Source: official site

Michael Dawson insists we'll welcome the challenge of Manchester United immediately after this week's Carling Cup semi-final exit.

We lost out to rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night and Michael, naturally devastated, feels the prospect of taking on the Barclays Premiership leaders at the Lane will help shake off any lingering disappointment.

“We have to pick ourselves up straight away,” said the defender, outstanding again in that second leg. “And we know we’ll have to be at our best again.

“We were unlucky at Old Trafford earlier in the season, we had a couple of chances and I don’t think we deserved to lose 1-0 but we can’t keep saying we didn’t deserve this or that, we have to go out and put things right.

“Defensively, we know it will be a test with the likes of Ronaldo and Rooney but we are up for it.”

Photographs of a crestfallen ‘Daws’ at the Emirates summed up his feelings on the night.

“It’s obvious to say that with all the work we put in to get that far and being so close to Cardiff, to go out against Arsenal was very, very disappointing," he added.

“When Mido scored, I thought we might go on and do it, perhaps win it in 90 minutes. I thought that was our chance. It would have been fantastic but we gave it our all and it wasn’t to be.

“Their second goal was a massive blow but we knew we needed to score a second goal anyway, then the third killed us off. We were all gutted.

“The Carling Cup has gone now, this is another big game and we can go out and show what we can do. We have to look forward.”