SIR Alex Ferguson has assured Wanderers that they should have no fears about life in the Premiership after seeing his Champions humbled at Old Trafford.

The United manager was magnanimous in defeat, conceding that Wanderers deserved to win, praising Sam Allardyce and acknowledging that Gudni Bergsson and Co have become a "formidable" side away from home.

Fergie surveyed an unbeaten away record that had already seen them take points at Leeds and Arsenal in addition to winning at Leicester and drawing at Blackburn and took his hat off to Allardyce: "Sam has done a good job there. Looking at the results at Elland Road and Highbury, I certainly had them marked down as a formidable side away from home. They are difficult to play against and they should have no fears this season.

"They've got good experience at centre back; Whitlow and Bergsson have been playing a long time. They stay in their areas, never get pulled about and made it difficult for us.

"Warhurst sits in front of the back four and does well and in the second half they had Johnson right on top of Veron.

"They are difficult to break down. We brought Ryan (Giggs) on for the last 20-odd minutes to make a difference but you have to give credit to the Bolton players.

"We made a couple of individual errors and it's cost us but that's been endemic all season."

Ferguson, who saw his side suffer back to back home defeats for the first time in four years, picked out Jussi Jaaskelainen's 42nd minute double save from Paul Scoles and Andy Cole as a major turning pioint.

"Coming just before half time, we would have been in a good position," he said.

Deserved to win

"Other than that I think Bolton thoroughly deserved to win. We did all right first half and were a bit unlucky to lose a goal and only be 1-1 at half time but in the second half there was no question ... we didn't deserve to win and they did. You need a bit of resilience in this type of match yet I don't think we created a clear-cut chance in the second half."

The United boss also admitted that referee Graham Barber may have got it wrong when he waved play on when Per Frandsen was tripped by Juan Sebastian Veron five minutes into the second period.

"Bolton thoroughly deserved to win and there could have been more," he said. "Maybe it was a penalty kick."