United 3 Wolves 0

15 December 2009 22:18
FEW of Sir Alex Ferguson's 900 League matches can have been as easy as this one as a bunch of sheep turned up in Wolves clothing at Old Trafford. Reaching 1,000 League matches will be no problem even to a near 71-year-old as the Reds boss is likely to be when that landmark comes up in around two and a half years if other Premier League bosses adopt the Mick McCarthy approach to an Old Trafford visit. Many opponents have grasped the idea this campaign that the champions are a shade more vulnerable these days on their own patch. But McCarthy hadn't caught on and effectively waved the white flag before his team bus left Molineux. Only keeper Marcus Hahnemann survived from the Midlanders shock 1-0 win at White Hart Lane against Spurs last Saturday as McCarthy made 10 changes. In the second half the Wolves fans who'd braved the M6 and freezing cold night chanted that they wanted their money back after just under half an hour last night possible a few United supporters were mumbling the same thing. It had been an opening of uninspiring fare and United seemed to struggle to raise their game. Wayne Rooney was finding keeper Hahnemann particularly difficult to bypass. He had stopped two efforts from the England striker and when Rooney wriggled into position after 25 minutes he drilled his shot wide. Vidic effort Seconds later Nemanja Vidic found himself in a position more favourable for Rooney and thundered a penalty box effort into the East Stand. United were in need of some outside help to make their dominance pay and they got it when Ronaldo Zubar inexplicably handled a Darron Gibson corner. The French Under 21 international had Vidic in close proximity but his offence was puzzling. This time Rooney won the battle with Hahnemann with a powerful penalty. Gibson proved he has set piece accuracy to match his thunderbolt shooting when he sent over a second corner bang in the path of Vidic's run and though Hahnemann got a hand to the Serb's powerful header he could only help it over the line. The Reds were still pretty much in less than convincing second gear when they extended their lead after 65 minutes. Both Dimitar Berbatov and Antonio Valencia had been disappointing peripheral figures against opposition they could have destroyed if they'd really got their teeth into it. They showed how easy they could have done it when the Bulgarian hooked a delicate pass over his right hand shoulder and the Ecuadorian thrashed in a cracker. United were comfortable but in the past on more ruthless occasions they have used games like this to really improve their goal difference. But they barely went close to adding to their tally after Valencia's goal and while they were not exactly joining in the Wolves fans ironic chants of £42 to watch the reserves Reds fans might not have been overly convinced they'd got their money's worth despite seeing the Reds join Chelsea at the top of the Premier League. What is your verdict on the game? Have your say. [LNB]

Source: Manchester_EveningNews