remorse.