It’s a good feeling, finally being able to sit and review the latest United match, knowing that the boys fully deserved all three points.
Already this season we’ve seen a number of nervy displays, filled with defensive errors, but today it’s fair to say Ferguson’s new look team really looked the part. (Especially considering the number of players absent through injury.)
Obviously we didn’t experience a perfect performance from the Red Devils, but a 4-0 home victory against Wigan will certainly have met the fans expectations.
Goals from Scholes, Hernandez, Buttner and Powell sealed the victory as Sir Alex’s side move to second place in the Premier League table.
The pre-match build up focused heavily around a number of individual milestones. Scholes was set to make his 700th appearance in a United shirt, Ferdinand his 400th and Giggsy his 600th. This fixture also marked Sir Alex Ferguson’s 500th home game in charge of the Red Devils.
As always Scholes stepped up for the club, celebrating his landmark by scoring United’s opening goal at the start of the second half.
But in my opinion, this match became more focused on showcasing two more of United’s summer signings -youngsters Nick Powell and Alex Buttner, who are only just starting their careers at the club.
Both players registered their Premier League debuts with goals against the Latics, with Buttner featuring from the start. The Dutchman picked up the man-of-the-match award after scoring and creating a goal in his first appearance for the club.
His performance was a joy to watch and the panic-stricken face of Patrice Evra told the whole story. Watching on from the stands, as his new competition for the left-back instantly earned himself a place in the United fan’s hearts.
It was also nice to see Nani putting in a positive performance. I’ve been fairly unimpressed by him of late, but it’s good to see him showing early signs of good form.
Arguably, Hernandez’s early penalty miss marked the only down point of the match, but this was quickly forgotten after the final whistle had been blown.
United will now travel to Anfield next Sunday as they look to continue their winning form. 9 points from a possible 12 isn’t the perfect start to the season, but it’s not bad considering United have found themselves in a losing position on more than once occasion. I’ll take second for now, as long as City aren’t the team in first place!