United Blow Their Chance.

West Ham United 3 Manchester United 2

It was a night of heated tension as Manchester United came from behind only to gift West Ham two goals in the space of five minutes which allowed them to leave their home for the last 112 years on a high.

The evening started badly for the Red Devils even before the match had begun when their team bus came under attack on the way to the stadium. An event that could have shook the players confidence even before they had entered the ground. However, no excuses can be made for the way they squandered the lead after Martial's double had put their noses in front.

This was the first of two important matches for the Red Devils in their season finale that would determine if their quest for a top-four finish would indeed materialise after another fairly disappointing season.

The target was clear win the last two games and they would secure a Champions League place at the expense of Man City. There could have been no greater incentive.

Louis van Gaal's starting XI had a strong look about it: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Schneiderlin, Herrera, Mata, Rooney, Rashford and Martial. Van Gaal made four changes by bringing back Blind, Schneiderlin, Rashford and Martial, who had been a doubt after pulling out in the warm-up against Norwich.

The match was delayed for forty-five minutes to allow Man United more time to prepare for the game as their team bus was late arriving at the ground due to the mass of home fans outside the stadium. Fans decided it would be fun to pelt the United bus with various objects including beer bottles and probably jellied eels as it was the East End.

Once the match got under way it became abundantly clear that not only did United have to overcome the opposition but also the partisan home crowd if they were to come away with the victory.

Immediately following the kick-off West Ham bombarded United's penalty area and in doing so created panic in the away defence.

Martial didn't seem to be hampered by injury as he burst into the box in the opening minutes and was unlucky not to be awarded a corner.

It was not the start United wanted when the Hammers took the lead in the tenth minute following a cross from the left that found Sakho unmarked in the box and his effort was deflected by Blind past the despairing dive of De Gea to give the home fans more to shout about.

This was proving to be a match that would truly test the characters of the United players as they were in a cauldron of hate pouring down from he stands.

West Ham had a perfect opportunity to double their lead when Carroll was played clean through but with only De Gea to beat he placed his shot too close to the keeper who managed to get a block in and save Smalling's embarrassment as it was the defender who lost the run of Carroll.

The ball was in the United net again in the twenty-first minute but thankfully for United, the goal was disallowed as it had already crossed the line for a corner.

As the half hour mark approached United finally started to put some decent passes together and created some space on the flanks but were let down by the final ball.

On one such attack Valencia and Martial linked well on the right and when the cross was played over Mata was adjudged to have fouled a defender as he headed goalward.

After a rare mistake from Martial, who slipped while in possession, Payet was gifted a golden chance but he totally miscued his shot and it curled harmlessly wide.

At the other end, Rashford tried to get on the end of a pacey Rooney cross but the youngster seemed to mess up his jump and the chance was gone.

As the half neared its conclusion it was the home side who were on the front foot and had plenty of chances to put the game beyond the reach of the visitors.

There was a late shout for a penalty after Martial was nudged as he sped into the penalty area. However, Mike Dean immediately waved away the claims from the United players.

Half-time and behind to only a single goal meant that in the second half United still had to hope they could overturn the score. The biggest problem in the first half was that United weren't allowed to settle and when they did have the ball they didn't seem to know what to do with it.

The most creative player for United had been Rooney, who in his deeper role tried to pick out the runs of his forwards and was unlucky on a couple of occasions that his passes hadn't been as pinpoint as usual.

United got the second half underway looking for a vastly improved second forty-five minutes compared to the first. Van Gaal made his first change at the start of the half when he replaced Schneiderlin with West Ham old boy Carrick.

In the 51st minute, the home fans failed to return the ball to De Gea from behind his goal so a replacement ball was called for. From De Gea's goal kick the new ball eventually fell at the feet of Mata who showed great awareness inside the area to cut the ball back from the byline and his pass was swept home by Martial to make the scores level.

Superb play by Mata to create a chance out of a long punt by his keeper. Bet the home fans wished they hadn't delayed play by not returning the ball.

Unfortunately, Martial followed up his strike with the first booking of the match.

United were looking more dangerous in attack as Rashford tried a cheeky backheel across the six-yard area that Herrera was unlucky not to get on the end of.

The Hammers still provided their own threats on United's goal and in one attempted header by Carroll it took a goal line clearance by Rashford to save a certain goal.

As the match entered the last twenty minutes tackles flew in left right and centre and there were two cautions in quick succession for Carroll and Valencia.

Then in the 72nd minute, that man Anthony Martial scored his second of the game and 17th of the season to put United into a 2-1 lead.

The move began with Rooney who played the ball through to Rashford who in turn passed to Martial on the left-hand side of the area. The French forward still had a lot of work to do as he dribbled his way into the box then from a tight angle clipped the ball into the net. A brilliant finish from a player on top of his game.

After the jubilation of the equaliser, West Ham pressed United back and then turned the game on its head with two soft goals both headed in from close range by Antonio and Reid that stemmed from a couple of set pieces delivered by Payet and poorly defended by the United back four.

The last fifteen minutes were played out against a crescendo of noise generated by the home fans around the ground. They must have been loving the fact that they had got one over United.

Herrera was substituted after he had been cautioned and was replaced by Lingard for the last five minutes. The last change by van Gaal was to introduce Januzaj for Valencia to try and rescue at least a point from the game which they failed to do.

Game over and United headed back up north licking their wounds knowing that they had blown a great chance to come away with a win but instead fell to their tenth defeat in the league.

From the start West Ham went for the throat fired up by the occasion with the backing of their fans behind them and United seemed to take an age to settle especially at the back. Everybody knows what a danger Payet poses at dead ball situations so why on earth did the United players continue to concede free-kicks in dangerous areas? Once Martial had provided the lead United imploded in the space of five minutes with a display of inept defending and only have themselves to blame.

Now the advantage has been handed back to Man City who have to win away at Swansea while United host Bournemouth in the final games of the season. The Swans are not a push over so expect a few more twists and turns during the last ninety minutes of the current campaign.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Mata Secures United Win

Norwich City 0 Manchester United 1

Manchester United kept up their pursuit of a top-four finish thanks to a Juan Mata strike in a game that was short on chances and poor in quality.

Norwich desperately needed a win to have any chance of staying in the Premier League whereas United looked to gain another three points to hang on to the tails of the teams sat above them.

Louis van Gaal made wholesale changes to his starting line-up including a forced change after Martial complained of not feeling fit during the warm up. It was the same situation that gave youngster Rashford his big opportunity that he took so well against Arsenal.  However, the manager decided against making the same swap this time around.

Starting XI: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Rojo, Darmian, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Lingard, Memphis and Rooney.

With the midweek game against West Ham on the horizon van Gaal decided to rest Blind and used a center-back pairing of Smalling and Rojo with Valencia and Darmian as full backs. In midfield, there were recalls for Mata and Herrera with Rooney used as the lone forward. Memphis was handed a rare start in a season he would want to forget in a hurry.

On a bright East Anglian day, Norwich  got the game underway with the brilliant Red army of supporters in fine voice celebrating the fact that United were going to Wembley and the Canaries were on their way to the Championship.

The Red Devils dominated the game at the start without any urgency and seemed happy to try and control the game and nullify the home side and their fans. However, it was the home team that came the closest to scoring when as early as the fourth minute Jerome looked odds-on to score, but there was United's player of the season David De Gea to literally put his body on the line for the cause to superbly block the headed effort.


United full back Darmian became an early casualty as he was stretchered off following a clash with Pinto and had to be replaced by Borthwick-Jackson.

Just before the half-hour mark Smalling rose the highest for a corner and powered a header inches over the bar to register the closest chance of the match up to that point for the Reds.

Not for the first time in a season low on goal scoring chances United pressed high up the field and played some nice passes around the edge of the oppositions penalty area without actually creating an opening, frustrating to say the least.

The away side were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous area after Lingard was upended. The resulting kick was taken by Memphis who blasted the ball straight into the wall. Yet another wasted free kick by a player who should do better when the opportunity arises in those situations.

As half time approached Memphis stretched his legs down the left wing and his run took him into the penalty area where he was tackled all too easily and the attack broke down. That summed up the Dutch wingers season.

Half time and the two teams were locked at 0-0 in a half that was so lacklustre van Gaal was probably wearing shades to hide the fact that he had nodded off in the sunshine.

The main talking point had to be the injury to Italian defender Darmian and the hope that it would turn out not to be as serious as it had initially appeared as he joined the bench for the remainder of the match wearing a brace on his injured left ankle.

United started the second half having made no changes and immediately went on the attack as they tried to find the all-important opening goal and it was Herrera who came the closest as he volleyed his snap shot into the side netting.

The Under 21 player of the season Borthwick-Jackson made some decent forays down the left unfortunately, Memphis wasn't on the same wavelength as the youngster.

In the opening quarter of an hour, United were camped in Norwich's half as they searched for just one break but Norwich held firm as they had to if they wanted any chance of staying in the top flight.

Mata and Herrera were as industrious as ever but you could see that they needed more of a threat to aim for up front as Rooney laboured on his own. It seemed that if a goal was forthcoming it would be one of the Spaniards who would be heavily involved.

Rojo was next to try his luck with a header from a corner but it bounced wide of the far post.

Norwich did, at last, get the home crowd on their feet when they pressed the United defence in a two-minute spell which amounted to, basically, nothing.

Eventually United's approach play paid off in the 71st minute when Valencia played a long ball out of defence which Rooney collected and purposely strode into the box as soon as he realised he didn't have an opening he cleverly spun around and delivered the ball on a plate for Mata whose left-footed strike gave the keeper no chance and put United into a deserved lead.

Van Gaal decided the time was right for a change and replaced Lingard with Schneiderlin for the last fifteen minutes. Interestingly, prior to the goal forgotten man Januzaj was about to make his entrance. That all changed once Mata had scored.

Memphis once again flattered to deceive on the left wing as he squandered two opportunities to play decent crosses to his teammates much to the despair of Rooney and Mata who had made excellent runs to get on the end of the expected ball that never materialised.

There was a clear chance for Schneiderlin to seal the game after Rooney had set him up, but unfortunately he pulled his shot well wide.

The last change of the match saw the impressive Fosu-Mensah come on for Carrick in the last few minutes which produced smiles on the away bench as once again Januzaj was stripped and ready for action only for van Gaal to have a change of mind.

There was one last chance for the away side after goal hero Mata was unceremoniously dumped on his backside. Memphis took the resulting free kick and came within a whisker of adding a second.

The last shot of the game fell to Herrera who hit his effort high and wide which summed up the quality of the match both sets of fans had been forced to witness.

Full time and another important win and three points for United in their quest for a finish in the top four. So many times this season it has been said that the result was more important than the performance, which has never been more so than in this match. For all the possession United enjoyed they still made hard work of killing of a team that in ninety minutes only troubled De Gea once.

It's difficult to choose a player for the man of the match after so many below average performances, so Valencia gets the nod for his effort. Maybe Januzaj should get a special mention for at least providing the entertainment by taking the time to get ready for action, not once, but twice only not to be used at all.

With two matches left to play, United will be sweating on how local rivals City get on at home to Arsenal before their trip to play West Ham in mid-week for the last ever match at Upton Park when the Hammers will be aiming for revenge for the FA Cup defeat United inflicted on them last month.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Rashford Shoots Down The Gunners.

Manchester United 3 Arsenal 2

Louis van Gaal literally fell over backwards to make his point during a match that Marcus Rashford proved his worth with yet another double to follow his brace on Thursday. That's four goals in two games for the young man which made sure his team ended the week on a high.

The last seven days have seen United progress in two cup competitions and reignite their attempt to gain an automatic Champions League place in the Premier League.

Lately, it had looked increasingly difficult for United to grab a coveted top four position. However, they have a new found belief and nothing is better than beating the Gooners and their manager Arsene Wenger along with damaging their hopes of winning the league.

In the past, it was usually a title decider between these two giants of the league but how those days have changed. The fact that Leicester City is the top team says a lot about how the pendulum is swinging as the normal top four clubs are slowly losing their stranglehold on the league.

Would van Gaal keep faith in the youngsters that have performed at the top of their game for him and the club? Especially local lad Marcus Rashford whose debut double against Midtjylland catapulted him onto the football world stage.

The answer was yes, as was reflected in the squad: De Gea, Varela, Carrick, Blind, Rojo, Schneiderlin, Herrera, Mata, Lingard, Memphis and Rashford started the match and the bench was brimming with young talent.

De Gea and Rojo returned to the starting lineup in place of Romero and Riley. Rashford was handed his first Premier League start and on the bench, there was another academy youngster getting his first taste of first team football the versatile 18-year-old Dutch player Timothy Fosu-Mensah who can play in midfield or defence sat alongside James Weir, McNair, Pereira and Januzaj.

Arsenal got the game underway with United old boy Welbeck in the side and the last time he played at Old Trafford it was his winner that knocked United out of last years FA Cup.

The first chance fell to the visitors as Monreal beat the off side to face De Gea who was alert enough to block the shot. Let off for United who didn't seem comfortable with Carrick at the back in the opening exchanges.

Varela was cautioned early doors as he struggled to contain the lively Sanchez and wrestled the Chilean to the ground more in keeping with the Six Nations rugby.

Rashford showed his natural power and agility by weaving his way past two defenders and was tripped right on the edge of the penalty area. Memphis struck the resulting free-kick well enough to make Cech save on his line. Brilliant play by Rashford in the build up proving he has the confidence and temperament for the big occasion.

Carrick picked up United's second yellow of the match for a late challenge on Welbeck, which was taken by Ozil and had the crowd gasping as De Gea flapped the ball away from danger after a Sanchez flicked header, thankfully  the linesman had raised his flag for offside.

Then just before the half hour, the Theatre of Dreams exploded into life as Marcus Rashford took over the match for the next couple of minutes as he announced his presence in the Premier League with a brace that sent the home fans and the manager into pure ecstasy.

The first came courtesy of a missed clearance by Arsenal following an early cross whipped in from the right by Varela and there was Rashford to calmly place the ball into the net to grab his debut goal.

The second followed good work from Lingard, who crossed the ball again from the right, which Rashford met with a firm header to plant the ball past Cech. A fairytale start for the youngster to make it four goals in two debut games.

Welbeck continued to haunt United by pulling a goal back for Arsenal just before the break with a sneaky header past De Gea.

Half time and United led 2-1 in a half that was illuminated by Rashford's finishing to make him the youngest player to score two goals for United in a Premier League match.

The only blight on the half was how easy it was for Welbeck to get between defenders to keep his side in the game. Carrick was having an off day at the centre of defence alongside Blind and Varela was being run ragged by Sanchez.

The home side got the second half underway attacking their favoured Stretford End. There was a worry for the home side straight away as goal hero Rashford was caught with a boot to his nether region and needed some treatment. When he saw Januzaj warming up, he soon returned to the pitch.

United struggled a little to get into the game in the opening minutes of the half as the visitors tried to take the game to them. It nearly paid off as a mix up between Blind and Carrick opened up a gap through the middle of the defence and if it wasn't for the covering pace of Rojo it could have ended in the equaliser.

After ten minutes Rojo picked up a knock in a challenge with Welbeck and had to be replaced by yet another player making his debut Fosu-Mensah.

Lingard earned United a free kick on the right and the ball was floated over to the far post where Schneiderlin had so much time to ready himself for a shot but he over elaborated and his effort was blocked.

The Red Devils eventually came alive again with some attacking play that deserved more than the end results produced with Memphis, Mata and Rashford involved in the majority of the attacks.

On 65 minutes Rashford turned provider as he played a delightful pass into the path of Herrera, who made no mistake in blasting his team into the lead, via a slight deflection, which sent the home fans into raptures of delight. The goal followed a break out of defence by Mata who fed the ball to Rashford and the vision the young man showed to play in Herrera was proof that here is a player with immense skill.

Arsenal kept plugging away and pulled another goal back after De Gea saved brilliantly from point blank range from Welbeck but Ozil was there to knock in the rebound.

There was a scuffle in the midfield after Herrera and Ramsey clashed and both reacted angrily towards each other. They were both cautioned for the spat.

The players were really getting stuck into the challenges and referee Pawson had a hard time keeping control of them. Van Gaal was unhappy and made his way to the touchline and demonstrated how he thought the Arsenal players were diving by literally falling to the ground backwards for the benefit of the fourth official. Comical, but great to see him off the bench remonstrating much to the delight of the crowd.

Local hero Rashford was denied the chance of a hat-trick as he was replaced by Januzaj for the last ten minutes of the match. The standing ovation the goalscorer received was probably the loudest heard inside the famous stadium for many a season.

Arsenal still tried to get the game back on level terms but each time they played the ball into the area De Gea was there to tidy up. It was all frantic stuff as United frustrated the away side with keep-ball by the corner flag with Mata and Memphis combining well together.

Five minutes of injury time were added to the tension as the two old rivals fought for every ball and neither team wanted to give an inch. Pulsating stuff from both sides.

James Weir became the latest starlet to make his debut when he entered the fray for the last few minutes in place of goalscorer Herrera.

United held on to claim all the three points and dent Arsenal's title challenge and at the same time make up ground on Man City mostly thanks to man of the match Marcus Rashford, who once again proved that the young guns at United are worthy of a place in the first team.

You wonder how the season could have been if the team had played with this amount of enthusiasm from the start. The experienced players have to hold their hands up and admit that the youngsters are showing them how it's done in no uncertain terms.

The games are now coming thick and fast as the season enters its final bend so the return of injured players is going to be critical in how United's campaign ends. So as not to end the season empty handed again, United will need the mixture of experience and the energy of the younger players to carry them through to the finish line.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Man United's Summer Spending Spree.

Manchester United's summer transfer dealings.

United didn't end up signing Uncle Tom Cobley but if the media had had anything to do with it, they would have along with all of his family.

It was a summer that started so hot for the reds with the transfer window kicking off with a flurry of scorching hot new arrivals at Old Trafford followed by a midsummer of lukewarm speculation and ending with a little sizzle.

In total Louis van Gaal and Ed Woodward signed six new players that they hope will take the team forward and to balance the books released a number of other players either on loan or moved on to pastures new.

The first in the door at Old Trafford was the exciting young Dutch player Memphis Depay. So hot was he that even Louis van Gaal admitted that he approved the transfer of the PSV winger before the transfer window opened because of strong interest from sides like PSG.

Once the sale of the hugely ineffective Angel Di Maria to PSG had been finalised Memphis took over the iconic number 7 shirt worn with pride by such legends as Best, Robson, Cantona, Beckham and erm Owen! If the flying Dutchman reproduces the form he had shown at PSV then the United fans are in for something special.

Next to arrive was a player not widely known in England, but Italian right-back Matteo Darmian was certainly popular in Italy having played for Torino in 146 appearances and represented his home country at the last World Cup in Brazil.

A strong full-back with the ability to play across the back line and renowned for his attacking qualities, his signing was somewhat out of the blue, however if his performances at the start of the season are anything to go by then this could end up being van Gaal's best piece of business.

Darmian's arrival meant that fans' favourite Rafael was surplus to requirements and was sold to French outfit Lyon. Rafael will be missed as he was a player who was loved by the faithful for his no-nonsense displays and his scuffles with Liverpool.

This was followed by a double shot in the arm for United as both Morgan Schneiderlin and the German play maker Bastian Schweinsteiger joined United on the same day to boost the midfield.

Schneiderlin was bought from Southampton where he had been a loyal servant to the Saints since 2008 helping them return to the Premier League from league 1 via the championship.

A midfielder who goes about his job efficiently and will provide the much-needed bite to the middle of the park that has been lacking. Schneiderlin even managed to score a goal on his debut for United on the tour of the USA.

Bastian Schweinsteiger arrived at United from Bayern Munich to renew his partnership with van Gaal from their time together at the Bavarian club. This had to be the highest-profile signing of the summer for the Red Devils and one that had the fans licking their lips in anticipation of what the World Cup and Champions League winner would bring to the club.

Even though he is in his early thirties, his experience will be invaluable and together with Michael Carrick they have already started the season by interchanging with each other to ensure that the midfield has at least one of them to count on.

Probably not yet fully match fit Schweinsteiger will only improve as the season goes on. Something else that the German will undoubtedly bring to the team is a level head for when the youngsters are losing theirs similar to a certain Cantona back in the nineties.

United fans had to wait a further two weeks until news of yet a new arrival, but in that time every player who could kick, head and catch a ball were inevitably linked to the team these included such names as Lloris, Kane, Zlatan, Bale, Ronaldo, Hummels, Gaitan, Pedro, Otamendi, Cavani, Pele, Best, Law and Charlton ..you get the idea. But it was a goalkeeper who would be the next to sign on the dotted line.

With speculation building about the departure of David De Gea to Real Madrid and the fallout between Victor Valdes and the manager it wasn't really a surprise to see Sergio Romero given his chance at becoming United's new number one as he was another player to have worked with van Gaal during their time at AZ in Holland.

The Argentinian keeper came from Sampdoria with an impressive international CV after being the first choice goalkeeper for his national squad at the 2014 World Cup, where Argentina reached the final after Romero's heroics in the semi's only to lose out to Germany.

As van Gaal wasn't willing to choose De Gea, because his head wasn't on straight with all the gossip, Romero seized his chance with literally both hands and has started all of United's fixtures this season, keeping four clean sheets along the way. The only slip up so far was against Swansea where he was responsible for allowing a shot at his near post to creep inside.

With the window now closed it turns out that with the collapse of De Gea's deal to Madrid and Valdes not being able to find a new club the team now has a trio of world class keepers who will all be vying to be the first choice between the sticks.

One keeper who will not be around is Anders Lindegaard who has joined West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer. Jonny Evans also joined the United exodus to WBA following in the footsteps of Darren Fletcher who moved there last January.

The transfer rumours continued right up until the final day with news circling that at least three more big-name players would be added to the squad, but it turned out to be only one and that was another surprise in the form of 19-year-old French striker from Monaco Anthony Martial, who at £36m has become the most expensive teenager in football.

The French starlet has made 70 appearances for AS Monaco since 2013 and has scored 15 goals. The forward has represented his country from Under-16 level right through to Under-21's and was called up to the French senior squad for the first time in August by Didier Deschamps, who is obviously impressed with the youngster.

United wasted no time in announcing that Martial would take over the number 9 shirt that was vacated by the departure of Radamel Falcao who ended his loan spell at United and ended up moving south to Chelsea.

There were other forwards who left Old Trafford, including Javier Hernandez, who signed for Bayer Leverkusen, Nani joined Turkish outfit Fenerbahce but it was the sale of Robin van Persie that perplexed some fans. The Dutch striker was offloaded apparently after falling out with his compatriot van Gaal for a fee that was far too cheap for a player of his qualities.

This has left United light on forwards and with the side competing on four fronts this season it will become an issue if injuries are sustained to Rooney, Martial or James Wilson. Van Gaal has gone on record saying that he will utilise Fellaini in attack as a number 9 or 10, however, that is not the answer and one more signing of a striker would have eased the worry. The same could be said about the defence where an experienced center back was sorely needed even with the imminent return of Marcos Rojo.

The exit door also saw loan deals for two promising first team youngsters Adnan Januzaj and Tyler Blackett. Januzaj has a great chance to develop at Borussia Dortmund and a year at Celtic will do Blackett the world of good.

There you have it, another end to an interesting transfer window with some surprise buys and United having been linked to literally hundreds of players. For those of you who enjoy the gossip, rumours and speculation don't worry It will all happen again next January, but for now it's time to settle down and enjoy the football.

Thanks as always for reading.

Miles Dunton.

United Sink to Defeat at Swansea!

Swansea City 2 Manchester United 1

This was Louis van Gaal's 50th match in charge of United and against opponents who not only ruined his unveiling as the new manager of the Red Devils but went on to take six points off the Old Trafford outfit last season.

Swansea has proven that they are a tricky opponent and are difficult to play against especially on their home turf, but United are a different team compared to the previous campaign and are at last starting to find their rhythm after the new signings have started to get used to the level that they are expected to play at for United.

After the success of qualifying for the Champions League group stages and being placed in what seems a relatively easy group the away side were on a high going down to South Wales and why not? Wayne Rooney was back among the goals after his European hat-trick against Club Brugge, Ander Herrera repaid van Gaal's faith in him with a goal in his first start of the season and Fellaini was available after completing his three-match ban.

The biggest question was whether United could take their Champions League form and goals into the Premier League against sterner opposition. The answer was a resolute no as Swansea once again took advantage of a lacklustre United and claimed another victory.

The only absentee for the game was Adnan Januzaj who had picked up an injury, but this provided another chance for Herrera as it meant he could stake a claim for his place in the team as the number 10. Marcos Rojo was still unavailable for selection but is almost ready as he came through 60 minutes in a behind closed door match against Ajax this week.

Man United's starting XI: Romero, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Mata, Herrera, Memphis and Rooney. Subs: Johnstone, McNair, Valencia, Carrick, Young, Fellaini and Chicharito.

Herrera kept his starting place and Schneiderlin and Scweinsteiger returned to the midfield which meant that Carrick would start on the bench.

United got the match underway with the backing of the away fans ringing in their ears. The away side started the match brightly on the attack and were awarded a free kick in the very first minute, which Memphis hit low towards the corner but, the Swansea keeper Fabianski was alert to the danger and saved low.

Then a nice run on the left by Memphis almost produced an opening for Mata but after a neat exchange of passes the Spaniard fired his shot high and wide.

In the first quarter of an hour Swansea kept hitting the ball over the top and each time Smalling was there to clear up continuing his improved form. It was pleasing to see that when the home side did attack United defended as a unit with all the players helping out to regain possession.

United had two chances to take the lead within a couple of minutes half way through the half when first Rooney was put through on goal by a superb threaded pass by Shaw but the striker was caught up by defender Williams who managed to get a toe on the ball before the captain could pull the trigger, this was followed by a great chance which fell to Mata, who was lurking unmarked on the right of the box. He picked up the pass from Herrera and when it looked odds on a goal he blasted his effort wide. Poor from Rooney and Mata.

It wasn't all United as Swansea had their own chances to go ahead, first with a shot by Gomis followed by a glaring miss by Sigurdsson and an attempted lob by Shelvey which Romero managed to get back and catch on the line.

On the half hour mark United were living dangerously and struggling to contain striker Gomis, who was unlucky when his shot hit the post. Rooney had another chance to reedem himself, however his attempted lob over the keeper was weak to say the least, yet another chance had gone begging in a half that was a hard fought affair. Herrera hit a right footed shot from the edge of the area which he pulled wide.

United saw out the last five minutes of the half in control after the home side had a period of ten minutes of threatening attacking play.

An uninspiring first half summed up by the lack of atmosphere inside the Liberty Stadium as both sides were badly let down by their finishing. The main culprits for United were Memphis and Rooney, who had obviously left his scoring boots back in Belgium after his heroic hat-trick and both Mata and Herrera really should have done a lot better with their shots that weren't even on target.

Both Schneiderlin and Memphis received cautions the Frenchman after a needless tackle and the Dutchmans' booking seemed to be a harsh decision by the referee.

Half-time 0-0.

More was expected in the second half from United and that's exactly what they delivered with a goal by Mata after only three minutes of the restart. The goal was created by Luke Shaw as he made a run down the left wing and powered over a cross which eluded Rooney, but found Mata at the far post and the Spaniard didn't miss this time as he fired home the opener. Superb play by Shaw, who continues to impress this season.

A Memphis cross was almost deflected into his own net by Williams but his keeper managed to save the defenders embarrassment.

The goal seemed to reinvigorate United and the ground filled with the away fans celebrating with chants for the goal hero Mata. The goalscorer had a chance to double the lead just before the hour mark, but he couldn't find a way past the keeper when one on one, then within seconds Rooney gave away the ball while on the attack and Swansea went straight down the other end and equalised through Ayew.

Captain Rooney has to hold his hands up and take the blame for the goal as it was his mistake that led to the home side breaking forward and making the match all level and in turn ensuring United lost their clean sheet in the Premier League.

Then disaster in the 66th minute when Swansea took the lead through Gomis, who stole in-between Smalling and Darmian to latch onto a through ball and tuck it away past Romero at his near post.

The Argentinian keeper has to take some of the responsibility for the goal as he shouldn't be as easily beaten from that type of angle as he was. What a difference a goal makes as Swansea were buoyed by their earlier equaliser and United seemed to have had the stuffing knocked out of them.

Louis van Gaal decided that a change was needed and replaced Mata and Schneiderlin with Young and Carrick for the last twenty minutes of the match. United tried to come up with the goods but failed to deliver the strike that would have given them hope.

The final change for United saw Herrera make way for Fellaini who took up his position up front with the hope of causing havoc in the home defence.

With ten minutes left on the clock it was increasingly difficult to see where United's equaliser would come from as they struggled to put any moves together that troubled Swansea's defence.

Rooney had the last chance at the death, but after showing superb control to bring the ball under control from over his shoulder, he then took one too many touches before losing the ball even though he claimed incorrectly that he was fouled.

That chance summed up the captain's day as he reverted to his lacklustre style of play where he looked distinctly off the pace and didn't show the leadership qualities that United badly needed. His last chance was similar to the own goal in the opening game against Spurs where he dithered on the ball in the box, but this time the defender didn't put the ball in his own net.

The match ended in a repeat of last season and Swansea are quickly becoming Louis van Gaal's bogey side . A disappointing result but one that Louis van Gaal and his staff have time to remedy as there will no matches this coming week due to Internationals. Let's hope that no player receives any injuries while away with their home countries.

This week saw the departures of two defenders from Old Trafford Jonny Evans and Tyler Blackett. Evans has joined West Bromwich Albion for an undisclosed fee, but which is thought to be around £8m. He leaves Old Trafford after an 18 year association and with three Premier League titles and two League Cup medals. Blackett has joined Scottish giants Celtic on a season long loan which can only improve him as a player and hopefully when he returns, he and United will both benefit from the valuable experience. Good luck to both.

As regards new players arriving there's not that much time left. It's clear United need more firepower up front as they are thin on the ground when it comes to players to put the ball in the net and with four trophies to play for this season if van Gaal thinks he doesn't need another striker then he is greatly mistaken.

As Sir Alex Ferguson believed, quite rightly, that a team needs four recognised strikers in their squad to be able to compete at the highest level and United do not have that number, so let's see what the next couple of days brings.

The goalkeeper situation needs to be resolved and although Rojo is making strides the defence United could do with one more experienced center back.

There is an international break over the next week and then United have a small matter of Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Until then thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Rooney fires United into seventh heaven.

Club Brugge 0 Manchester United 4 (agg: 1-7)

One small step for man, one giant leap for Man United.

Manchester United made it back into the Champions League group stages after waiting and watching Europe's elite battle it out last season from a distance.

Fellaini's last kick, or header, of the game in the first leg of this tie gave United the critical two-goal breathing space they needed to take with them for the away leg in Belgium. With a definite lack of punch in attack 2-1 would have been a tight call, but as it was, there was no need to worry as the game turned out to be a one-sided affair..

With Fellaini available for inclusion and with Louis van Gaal stating in his pre-match press conference that the Belgian would be used as a number 9 or 10 this season it was a little surprising to see him start on the bench. However, on a positive note there was a welcome return for fans' favourite Ander Herrera making his first start of the season in place of Schneiderlin in midfield and Carrick was given back his starting place over Schweinsteiger.

United's starting XI comprised of Romero, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw, Carrick, Herrera, Januzaj, Mata, Memphis and Rooney.
Subs: Johnstone, McNair, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Young, Fellaini and Hernandez.

First half:
There was a cautious start from United who seemed content to pass the ball between their defenders. It was Chris Smalling who eventually played the ball forward down the wing, and a few moments later that led to a half chance. Adnan Januzaj slipped a through ball into the box for Luke Shaw, who was beaten to the pass by the onrushing Bruges keeper Sinan Bolat.

After 5 minutes danger from Brugge with Shaw doing well to block a close-range volleyed effort by De Sutter. Rooney had an effort following a one-two with Mata, but he spooned his chance high.

Herrera made an instant impact on his first start of the season by collecting the first caution of the match for a foul on Vazquez in the 13th minute. Not exactly what the Spaniard would have wanted.

A cautious start to the match from United which is understandable as nerves come into play with so much at stake.

The 20th minute saw a breakthrough for the away side and the goal drought for Wayne Rooney was over as he latched on to a superb pass from Memphis and dinked the ball effortlessly over the keeper. That's just what was needed to relax the side and almost guarantee their qualification.

Rooney's all-round game was an improvement on his other games this season as not only did his scoring touch return, but also his first touch, unlike Januzaj who once again failed to impress in the opening half hour and looked off the pace not for the first time this season.

Memphis had an accidental collision with the keeper when he was in his right to attempt to get on the end of a through ball much to the anger of the Brugge fans. This was followed just after the half hour mark with another chance for Memphis to run at goal and this time he chose to shoot when the better option would have been to square the ball in the box to Rooney.

A flurry of Brugge attacks didn't amount to much as the United defence cleared the high balls that peppered the penalty area. Memphis was a threat again inside the box as he tried to work a chance with Januzaj but the Dutch winger couldn't make room for a shot.

To Brugge's credit they kept attacking United in the last ten minutes of the half and drew a smart save from Romero and also forced Blind into a back headed clearance that almost crept in at the far post.

Then there was a close decision from the linesman when he allowed the Brugge striker Diaby to continue his attacking run despite originally looking offside but keeper Romero showed all his experience as he kept his head and saved at the striker's feet.

Half time and United deservedly led 1-0. This had been a mature performance even with the youngsters playing and once Rooney had put the side ahead it became a game that was out of Brugge's grasp. Having said that the hosts didn't give up and tried their hardest to save face and could have grabbed a goal on a couple of occasions if it hadn't been for Romero.

Second half: Louis van Gaal made an expected change for the second period by replacing the ineffective Januzaj for Schweinsteiger which meant that Herrera would take up the number 10 position.

A positive start from United as Rooney was involved in a possible penalty shout but the referee got the decision correct in Brugge's favour.

Then in the 49th minute the tie was definitely over as a fantastic team passing move involving Memphis and Herrera, who found Rooney and the striker was given the easiest of chances to slot the ball home for his and United's second.

Within five minutes of the restart, Herrera had proved exactly what many fans knew that he was a better option in the position behind the striker than Januzaj.

Memphis should have been awarded a penalty after being clumsily brought down, however the referee saw it differently and waved play on but from the clearance Herrera shot weakly and the keeper collected easily.

United were in total control and it became a question of seeing the match out without sustaining any injuries or more yellow cards.

57 minutes and Rooney grabs his hat-trick by finishing off a neat pass from Mata. United's captain capitalised on another superb passing move and they were all over the home side.

62 minutes in and van Gaal made his second substitution by bringing on Young for Mata and a minute later it was 4-0 as Herrera latched onto a brilliant defence-splitting pass from Schweinsteiger and the Spaniard had no problem as he finished with aplomb.

Herrera had done enough for the night and was replaced by Hernandez in the 64th minute.

Shortly after Brugge's Vanaken hit the bar with a stunning strike and meant that another clean sheet was on the cards for United.

The brilliant away fans were clearly in a joyous mood going through their renditions of all the United favourite anthems. So good to see and hear the best fans in the world at an away match in Europe again.

Romero tried to keep himself busy when he threw the ball straight at the opposition, however they couldn't capitalise on the mistake.

Memphis was brought down unceremoniously in a dangerous area as the match entered its final ten minutes, but the free-kick came to nothing.

In the 80th minute, the Red Devils were awarded a dubious penalty and it fell to Hernandez to try and convert but he slipped at the vital moment and screwed his attempt wide. A wasted opportunity for the Mexican who had another chance to impress his manager, but failed miserably as he ballooned the ball over the bar from close range.

The game went through the motions until the referee called it a day and the away team and fans celebrated together upon guaranteeing Champions League football for the coming season with a victory over the two legs of 7-1 on aggregate.

The result aside, this game was about the man of the match Wayne Rooney, who proved his naysayers wrong as he scored a wonderful hat-trick by finishing mouth-watering attacking moves created by his teammates.

The way that United set out their stall bodes well for future endeavours across Europe with the defence holding firm to produce another clean sheet. The movement from the players was outstanding and showed that they are starting to click.

Now, it's only a question of who United will face in the group stages with some of Europe's top sides waiting to test the Red Devil's metal on the biggest club stage as the draw takes place tomorrow. However, on this performance maybe other teams should worry about United.

Let's hope that Manchester United can take this form into the Premier League starting with Swansea City.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.