26 Sept: Stoke City 0-2 Manchester United

Highlights, Interviews and Analysis!




Stoke undone by Welsh Wizard

Nobody goes to Stoke's Britannia Stadium and expects an entertaining game and this was no exception.  United had to work hard in a gritty game but they eventually managed to grind out the three points their efforts thoroughly deserved.  United had knocked on the door for most of the game till then and Sir Alex finally produced the key to ensure that their hardworking display was rewarded.  And guess who was the key?  Veteran Ryan Giggs stepped off the bench in the 55th minute to replace the appalling Nani and promptly unlocked the Stoke defence with two assists.

Portuguese Pretender vs Welsh Master

It was said that Nani had to step up this season to partly fill the huge void that Ronaldo had left when he flew off to Madrid, but if this game was anything to go by, Nani is clearly not the answer.  He was absolutely abysmal;  horrific shooting coupled with exasperatingly poor decision-making  must've compelled Sir Alex to cough out his chewing gum in disgust, I suspect.  You could see the difference the moment Giggs stepped onto the pitch: United now had the cutting edge.  The Welsh genius displayed all his skill and experience and he only needed one touch: the killer first-time pass timed to perfection that nutmegged the last defender in the way between him and Berbatov which left the Bulgarian with the simplest of tasks to tap into an empty net.  Giggs is also light years ahead of Nani in terms of set piece delivery.  You can feel the heightened sense of expectation in the atmosphere when Giggs takes a corner or free-kick compared to anyone else in the team.  Just look at United's second goal.  Nani has a long way to go to match up Giggs' quality, class and utter brilliance.

Stoke City Verdict:  Pretty same gameplan again as they have had for every game: reliance on their "excellence" in set-plays.  Tony Pulis should be furious that it failed them today as shown by United's second goal.  But with the system he has in place, Stoke should have no problem finishing in mid-table.  It's not every week that he faces champion-material teams.  Delap had a horrid throwing day though.  With Ricardo Fuller soon to return, Stoke can only get better.

Manchester United Verdict:  You can't play superbly every single week, and you definitely can't do it at Stoke by the way they play, but United duly delivered what Sir Alex expected of them in a gritty, hardworking display: three precious points.  How precious?  United are now top of the table thanks to Chelsea's astoundingly incompetent performance at Wigan.  Another day, another masterclass by Giggs but Fergie must be worried over the really disappointing performances of Nani and Valencia.  Next up: a reunion with old boy Steve Bruce.

Matt


What more can we say about Giggs? Star of the derby last week, super-sub this week. Coming on in the 56th minute for the ineffective Nani, he latched on to a precise through ball from Fletcher and slid the ball straight into the path of Dimitar Berbatov. There was never going to be an easier chance for the misfiring Bulgarian. With Manchester United coming up against a tough and rough Stoke City, it was always looking like Stoke's game plan would succeed. However, Sir Alex's introduction of Giggs changed the game. Now, United were in control. 2 assists in this game, 3 assists in the last game, that makes 5 assists in 2 games for the veteran winger. Stoke did well, but just not a match for the champions.


Fabian Capello