Same Opponent, Same Score

Manchester United 5 - Wigan 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Rooney (28), Carrick (32), Rafael (45), Berbatov (50), Valencia (75)

Team: Kuszczak, Brown, Vidic (Anderson 68), Rafael, Evra (Fabio 68), Carrick, Fletcher, Park, Valencia, Berbatov (Welbeck 68), Rooney

5-star performance from the lads at long last. This is how we remember our team playing. The question now is can we maintain this level of football for the rest of the season.

Right from the kickoff, we were playing some breathtaking football. And for a good 28 minutes, the Wigan net was leading a charmed life. The post was struck, tackles were made and shots were parried.

It could very have been one of those nights where you'd remember the one that got away. But tonight was not one of those nights. Facing his old team, Valencia played one of his best games in the red jersey.

I'm not going into details of each goal at 6am in the morning, but every goal was worth its weight in gold. Valencia had a hand in 3 and rounded off a fine fine performance by scoring the last one. Special mention should also go to Rafael for a superb individual goal.

I know I've been pretty down on the team lately, but if they can match up to even 50% of what they did today in any sort of consistancy, there maybe a hope of actually going into the record books as the team to win 4 titles on the trot.

This was just one awesome performance.

Rooney Giveth, Rooney Taketh

Hull City 1 - Manchester United 3
Scorers
Hull City: Fagan (pen 59)
Manchester United: Rooney (45), Dawson (og 73), Berbatov (82)

Team: Kuszczak, Brown, Vidic, Rafael, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Valencia (Park 63), Giggs (Obertan 78), Berbatov, Rooney

Another week, another lucky escape. We were god awful, then again what's new.

We had Brown and Vidic to shore up the defense and more vital was that both Carrick and Fletcher we restored into the centre of the park. Fletcher was outstanding and for once, Carrick didn't do too badly either.

Despite having a decent lineup we were pretty terrible on the pitch. Hull are legit relegation candidate, but for most of the game we looked the part instead. Slick, neat passing has always been our calling card, but in recent weeks, our passing has been sloppy and wasteful, none more so that today. As a fan since the early 80s, I cannot honestly recall us being that piss poor in this department. It's painful to watch.

Yet after a hugely poor display of passing the ball to non-existent players, we grabbed the lead at the death of the first half. Rooney found himself at the end of a Fletcher cross, and tapped the ball home. And that is having survived a legit penalty claim and a superb save from Kuszczak earlier in the game.

Our second half was no better. Hull were the better team by far, while we continued to give the ball away. Rooney gifted the ball to Hull in a dangerous area, and Rafael had to bring his man down to prevent a sure goal. As a result, Hull was awarded the penalty and Fagan brought the scores level.

We were rattled and Rooney was pissed at his mistake. Hull were still the better team and were the likelier team to win the game.

But fate is cruel and cream, in the form of Rooney, rises to the top. In typical break-away fashion, Rooney's cross was put in by Hull's own Dawson.

Rooney put the icing on the cake with a delightful pass to Berbatov to finish any resistence from Hull. Up to that point, Berbatov was practically a passerby.

We were lucky to scrape a win here all thanks to the good work of Rooney and honourable mention to Kuszczak for the number of good saves he's made. In the absence of Van der Sar, Kuszczak is fast winning over fans.

We may have closed the gap to two points at the top of the table, I'm still convinced we don't have what it takes to win the title this season. It's going to take more than scrappy wins against relegation teams to make me change my mind. Chelsea maybe facing a tough January without several key players but they are playing slightly better as a unit compared to us.

In a totally unrelated note, I wouldn't be doing the mid term report this year. The games are coming in too fast to collect my thoughts. Moreover, it's a busy period for me. Too many steamboat buffets to attend.

Fulham 3 - Manchester United 0
Scorers
Fulham: Muphy (22), Zamora (46), Duff (75)

Team: Kuszczak, De Laet (Fabio 58), Carrick, Evra, Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson, Gidson (Berbatov 58), Valencia, Rooney, Owen (Welbeck 72)

Not going to say too much here. We were shockingly poor. With the exception of Kuszczak, who kept us in the game with some brilliant saves, everyone was just utter shite.

Scholes in particular was absolutely rubbish. He gave away the first goal and wasted possession almost every single time he had it. But that doesn't give everyone else a free pass. They were all rubbish.

We were outplayed in every single department against Fulham. There were times during the game Kentona and I were wondering if we were watching a team fighting for relegation play.

Let's once and for all forget about the title this season and set a realistic target of Champions League football next season. With just how poor we've been in the past few games, even that maybe a ceiling too high for this bunch.

Things are just not looking good right now and rapidly looking pretty depressing to read/watch. I doubt there would be much change in our play until Ferguson is willing to splash the dosh when the transfer window opens. It's obvious to the casual observer that we're desperately lacking in a playmaker. Someone to link the midfield to the attack. We may even need another striker who actually knows where the general direction of the net is. Right now there is no chemistry between our frontline and even more apparent that we've no creativity.

Comfortable Win Against Wolves Reserves

Manchester United 3 - Wolves 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Rooney (pen 30), Vidic (43), Valencia (66)

Team: Kuszczak, Vidic (Fletcher 60), Carrick, De Laet, Evra, Scholes, Gibson, Valencia, Obertan (Welbeck 71), Berbatov, Rooney (Owen 76)

After the weekend victory at White Hart Lane, Mick McCathy opted to save his players and fielded a shadow team. Sensing an easy victory and a chance to level up on points with Chelsea, we came out of the blocks in fiery fashion.

Rooney nearly gave us an early lead but his shot was well saved by the big American, Hahnemann. Subsequent chances were spurned as it started to look like it wasn't our night.

Despite fielding a reserve team, Wolves gave a good account of themselves, coming close to taking the lead when Friend shot over from close range.

Eventually it was Wolves who blinked first. Just as the game was playing into a stalemate, with a huge emphasis on 'stale' on our part, we were gifted a penalty for an inexplicable handball. Rooney gleefully put us into the lead from the spot.

Vidic added a second before the half with a bullet header that hit Hahnemann and squirmed into the corner in agonising fashion if you're a Wolves fan.

Wolves came out in the second half playing for pride and with determination. While they did not trouble Vidic or Carrick, they did managed to find alot of possession. We had some difficulty taking the ball from them.

Carrick may have found his calling in this United side. He was having a blinder in central defense. Nothing got past him. Even when partnered with De Laet who was moved into the other central defensive role, he proved to be the outstanding man at the back. If our defensive crisis carries on, Carrick may just be our trump card.

We scored the 3rd goal in the game in magnificent fashion. Berbatov's overhead kick was met by Valencia who rifled it into the top of the net. It was a goal that was simply majestic in the way it was set up.

Berbatov must be one of the hardest player in a red jersey to root for. For the entire game, he's been hanging his shoulders, shrugging when he doesn't get the ball. In a way there is a lot of Ronaldo in him and most of it bad. Yet, when I was cursing at his languid style of play, he pops up and produces a gem of a pass for Valencia. It was as if there were eyes at the back of his head when he made the pass. And then he goes on to make it as frustrating as possible to root for him again.

We ran out 3-0 winners at the final whistle. It could have been more, and it could have been better given the quality of the players we were playing against. But after the weekend's loss, I'm just happy we're back on track.

Nothing's Changed

Manchester United 0 - Aston Villa 1
Scorer
Aston Villa: Agbonlahor (21)

Team: Kuszczak, Brown, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Gibson 68), Park (Berbatov 63), Valencia, Giggs (Owen 45), Rooney

Nothing's changed very much around here. Chelsea screwed up against an understrengthed Everton earlier in the day and we, as usual, followed suit. Actually we went one up and proceeded to lose the game. In fact this was a result just waiting to happen. We've been shit recently despite our so-called convincing wins in the past couple of Premiership fixtures. It was no surprise to me that we faltered today.

What made things worse was that Ferguson threw up a lineup that just screamed at Villa to come at us. Maybe he was thinking of quick counters, but you start one up front at home, it's just asking for trouble.

Yet despite looking like shit, we actually played a good game. We gave the Villa defense a good run around but were simply unable to find the net. This was when putting one up front hurt us the most. Rooney was left alone up there and for most of the game, he came running back to midfield to pick up the ball, leaving no one upfront to shoulder the responsibility.

Agbonlahor punished us for our failure to find the net in the 21st minute with a superb header. We spent most of the game in the Villa half but the woodwork and poor positioning kept them in front.

Perhaps realising his mistake, Ferguson put Owen into the game for Giggs. Word out there is that Giggs was injured, but personally I would have taken Park out instead. It's obvious to the neutral that Park just wasn't up for it even though he ran his socks off. He just hasn't been the same since coming back from injury.

We continued to be as toothless as an old woman without her dentures. Berbatov and Gibson were both thrown into the fray and failed to make any significant impact. I personally would have liked to see Obertan take on the Villa defense. They had a relatively easy time handling our short passes. Having someone like Obertan run at the defenders could have created more havoc.

Villa ran out 1-0 winners at Old Trafford, breaking their winless streak since god knows when. While it's not exactly at terrible result since Chelsea could only draw, we still lost ground. What was truely despairing is that I can't see how we can get better. There were poor decisions from the coaching staff right down to the players. Again I cannot put a finger on exactly what is wrong with us. Maybe it's just everything.

Owen Reigns Supreme In Germany

Wolfsburg 1 - Manchester United 3
Scorers
Wolfsburg: Dzeko (56)
Manchester United: Owen (44, 83, 90)

Team: Kuszczak, Evra, Carrick, Fletcher, Gibson, Scholes, Anderson, Park, Nani (Valencia 74), Welbeck (Obertan 74), Owen

There's something about Germany, Owen and hattricks. Owen grabbed the opportunity to show the world he hasn't lost it in a rare start. With 3 wonderfully taken goals, he raised United to the summit of the group, pushing us thru as the seeded team in the Champions League.

The team starting tonight was terribly decimated by injuries with Evra the only recognised defender. Fletcher and Carrick carried on their midweek roles as makeshift defenders, both surprisingly holding their own against the Germany champions. Carrick in particular was outstanding in his central defensive role. Considering how woeful he's been at midfield, he might have secured a new position playing in an unfamilar role.

Bar a few headers going wide off the target, Wolfsburg wasn't really quite as advertised. They were rather disappointing for most parts of the game.

On our part, we played a very good team game, especially for a team made up of mostly midfielders playing all over the park. At times we tended to over pass the ball, resulting in terrible mistakes, but overall we did ourselves proud, not only holding back a good opponent in a hostile environment, but going one up by winning in emphatic form.

Good play from Nani on the flanks, resulted in Owen giving us the lead just before the break with a superbly taken header.

Wolfsburg upped the tempo in the second half and were rewarded when United target, Dzeko, replied with an emphatic header of his own.

The rest of the half was just about Wolfsburg trying to floor us with a knockout punch and us hitting on the counter. The introduction of Valencia and Obertan injected both power and pace into our counters.

Obertan performed brilliantly in the 83rd minutes with a memerising run taking the ball down the byline, before taking quick glance, finding an unmarked Owen for a simple tap in. While the goal was simple, the build up was simply sensational. Obertan is quickly and surely moving up the ladder as one of the most exciting players this season.

Wolfsburg could have equalised once again in injury time, but their rightback, Riether, missed from point blank range. Immediately from that counter attack, Obertan released Owen for a one on one chance. And as we all know, Owen rarely misses those. Hattrick and we were home free.

I have to admit I wasn't expecting such an scoreline, but it for those of you who missed it, it was brilliantly played. We controlled and contained the superb frontline of the Germany champions with a whole bunch of untried and untested players in defense. Great stuff and greater result.

Meanwhile CSKA beat Besiktas 2-1, which should place Wolfsburg in third place in the group and out of the Champions League. But word from the grapevine is that two players from CSKA have been found guilty of doping which could disqualify them from the latter stages and a lifeline for Wolfsburg.

Scholes Inspires Romp

West Ham 0 - Manchester United 4
Scorers
Manchester United: Scholes (45), Gibson (61), Valencia (70), Rooney (72)

Team: Kuszczak, Brown, Neville (Carrick 34), Evra, Fletcher, Anderson, Gibson (Berbatov 67), Scholes, Valencia, Giggs, Rooney (Owen 73)

This is the second week in a row that I've gotta say just how terrible we are. Don't let the scoreline fool you. Similar to last week, we practically slept-walked thru the game and some hope came away with an outstanding result.

The entire first half was a bore. We were terrible in so many areas it was unreal. Vidic was pulled out at the last minute and Neville replaced him in the centre. Fletcher played at rightback and Gibson was rewarded a starting place in the centre of the park for his two goals at midweek. The changes showed as everyone was reacting to their new teammates and positions.

The Hammers were by far the better team in the half but failed to take any of their chances. An opportunistic strike by Scholes at the end of the half give us an undeserved lead going into the break. By that time, I was almost asleep, bored to death by our misplaced passes and general piss poor approach to the game.

There was not much improvement in the second half until Gibson's incredible strike to put us two up. It was a fantastic long ranged missile that almost blew a hole in the West Ham net. The goal broke West Ham's spirit and we fired two quickfire goals via Valencia and Rooney to complete the route.

The rest was the same boring crap as both teams played out the game.

It's hard to criticize the team when the scoreline reads 4-0, but we're simply not clicking. The formation looked dodgy as well, with Rooney up on his own, while Valencia and Giggs giving as much support as humanly possible. We probably fluked out with the Scholes and Gibson long range efforts. Their goals forced West Ham forward, opening the game up for quick counters.

Let's hope we play less conservatively in the Champions League during the week.

Gibson Sinks Spurs

Manchester United 2 - Tottenham 0
Scorer
Manchester United: Gibson (16, 38)

Team: Kuszczak, Brown, Vidic, Neville, De Laet, Anderson (Tosic 82), Gibson, Park, Obertan (Carrick 62), Berbatov (Macheda 62), Welbeck

United's kids bounced back in fine fashion after last week's defeat at the hands of Besiktas in the Champions League.

Last year's League Cup finalists met in the quarter-finals in this year's edition. Runners-up, Spurs fielded a superbly strong team while United opted to keep in line with the policy of blooding our youth blended with some old heads.

Based on the teams fielded, it wasn't a surprised that the men from London had the stronger opening. They had the lion's share of the possession and looked the likelier team to go ahead.

Yet against the run of play, Darron Gibson scored a scorcher of a goal. And he scored another equally wonderful goal in the 38th minute.

The second half was more Spurs pressure, but the experienced defense in the United side stood tall and repelled everything that was thrown at them. Eventually Spurs fizzled and we started to gain the upper hand in the game.

We came close to adding a third as the game ended, but it was seem cruel against a Spurs side that showed plenty of desire but just weren't good enough to breech the backline of Brown and Vidic.

Gibson may have stolen the headlines today, but for me the man who really took the game by the scruff of the neck was Anderson. He was everywhere on the pitch, breaking up Spurs' midfield, leading the charge upfront. It would be nice if he could do this week in week out. In any case, this was a good win and a confidence booster for the kids in the team. There are alot of promising youngsters in the squad, and with the right amount of experience, some of them would eventually find a place in Ferguson's plans.

And just to round this off, Kentona and I have this private thing going on and it's time to bring it up to another level. Watch and enjoy.