- Rooney (56), Ronaldo (69), Berbatov (72), Nani (90)
- Date:2008-10-18
- Kick-off:17:30
- Venue:Old Trafford
- Attendance:75451
- Referee:Halsey, M
Live Commentary
90mins
FULL TIME: Manchester United 4 - 0 West Brom - The visitors held off the Champions well for the first 45 minutes but Manchester United's class showed through in the second-half as they demolished their opponents.
89mins
MANCHESTER UNITED 4 - 0 WEST BROM: United go on the counter attack. Giggs and Ronaldo link up before Rooney picks out NANI in the box and he rounds off the move with a neat finish.
86mins
Ishmael Miller hits a powerful shot out of nothing and comes very close with van der Sar scrambling across to see the ball past his right-hand post.
84mins
West Brom are playing possession football and Manchester United are just sitting back, they know they've got this game in the bag.
82mins
Giggs picks out O'Shea with a free-kick but the defender sends his header over the bar.
80mins
Gary Neville tries to get in on the action with a shot from the corner of the box and Carson has to pull off a fine save to deny the United full-back.
77mins
Tony Mowbray will be disappointed that his side have conceded three goals in quick succession after such an impressive performance in the first-half.
75mins
West Brom need to be careful now because the Champions have their tails up and look hungry for more goals.
73mins
Robert Koren leaves the field and Luke Moore comes on for Tony Mowbray's side.
72mins
MANCHESTER UNITED 3 - 0 WEST BROM:Nani makes an immediate impact and gets a cross into the box. It somehow manages to bounce through a bunch of bodies and ends up with DIMITAR BERBATOV who nets his first goal for United with a tap-in from three-yards
71mins
Park Ji-Sung makes way for Nani
70mins
MANCHESTER UNITED 2 - 0 WEST BROM: Rooney slides a pass through through to CRISTIANO RONALDO who gets behind the defence and slides the ball through the legs of Carson and into the back of the net.
67mins
The game has slowed down a little now and Tony Mowbray, if he wants to get back into this game, may have to think about providing more attacking options for Miller who looks lonely up-front.
64mins
Da Silva Rafael makes way for Gary Neville who receives a very warm reception from the home crowd.
61mins
There is a buzz around Old Trafford every time Rooney picks up the ball. He gets another shot away from the corner of the box and forces a fine save out of Carson.
59mins
The Champions have really upped the tempo since the break and now they have broken the deadlock it would not be surprising to see them add to the tally.
57mins
MANCHESTER UNITED 1 - 0 WEST BROM: United break and WAYNE ROONEY has the ball in the box. He cuts back onto his right foot and drives a shot past a helpless Scott Carson.
56mins
The ball drops onto the left foot of Berbatov on the edge of the box but he strikes the volley straight down the throat of Carson - he should have done better with that opportunity.
55mins
Roman Bednar leaves the field for Ishmael Miller
55mins
An exciting passage of play from United and Rooney looks really fired up for this game but it is he who ends the move with a poor cross into the box.
53mins
Rooney gets behind the West Brom defence and hits a powerful shot goal-wards and Carson is at full stretch as he palms the ball away.
51mins
West Brom are continuing to cope with anything Manchester United come up with despite several flashes of brilliance from Rooney and Ronaldo.
49mins
United put together an intricate move and Park tries to get a shot away from outside the box but Ryan Donk closes him down and blocks his effort.
47mins
Berbatov finds Rooney in a good position but he hits a fresh air shot and the chance goes begging.
45mins
The second-half is underway and both sides remain unchanged.
45mins
HALF TIME: Manchester United 0 - 0 West Brom - The visitors have worked hard throughout the first-half and have given their opponents no room to breathe. The Champions have not worked Scott Carson as much as they would have liked and look frustrated.
44mins
Ronaldo fizzes a dangerous ball into the box and it evades everyone before whistling past the far post as West Brom breathe a sigh of relief.
42mins
Dimitar Berbatov has had a quiet half for United and he gets his first shot away from inside the box but it is blocked by Ryan Donk
40mins
Gianni Zuiverloon picks up the first booking of the game for arguing with the referee.
38mins
Rooney picks up the ball inside the box with his back to goal but he fails to shake off the West Brom defender and eventually loses possession. Good defending.
36mins
It is Patrice Evra who leaves the field clutching his thigh, and John O'Shea will fill in for him at left-back.
35mins
There seems to be some activity on the Manchester United bench with John O'Shea stripping off his tracksuit.
33mins
United win a corner and Giggs' delivery causes all sorts of problems in the six-yard box and eventually a West Brom defender has to concede another corner.
31mins
West Brom are showing a very high work rate at the moment and it is good to see a newly promoted side wanting to play fluent, attacking football.
29mins
Ronaldo gets another shot away from inside the box but a West Brom defender throws himself in the way of it.
28mins
Brunt plays through Robert Koren who hurries his shot and sends it well wide of the target to ironic cheers from the home faithful.
26mins
Ronaldo tries his luck from another free-kick but again he finds the wall with his effort.
23mins
Ronaldo picks out Rooney in the box but his header is easily saved by Carson.
22mins
Ronaldo tees up Rooney who shoves Zuiverloon to the ground before chipping the ball over the head of Carson and into the back of the net. He celebrates the goal but the referee pulls play back as he deemed Rooney to have fouled Zuiverloon.
18mins
Manchester United counter attack through Park Ji-Sung but he is brought down by Jonas Olsson as he crosses the halfway line and the attack comes to an end, much to the frustration of the United players.
17mins
The Champions are finding it hard to get into attacking situations at the moment. There aren't many sides who come to Old Trafford and manage to have as much possession as West Brom have had so far.
15mins
Brunt hits an ambitious shot from distance and unsurprisingly fails to trouble van der Sar as the ball sails straight down his throat.
15mins
West Brom are frustrating their opponents at the moment as they play keep ball amongst themselves, but eventually United regain possession as Roman Bednar is caught offside.
13mins
Chris Brunt is part of a decent West Brom move but his final ball is poor and rolls straight through to van der Sar.
11mins
Tony Mowbray's intentions on how to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo are made clear in these opening stages. Zuiverloon is straight in the winger's face every time he picks up the ball and is allowing him no room to breathe.
9mins
Ronaldo stands over a free-kick in a decent position and he tries his luck with a shot but sends it straight into the wall.
7mins
Wayne Rooney's corner finds the head of Nemanja Vidic in the box but his header is off target and doesn't trouble Carson.
6mins
Ronaldo gets to the byline, cuts the ball back and the cross is deflected behind for a corner.
4mins
Cristiano Ronaldo strides into the box and cuts back onto his favourite right foot but his shot lacks power and it's an easy save in the end for Scott Carson.
2mins
Gianni Zuiverloon ventures down the right flank and gets into a decent position but his cross sails straight into the arms of Edwin van der Sar
0mins
Referee Mark Halsey gets the game underway.
0mins
WEST BROM: Carson, Zuiverloon, Donk, Olsson, Robinson, Morrison, Koren, Borja Valero, Greening, Brunt, Bednar. SUBS: Kiely, Hoefkens, Cech, Barnett, Miller, MacDonald, Moore
0mins
MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Giggs, Park, Berbatov, Rooney. SUBS: Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, Nani, O'Shea, Evans, Gibson
0mins
Chris Brunt returns for Tony Mowbray's side for their trip to Old Trafford and is the only change to the side that beat Fulham two weeks ago as he takes the place of Ishmael Miller up-front.
0mins
Alex Ferguson makes two changes to the side that beat Blackburn last time out. Rafael Da Silva comes in for Wes Brown who drops to the bench and Anderson fails a late fitness check and so is not included in the squad, making way for Park Ji Sung.
Match Preview
Manchester United will be looking to finally climb into the top four this weekend when they host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday evening.
The Baggies will carry with them a number of injured players and the weight of history on their backs. The Red Devils last lost a league game to West Brom in 1984, winning nine times and drawing once since then.
However the Baggies have made an impressive start to the season, taking ten points from seven games and lying just one place and one point behind their opponents.
Abdoulaye Meite, Chris Brunt and Filipe Teixeira are the players giving Baggies boss Tony Mowbray a headache ahead of this weekend's clash, with Meite in particular a doubt for this weekend.
"(Meite) hasn't actually been around our training sessions, whereas Brunty was joining in the warm-ups and Teixeira is doing pretty much everything," Mowbray told the club's official website on Monday.
Despite his apparent fitness Teixeira is unlikely to play a serious role on Saturday as he hasn't played a competitive match for six months following a severe knee injury.
Kim Do-Heon and Ishmael Miller have filled in for Brunt in the two games since his hamstring problem flared up, although neither have hugely impressed.
United have been boosted by the likely return from injury of midfielders Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves, although the loss of Paul Scholes until December is a serious blow.
"We are expecting Michael to be available next week. He is almost back to full training now," manager Alex Ferguson told the Manchester Evening News.
"Owen is much better and we will pencil him in for the West Brom game without question," The Scotsman added.
Both defensive midfielders have played just three competitive matches this season and will be keen to impress, putting pressure on Anderson and Darren Fletcher.
Also feeling the heat is full-back Wes Brown, who has the recently-returned Gary Neville breathing down his neck, but the England international is clear that the competition for places can only help the club.
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Match Report
Wayne Rooney's world just seems to be getting better and better as the England star proved the catalyst which brought Manchester United their best win so far this season.
It was the United player with the phenomenal never-say-die attitude that finally broke West Brom's stubborn resistance.
He opened the scoring for the Red Devils in the 56th minute and went on to make two of his side's other goals. For good measure also had a first-half effort disallowed.
Rooney's goal - his eighth in six games for club and country - encapsulated why he is the most exciting of England's players.
Dimitar Berbatov sent Rooney racing away down the left with a glorious through ball from inside the centre circle.
Rooney raced clear before cutting inside Ryan Donk in the Albion box and scored with a cool low right-foot shot from 12 yards.
United's second goal 14 minutes later was another masterclass in passing.
Darren Fletcher's ball from the centre circle picked out Rooney, who threaded the perfect pass through for Cristiano Ronaldo to score with a low left-foot shot from 12 yards.
The third goal was United's softest. Nani's cross from the left edge of the Albion penalty area took a double deflection and landed perfectly for Berbatov to nonchalantly fire the ball home right-footed from eight yards on the far post.
With only seconds of the 90 minutes remaining, another superb passing move made it four for the home side.
Ryan Giggs' pinpoint pass found Berbatov on the right corner of the Albion box. He touched the ball on to Rooney to his right and his measured low cross to the far post was tapped home left footed by Nani from close range.
Rooney even had an effort disallowed by referee Mark Halsey in the 23rd minute.
Ronaldo set up the chance for Rooney who put the ball in the net with a sweet shot from 12 yards, only to see it disallowed for his push on Albion defender Gianni Zuiverloon.
Albion could have had few complaints about the result.
Goalkeeper Scott Carson made a string of fine saves to deny Rooney on three occasions and Berbatov once.
The Baggies only came to life as an attacking force after Ishmael Miller replaced Roman Bednar eight minutes into the second half.
Albion's best chance came a minute from time when Miller surged down the right and into the United box before unleashing a tremendous shot which was well saved by United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
Manchester United Team
West Bromwich Albion Team
Manchester United | West Bromwich Albion |
Corners
| 16 | 1 |
Fouls
| 11 | 14 |
Goal attempts
| 18 | 6 |
Shots off target
| 4 | 4 |
Offsides
| 4 | 2 |



88mins
Miller picks up the ball again and runs at goal. He makes his way from the halfway line almost to the six-yard box before his shot forces a good save out of van der Sar to turn the ball around the post.