Antonio Valencia scored the only goal of the game in the 86th minute to keep United at the top of Group B.
“I think we should be proud of it,” Fergie told Sky Sports. “It’s not easy away from Europe because we’ve been to some fantastic places over the years.
“Maturity – there is a way you play in Europe away from home and I think you saw tonight we showed good patience in the game and kept good possession, I think that’s a key factor.”
Fergie also praised his players’ ability to adapt to the artificial plastic pitch in Moscow.
“I think that if you are a good footballer and you can concentrate on the ball – if you can concentrate on the ball that’s the most important thing,” he added. “They did that and I thought they did well.
“We wanted a bit more of a surge through the middle rather than the wide positions. I felt that if we could get into these areas then the wide players could come into it at a later stage.
“And I think it worked out quite well. Not exactly what you want because football’s football at the end of the day.
“We had some good chances in the second half, we improved our goalscoring chances and we’re pleased that Valencia’s got an important goal for us.”
