Another game to do your head in, the first half and the first ten minutes of the second half was as good as we have seen all season, but the last half hour saw us sink back into the mediocrity we've seen too often of late. To have only won the game by two goals after the pummeling we gave Sunderland in the first half and for all the chances we created, even when we went off the boil over the last half hour, was disappointing. Fergie said he was determined we wouldn't be beaten on goal difference again this season and yet we always seem to ease off in games, and the substitutions made, seemed to suggest our management weren't too concerned that we didn't get the goals we should have done.
Moan at the second half over with, that first half was great to see, all the components of the team seemed to step up a gear. Carrick and Cleverley carried on the good work against City and surely proved they they are our best midfield pairing at present. Carrick has been one of our most consistent performers over the last season and and a half and seems to be woefully under valued by most reds. It was no surprise it was only once he had gone off, that Sunderland having brought on Wickham themselves, got themselves back into the game.
It only seem like yesterday that i was getting a bit worried about Cleverley's form but the last couple of games have banished that. He was outstanding on Saturday, i can't help feel that it's been a run of games that have turned things around for him. Another to catch the eye was Phil Jones playing at right back, he was superb in the first half, he ran out of legs towards the latter stages of the game, but that was the kind of form that had us raving about him during the opening stages of last season.
It took us a while to get going on the day, but once that first went in the floodgates threatened to open as we created chance after chance. It was nice to see Young get to the byline for the first goal converted by Van Persie, can we see that more often please. But it has to be said Young impressed again, maybe he is going to prove us doubters wrong about him. It has certainly helped our cause , the return to the team and return to form of our wide men. The form of our full backs going forward has helped the cause as well. Valencia may not have been back to his best, but i didn't think he deserved some of the stick I've seen him receive of the forums and twitter over the weekend.
There were some great moves that would have been capped off perfectly with a goal, but the only one to receive the perfect ending, Cleverley's curling finish was the type of thing we'd like to see a bit more often. It's going to be interesting to see where Fergie tries to fit Kagawa back into the team when he is up for selection, I'm sure that was the type of goal Fergie hoped the Japanese international would be regularly providing us with regularly when he sealed his signature last summer.
It was a surprise and a bit of a disappointment to see Carrick removed at half time, injury was given as the reason, i suspect it was more to do with giving Paul Scholes some game time myself. Still it didn't stop our attacking intent at first, we could have had three goals in the first five minutes of the half. Van Persie and Rooney were both guilty of failing to convert great chances.
I suppose you have to give the away team some credit for forcing their way back into the game. But you also have to look at the way United seem to completely ease off at times. I didn't understand the introduction of Giggs when the game seemed to be crying out for a Welbeck or a Hernandez. The way the game was going i thought attack was the best form of defence. Anyway we gave away the obligatory goal we have got in the habit of conceding when our defensive unit collectively stopped playing as Campbell ghosted into the back post to head home. The final minutes saw us worrying about Sunderland getting a second, which was a joke given what had gone before. Still three points, three goals and six points above second placed City as we enter the Christmas programme, I'll take that.
Moan at the second half over with, that first half was great to see, all the components of the team seemed to step up a gear. Carrick and Cleverley carried on the good work against City and surely proved they they are our best midfield pairing at present. Carrick has been one of our most consistent performers over the last season and and a half and seems to be woefully under valued by most reds. It was no surprise it was only once he had gone off, that Sunderland having brought on Wickham themselves, got themselves back into the game.
It only seem like yesterday that i was getting a bit worried about Cleverley's form but the last couple of games have banished that. He was outstanding on Saturday, i can't help feel that it's been a run of games that have turned things around for him. Another to catch the eye was Phil Jones playing at right back, he was superb in the first half, he ran out of legs towards the latter stages of the game, but that was the kind of form that had us raving about him during the opening stages of last season.
It took us a while to get going on the day, but once that first went in the floodgates threatened to open as we created chance after chance. It was nice to see Young get to the byline for the first goal converted by Van Persie, can we see that more often please. But it has to be said Young impressed again, maybe he is going to prove us doubters wrong about him. It has certainly helped our cause , the return to the team and return to form of our wide men. The form of our full backs going forward has helped the cause as well. Valencia may not have been back to his best, but i didn't think he deserved some of the stick I've seen him receive of the forums and twitter over the weekend.
There were some great moves that would have been capped off perfectly with a goal, but the only one to receive the perfect ending, Cleverley's curling finish was the type of thing we'd like to see a bit more often. It's going to be interesting to see where Fergie tries to fit Kagawa back into the team when he is up for selection, I'm sure that was the type of goal Fergie hoped the Japanese international would be regularly providing us with regularly when he sealed his signature last summer.
It was a surprise and a bit of a disappointment to see Carrick removed at half time, injury was given as the reason, i suspect it was more to do with giving Paul Scholes some game time myself. Still it didn't stop our attacking intent at first, we could have had three goals in the first five minutes of the half. Van Persie and Rooney were both guilty of failing to convert great chances.
I suppose you have to give the away team some credit for forcing their way back into the game. But you also have to look at the way United seem to completely ease off at times. I didn't understand the introduction of Giggs when the game seemed to be crying out for a Welbeck or a Hernandez. The way the game was going i thought attack was the best form of defence. Anyway we gave away the obligatory goal we have got in the habit of conceding when our defensive unit collectively stopped playing as Campbell ghosted into the back post to head home. The final minutes saw us worrying about Sunderland getting a second, which was a joke given what had gone before. Still three points, three goals and six points above second placed City as we enter the Christmas programme, I'll take that.
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