Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he had a sleepless night following his side's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The Red Devils were dumped out of the elite European competition courtesy of a 2-1 victory for Madrid, who clinched a 3-2 win on aggregate following the first round-of-16 tie at the Bernabeu.

Despite Madrid's victory, the match was marred by a controversial refereeing decision, which resulted in the sending-off of Nani in the second half due to a high challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa.

Following the dismissal, United conceded goals by Luka Modric and ex-United star Cristiano Ronaldo, who put the Spanish giants into the quarter-finals.

After the final whistle, a number of United players surrounded referee Cuneyt Cakir and Ferdinand could be seen clapping sarcastically in the match official's face before deciding to shake his hand.

Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: "Morning....was a long night without any sleep... I must say last night our fans done us + our club proud. Best/loudest support I've heard at ANY ground throughout my career. Thank you."

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson refused to speak to the media following the defeat, as did his players.