Stoke city 0-2 Manchester United

Another very impresssive away pefrormance from the boys and another excellent victory. With Scholes back in the engine room alongside Fletcher the shape of the team looked pretty good. Ferdinand was back in the team and Berbatov partnered Rooney up front. Almost from the first minute United were on top and in total control. Stoke couldn't even manage to get an attempt on or off target in the first half and they were the side at home. The first chance fell to Valencia and it looked like he was going to show us he is a better finsisher than his record suggests as he enticed the goalie off his line to cooly chipit over him, but sadly the ball drifted past the wrong side off the post. On the other flank Nani was having another of his inconsistent performances. But you have to admit whether he is playing well or not he still poses a goal threat and he brought two fine saves out of the goalie in the first half.
We had totally dominated the first half but we hadn't breached their goal and we went in at half time wondering whether we would regret not getting that important first goal when we were on top. But the second half followed the same script though Stoke did try to get forward more than they had managed in the first half. Fergie decided that he wasn't getting what he wanted out of Nani and replaced him with Giggs. Whilst i'm not Nani's biggest fan i didn't think he had that bad a game to be honest. He seems to link up well with Evra and he is worth persevering with for the moment. But Fergie was proved right as Giggs was instrumental in both the goals.
Fletcher fed Giggs on the left with a beautifully wighted ball and Giggs put the cross on a plate for Berbatov to tap the ball home in the six yard box. Finally we had got the goal our play had warranted. The second was a fine O'Shea header from a Giggs free kick that killed whatever lingering hope Stoke had of getting anything out of the game. With Chelsea losing United are now back on top. The Burnley game seems an age ago now.

The telegraph match report
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6237191/Nani-exposed-by-Ryan-Giggss-enduring-class-in-Manchester-Uniteds-defeat-of-Stoke-City.html

A fascinating interview between Micheal Vaughan and Gary Neville
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/6231814/Michael-Vaughan-interviews-Gary-Neville.html

Fun and games at the nou camp
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/sep/28/barcelona-keeping-tabs-sid-lowe

Simon Jenkins lays into political summits
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/24/g20-un-gaddafi-nuclear-brown

An interesting piece on foreign policy be Tristram Hunt
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/24/obama-missile-europe-foreign-policy
I have never heard of Mackinder, so that was thoroughly enlightning

A magnificent republican rant from Johann Hari and bang on the money
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-gin-servants-and-bloodlines-for-royaltys-alf-garnett-in-a-tiara-1792793.html