Manchester United 2-1 Stoke City

To be honest i wasn't expecting much from this match after some of the performances we have seen recently, and the way Stoke play football, for me they are the worst team to watch in the division. But to be fair although it wasn't anything to write home about, it wasn't as bad as i had feared. Nani returned to the side giving the team some much needed creativity. With no Rooney out due to the injury picked up at the hawthorns Hernandez was given a run out from the startand Smalling was brought in for the rested Ferdinand.
Straight away we could see what we have missed whilst Nani has been sidelined, as he gave us a threat out wide that we have sorely missed recently. When we get Scholes back we might start to look the part again. United started reasonably well but weren't creating chances at will. Stoke offered absolutley nothing as a force going forward.
When the opening goal came, it came from that man Hernandez again, he really is turning into a Solskjaer mark 2. Berbatov on form again fed Nani on the right who put a cross into the near post where Hernandez finished with a magnificent back heel. It was good to see Nani and Giggs playing because there wasn't much creativity coming from the central midfield pairing of Gibson and Flecther.
Stoke took us by surprise by coming out in the second half all guns blazing and started to put Smalling and Vidic under pressure for the first time in the match. And unfortunately they didn't cope with it too well at first, Smalling letting Tuncay get a cross in from the right for Whitehead to head home unopposed. Now it was a real game, with us never quite sure what to expect from thsi United side this season.
The winner came from another piece of magic from the feet of our seventeen Nani who hit an unstoppable left footer from just outside the box. We were never quite sure we had the three points in the bag as we could not get that third goal. But Stoke never quite managed to open us up again in the way they had done for the equaliser and the result ended 2-1.

Fergie says United will improve, not if certain players get long term injuries they won't, and complains that the criticism has been unfair. I can't really agree with the latter statement either. The consensus amongst United fans last night was that the West Brom game had been embarrassing and the consensus was right.
Chris Smalling is eager to take his chance at United. He has a lot of promise, and had a decent game aprt from the goal, but i won't be judging him until he has started to face some of the big four and some of the premier lague's top strikers.

United youngster Nicky Ajose has extended his stay at Bury until the end of the season. I have got a lot of time for Ajose, he isn't as naturally gifted as some of our other youngsters, but he makes the most of what he  has got. And what an eye for goal, first in the reserves and now with Bury.
Meanwhile another of our on loan youngsters, or should that formerly on loan, Matty James thanks Preston for his time there. It's a nice gesture, though what Fergie will make of it, who knows.