United cruised through their first premiership encounter of the new season with a 3-0 victory over Newcastle. The Toon Army put up a decent fight in the first half but once Berba scored the first goal, they never looked like coming back into it.
This wasn’t always vintage, particularly in the first half. We looked a little flat in the opening 45 and struggled to test Harper or get in behind the Newcastle defence. It just wasn’t happening and Newcastle had a decent chance when Carroll shook off Vidic to gain a free header at a corner.
The game then became all about Paul Scholes. Praise is consistently lavished on the ginger one but this was an absolute masterclass. From the moment he picked out Berbatov for the opening goal, he ran the show. He zipped the ball around the pitch immaculately, dragging the Newcastle midfield and defence all over the park.
The Fletcher goal gave us the cushion to keep the ball and make Newcastle work. They then tired badly and didn’t really offer anything when they got the ball. Gutierrez gave O’Shea some trouble down the left but nothing serious. Barton and Nolan were feisty but didn’t trouble us really. The third goal was something special with the two stalwarts, Giggs and Scholes, combining beautifully. The ball from Scholes and the finish Giggs were both out of the very top drawer. That goal could have been from any premiership season in the last 15 years.
My only concern is what happens when Scholes isn’t playing; who does that job for us? Carrick is capable of spraying the ball but doesn’t have that magic that Scholes has. The reality is that Scholesy won’t play in all the games or anywhere near that so somebody needs to step up. He is one of the greats of the premiership era and this was another genuine masterclass.
There were also good nights for Berbatov and Valencia and people like Evra also needed minutes. Berba could have had three or four but to get off the mark in the first outing will give him great confidence. Whisper it but this could be the start of big things for the Bulgarian.
It wasn’t a great night for Rooney and you just feel he needs a goal to get back on track. The hunger is there but he is not relaxed on the pitch and hasn’t quite got that sharpness back from last season. It will come but he could do with a goal. It has been a while coming and once he gets that monkey off his back, he will be fine.
We are off and running with a solid win. There are things we need to improve but ultimately, it’s a good start. We’re back.
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Good start to the season and glad to see Scholes having another cracking game! Jesus he could have even been at the world cup! Glad he decided not to! good to see Berba in the goals early. Had him written off for this season. Could he do 20 goals?
I’m not sure he can do 20 goals as his finishing was pretty poor last night. His all round play was quality though and I’d love to see him get a good run in the side. I’m expecting big things from him now. Rooney is now the one who desperately needs a goal. The last time he scored was in May. He will surely get one soon though?