The Reds reclaimed top spot in the Premier League with an efficient display against West Ham. And though the match may not have been a classic, Ryan Giggs’ match-winning goal certainly was.
The Welsh winger had been yet to find the net in the league this season, but the 35-year-old has been refined to save all his experience and talent for a time when it matters most.
This was United’s fifth 1-0 away win this season, which you have to say is championship form, operating with a metronome beat that rings ominously for the Reds’ title rivals.
United, still missing Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra, and also without skipper Gary Neville, started the match with two games in hand on closest rivals Liverpool, who somewhat fortunately went a point ahead at the top of the league on Saturday when Fernando Torres snatched a last-gasp 3-2 win against Portsmouth.
Regaining top spot was clearly the priority, but it was never going to be an easy ride. Being the league’s form team, with an increasingly more potent attack and a record-breaking defence, the chances of achieving it appeared positive. But West Ham are themselves third in the form table with four wins and two draws from their last six league games.
This was United’s fifth 1-0 away win this season, which you have to say is championship form, operating with a metronome beat that rings ominously for the Reds’ title rivals.
United, still missing Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra, and also without skipper Gary Neville, started the match with two games in hand on closest rivals Liverpool, who somewhat fortunately went a point ahead at the top of the league on Saturday when Fernando Torres snatched a last-gasp 3-2 win against Portsmouth.
Regaining top spot was clearly the priority, but it was never going to be an easy ride. Being the league’s form team, with an increasingly more potent attack and a record-breaking defence, the chances of achieving it appeared positive. But West Ham are themselves third in the form table with four wins and two draws from their last six league games.
