United deliver Spurs a 'knockout punch'.

Manchester United 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0

Louis van Gaal was unhappy with Rooney getting knocked out in a friendly boxing bout but was pleased that his team delivered an uppercut to Spurs.

Following the bitter disappointment of defeat in the FA Cup at the hands of Arsenal it was the turn of their North London neighbours to visit Old Trafford in an attempt to pour more misery over United.

There was a time when a victory over Tottenham was about as sure a thing as you could imagine for United not so anymore as prior to this match they were without a win in five against the Londoners.

This match was the first of the last ten matches that will define United's season and form a bases for a run of wins needed to obtain that all important top four finish therefore guaranteeing a place in the Champions League.

Still without the injured striker Robin van Persie and with Angel Di Maria serving his ban for grabbing the ref's shirt in the last match Louis van Gaal chose a first team consisting of De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Blind, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Fellaini, Young and Rooney. The substitutes were Lindegaard, Rafael, Blackett, A Pereira, Januzaj, Falcao and Wilson.

There were three changes for United, as Jones, Carrick and Mata come in for Shaw, Rojo and Di Maria. Juan Mata made his first start in the Premier League for Man United since January 17th.

Manchester United was led out by captain Wayne Rooney and his young son Kai as the matchday mascot.

United started the match in a 4-3-3 formation with Rooney in his favoured position up front with Fellaini just behind. Young and Mata were out wide with Carrick and Herrera in the middle and a flat back four with Blind at left back.

United's first chance on goal came after a minute as Ashley Young tried his luck from outside the box which the keeper collected easily.

With only two minutes of play elapsed Phil Jones delivered that dreaded back pass again and almost put de Gea in trouble but thankfully the keeper managed to clear for a corner. When will they ever learn?

In the seventh minute, Rooney burst into the area chasing a great through ball from Young and pulled the ball back aiming for Herrera who just couldn't get there ahead of the Spurs defender.

Then a minute later came the crucial early goal and what a goal. Carrick played a brilliant through ball for Fellaini who took it in his stride and confidently smashed it past keeper Lloris. A fantastic start by United with a sublime pass by Carrick add that together with the Belgian's left-footed finish meant that this was the perfect start for the Red Devils.

In fact, it had been a high tempo start from all the team with the fans also in full voice.

This had been by far the best start by United in a game for a long time with the team attacking full of confidence and their passing was spot on. Again Young was impressive down the left and Carrick in tandem with Herrera controlled everything in the middle.

The second goal came in the 18th minute as a corner was swept over by Mata and was headed back into the danger area by Fellaini when it was cleared straight to Carrick who intelligently lobbed a header over all the defenders and back across goal into the far side of the net. Leading 2-0 and playing with a determination rarely seen recently this was like the United of old.

Carrick's goal was similar if not as crucial to the important header by Steve Bruce against Sheffield Wednesday all those years ago as United headed for their first Premier League title.

On 22 minutes, Young's run almost produced a killer pass into the penalty area but no-one was there to take advantage of his great ball. At this time, it was one-way traffic as Spurs had not even managed a shot on target.

Four minutes later a great cross from Fellaini across the area almost played in Mata but he was just unable to get to it in time. Then the stadium shouted for a penalty for a foul on Mata but unfortunately he had been flagged offside.

Chris Smalling tried to bring the ball forward and it looked like he could go all the way to the opposition box but in the end his final pass was too strong for Rooney.

Mata was the only booking of the match for United after he was cautioned for a foul on 32 minutes. That the only blight on a terrific performance by the home side.

The third goal came in the 33rd minute as Rooney collected a poor pass from Spurs and took on the defenders by himself and once in the box there was no doubt about the outcome as he slotted the ball into the corner of the net. A great individual goal by a forward totally on top of his game. And what can we say about the celebration, 'knockout'.

36 minutes in and again it was Fellaini who caused mayhem down the left as he whipped the ball in for Rooney who scuffed it slightly. That was almost the fourth goal and great link up play between Fellaini and his captain.

On the stroke of half-time, there was still time for Rooney to try his luck from distance but he fired wide. Good job he missed as I doubt he could better his goal celebration.

This was by far the best 45 minutes played by United all season a half full of inventive play and confidence with all the team on top of their game, especially Rooney and Fellaini.

It's truly refreshing to write positively about the side after their recent disappointments. The hope was that they could continue in the same vain in the second-half. With the type of start made by United, the biggest question was where had this team been hiding all season. Spurs had had no shots on goal that's how impressive United had been.

United started the second half attacking the Stretford End with no changes made by van Gaal.
In the 47th minute Spurs had their first clear attempt on goal by Dembele which was high over the bar.

Rooney was on fire and once again in the 48th minute he tried to nod one down for Fellaini, but the ball deflected back into his path at the edge of the area. He couldn't quite wrap his foot around it and strikes it over. As I have said before if only he had been used up front more often in the season who knows where we would have ended up.

United continued with their tidy passing play from the first half and Spurs hardly got a sniff of the ball and when they did United quickly snuffed it out.

In the 51st minute, Rooney tried yet again to lay off a chance to a colleague this time for Blind but the Dutchman dithered a little and the chance was blocked.

Mason should have done better for Spurs a minute later but pulled his shot well wide of de Gea's goal. In all honesty Spurs never looked like scoring or even troubling David de Gea.

Over the next ten minutes United enjoyed a period of passing practice as they fully controlled the game none more so than in the middle of the park with the trio of Carrick, Herrera and Mata impressing.

On the hour mark, Blind almost played Herrera in on goal with a slide rule pass which was unfortunate not to come off.

Another blistering run by Young down the left wing earned United a corner which came to nothing however, credit to Young as he has shown in recent matches the old magic has returned and he looks like a player who is really enjoying his football.

64 minutes and the crowd witnessed a wonderful cross-field pinpoint pass by Rooney straight to Fellaini that started a move which ended with Herrera firing his shot into the side netting. Another move of precision by the Reds which was a joy to watch.

With fifteen minutes left on the clock United had the ball in the back of the net but the flag was up well before Rooney had tucked it away as Herrera was flagged offside, perhaps wrongly, after a long ball over the top. Shortly after the Spaniard had an effort from distance which flew wide.

After 76 minutes, there was a fully deserved standing ovation for Juan Mata as he left the pitch to be replaced by youngster Pereira. It was fantastic to see the reception given to Mata as he made his way down the touchline and towards the tunnel he really is a fan favourite and he put in a performance that merited the applause. Here's hoping that he doesn't have an injury problem.

The second change came in the 82nd minute when Fellaini was taken off and Falcao was given another opportunity. Fellaini, another player who had played his socks off and opened the scoring with aplomb received the second biggest round of applause of the day.

In the 84th minute captain fantastic Rooney was back clearing the defensive lines as Spurs tried to salvage something from the match.

Van Gaal's third and final change of the match was in the final minutes which saw Rafael come on for the impressive Carrick who had fully earned his early rest.

As the match reached it's climax Harry Kane almost squeezed the ball into the net but David de Gea made an improvised save by sitting on the ball, not his greatest save, but it kept a valuable clean sheet.

Disappointing there were no goals in the second half, but that doesn't take anything away from the great performance by the team with no goals conceded and a huge morale-boosting three points ahead of some tricky matches ahead.

Spurs were really poor in the match but in all fairness they couldn't have expected United to play as well as they did today and I think they were as surprised as anyone by the way the home side came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders. It would seem that the players have an appetite for achievement this season, after all.

Nine to go and if the Red Devils can keep up the momentum from this match then not only a top four but dare I say a top three finish to the season is a definite possibility. But first there is the small matter of a trip to Anfield to take on our bitter rivals Liverpool.

A repeat of today's performance would be invaluable to the team's confidence for the run in and I fully expect a victory especially with Rooney in his current mood.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Miles Dunton.

Man Utd's FA Cup bore draw.

Cambridge United 0 Manchester United 0

An FA Cup 4th round tie between two sides, one of which is struggling in their league to find any cohesion and rhythm and with no realistic chance of ending the season as champions, the other was Cambridge United.

There was a big question following the victory over QPR last week. Would Louis van Gaal succumb to the shouts of the fans and keep a back four or prove his stubbornness and start with his favourite 3-5-2 system?


Van Gaal admitted this week that he was 'twitching his ass' when watching his side play the 4-4-2 formation, I have the same feeling watching 3-5-2 with Evans, Jones and Smalling at the back.

All was revealed when the starting line-up was announced. A strong line up that consisted of De Gea, keeping his place in goal over new boy Valdes , Valencia, Jones, Rojo and Blind at the back. Carrick, Di Maria, Fellaini and Januzaj in midfield with Falcao and Wilson up front. So the majority of the fans got their way.

A first start for Adnan Januzaj since the beginning of November. There were no places for captain Rooney and Mata in the squad, most likely being rested. Robin van Persie, Shaw and Herrera all started on the bench.

The first half kicked off with the sides playing with a pink ball which gave the match a comedy feel, little did I know how unfunny the match would turn out to be. As expected United started the tie looking to take control. However, it was Cambridge who won the first corner quickly followed by a free-kick. In both set pieces the home side pushed their big players up into United's box, but on both occasions nobody could connect with the ball.

United's first chance came in the 10th minute with good link up play between Blind and Januzaj down the left with the keeper Dunn saving from Blind's effort. If Blind had crossed before shooting Falcao was in a superb position in the six yard area. From the resulting corner bafflement again as Phil Jones took responsibility as he had done against QPR, the result being a poor delivery. I really can't understand what that is all about.

As expected Cambridge went heavy into the challenges especially in the middle of the park but to a man United's players certainly didn't shirk away from any of them especially Marcos Rojo who was putting in a solid display at the back.

United were struggling to get any momentum going, this wasn't helped by the poor distribution from the back. The main culprit was Jones, who once again just didn't play with any quality. Januzaj had a tame effort from inside the box after good work from Valencia down the right. Fellaini picked up the first yellow card of the match for a needless challenge after 26 minutes.

On the half hour mark the home side almost took the lead from a corner as a header from Coulson was just inches over the bar. What a let off for United as the defenders were standing around watching the ball. LvG's bum must have been twitching uncontrollable. Cambridge player Donaldson looked very lively and was causing United a few headaches every time he had the ball at his feet.

Towards the end of the half Angel Di Maria managed a shot on target which the Keeper almost fumbled. That was it as regards chances.

The first half from United was extremely poor with a distinct lack of ideas across the pitch. Boring is not a word I would usually associate with the Red Devils, but that's exactly what the first half was.

James Wilson hardly touched the ball in the whole 45 minutes and once again Phil Jones didn't exactly fill anybody with confidence. Adnan Januzaj was once again flattering to deceive. The biggest problem was that Cambridge were well marshaled in defence and limited United to speculative shots from distance as well as nullifying the threat from midfield.

The second half got underway with no changes on both sides. Man United appeared after receiving an earful from van Gaal and you could tell as they started with a more positive look. They went on the attack with Januzaj at least starting to be more direct on the left by winning an early corner, which was once again taken by Jones, and once again came to nothing. I always believed when a player who was taking a corner raised his arms it meant the ball would be delivered deep into the danger area, obviously to Jones it means something completely different.

A couple of high balls into the Cambridge penalty area came to nothing as Falcao stood no chance in the aerial battles against the taller defenders. He did come very close to scoring when through on goal but his effort was well saved by Dunn.

Wilson's first and last impact on the match was to be shown a yellow card shortly before being replaced by Robin van Persie after 66 minutes. At the same time Herrera came on in place of Fellaini. Could Herrera repeat his heroics of the last round against Yeovil?

Van Persie almost had an immediate impact after he came on with a left footed effort flashing over the bar. Since the two substitutes came into the match United picked up a gear with Herrera linking up with Valencia on the right, but their crosses into the danger area were poor.

For the final 15 minutes ex-United player Luke Chadwick made an appearance for the home side. Would he be able to write a fairy tale ending by scoring the goal to send his old team out and his hometown club through?

Herrera was definitely the busiest of the United players. He combined well with Di Maria to prise open the home defence with a delightful one-two, but again the defenders were up to the task and cleared. When Januzaj finally crossed a decent ball into the danger area there were no white shirts in the box. Phil Jones headed clear from a dangerous Cambridge cross in the six yard box, another let off for the visitors.

Louis van Gaal's final change of the match came in the 85th minute with Luke Shaw coming on for Blind. Cambridge hero Dunn pulled of a double save from Januzaj and Di Maria as they tried their luck in the dying minutes. That was the last of the action as the match finished 0-0.

All credit to the home side for holding United to the draw, but I must admit this was probably the worst performance from the Red Devils this season and there have been a few. Cambridge fully deserved the draw and the money spinning replay at Old Trafford. They will earn an expected £1.5 million from the match. With that much revenue maybe their manager will allow his players to swap shirts with the United stars after the replay.

On the bright side United are still in the competition and should deal with Cambridge when they meet at Old Trafford. For me the problem is the style of play, or lack of it that is. I understand it was a difficult pitch and the size of the ground made the atmosphere more intense, but please with all the expensive talent on display United should have dispatched Cambridge with ease. No excuses.

Let's be honest this is not the first match where the team has underperformed and not been beaten. There are cracks appearing in the manager's philosophy that can't be papered over any more. Those cracks are the players and as the transfer window is nearing it's end something has to be done quickly. We nearly blew our only realistic chance of silverware at Abbey Road. Imagine four months of only playing for a top four finish.

Next up is the visit of Leicester City to Old Trafford in the Premier League. Time to dish out a little revenge after they defeated us 5-3 back in September. I'm hoping the team can put on a performance that will give me something positive to write home about.

Until then thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Man United didn't rule Britannia.

Stoke City 1 Manchester United 1

Man United started the New Year as they had ended the last one by only managing a draw away from home.

The last time we visited the Potteries was a 1-2 loss back in February. How times have changed. New manager and new players, third in the league and unbeaten in the last nine games. Things were definitely looking up for the Red Devils as we entered 2015.

The Britannia Stadium has always been a tricky place to get results and today was no different, as the wind blew across the pitch making high balls hard to defend. Former United favourite Mark Hughes had the extra height of Peter Crouch in attack to cause havoc with the ball in the air. This was going to be a real test for United's defenders

Man Utd's starting eleven brought a recall for Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling to the starting line up in place of Antonio Valencia and Paddy McNair. The team: De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Evans, Carrick, Young, Rooney, Mata, Shaw, Falcao, van Persie.

When the team was announced I cringed at the thought of Smalling, Jones and Evans together at the back, as something usually goes wrong, and after only 1 minute 45 seconds it did just that.

From a corner Crouch, unchecked in the box, rose to head towards goal, it was smacked into the net by Shawcross. The worst possible start for United as the defenders were found napping in the box. Van Gaal had said before the match that he wanted his players to dream of matches beforehand, here they were actually sleeping during play.

United must have known about the threat Stoke posed from set pieces, why they had so many players in the box doing nothing was totally unacceptable. I guarantee van Gaal, the perfectionist, was seething on the touchline that his side had conceded such an early goal in that manner.

It took 8 mins for United to win their first corner, but the delivery by Mata was not good enough, and Begovic collected easily. The second corner from Mata had exactly the same result. He again took the responsibility to take the third corner, which again was poor.

When you have an opposition keeper as tall as Begovic, what is the point of lofting crosses into the box that he's going to eat up all day. I remember a time when Robin van Persie was taking the corners on the right in his first season with better results.

The uneasiness in the United side was summed up on the quarter hour by an over hit pass down the wing from Young which was meant for Falcao. Young is best suited playing on the left as has been proved with this match and the away match at Villa. he is quite simply wasted on the right.

United won a free kick on the edge of the Stoke area which Rooney took control of, but his effort was high and and not so handsome. You began to get that feeling it clearly was going to be one of those unfortunate days. Not much was going right for the team in blue.

The first mistake from Evans was on 18 minutes. He was out hustled and bustled off the ball by former red Diouf. Luckilly for Evans, Diouf pulled his effort wide when he should have done a lot better. Maybe David de Gea's performances made him panic into shooting too early. That was big let off for Evans and the team. This is not the first time Evans has put the team in danger this season, and I have to question his reliability.

United's equaliser came in the 26th minute when a Rooney corner from the left was heade on by Carrick's through to Falcao, who swept the ball into the net. A goal from nothing but welcome all the same. That was Falcao's third goal for United, and it came at a perfect time in the game.

After the goal United started to take control of the game more. The only real threat from Stoke came from the height of Crouch, and that unforgiving wind. Stoke had a slight chance as an inswinger from their left confused all in the penalty area until Shaw miskicked the ball over the crossbar for a corner.

The Stoke keeper Begovic angered van Persie by showing his studs as he kicked out his leg in the Dutchman's direction. Van Persie was rightly incensed, but the referee Michael Oliver and his assistant didn't see what happened. On closer inspection Begovic was lucky he didn't make contact with the forward or it could have been very nasty indeed.

The away fans were in fine voice out singing the home fans who had long given up booing United's every touch of the ball.The first half ended all square at 1-1.

The second half got under way with no changes in the United side. With Young still on the right and Shaw on the left you got the feeling that United were going to struggle to create chances. Stoke were closing down quickly and our midfield trio of Carrick, Rooney and Mata failed to stamp their authority on the game. Poor passing and dwelling too long on the ball gave Stoke a self belief, and they started to play the better football.

United had a look of uncertainty about their play and really needed to have a spell of keeping the ball, but Stoke were not giving them any time to settle into a rhythm. Just after the hour mark, van Gaal made a double change. Bringing on Ander Herrera and Adnan Januzaj for Falcao and Shaw. I totally understood the confused way Falcao looked as he was substituted. Not sure why he was the fall guy when others around him were just as equally under performing.

There was a moment of controversy after Jones had headed behind from a Stoke cross. From the resulting corner the ball struck Smalling on the arm, as the home fans screamed for a penalty the ref waved play on. A minute later the same thing happened to Smalling again, once more Michael Oliver angered the locals by showing no interest in their claims for a penalty.

From the resulting clearance, United  broke down the left only for Januzaj opting to shoot when a cross would have been the wiser choice. Shortly after, van Persie nearly managed to convert a lobbed shot, but sadly for him pulled it wide.

Crouch was causing all sorts of problems for United. In a two minute spell Stoke hit the post and Diouf had a blast from the edge of the box, which only just flew over the crossbar.

This was proving to be a tough New Years Day for the visitors. There was no urgency in our play and no chances were being created. Then, as Young galloped away on a counter attack, he pulled up sharply with what looked to be a hamstring problem. This meant that Rafael made it on in Young's place. Another injury to add to the list.

In the last 20 mins United had their own appeal for a penalty waved away, when Rafael looked as if he had been impeded. Maybe the referee was addressing the balance. When Januzaj did deliver a cross from the left, van Persie just couldn't quite convert it at the near post.

United finished the match on the attack with a flurry of corners and crosses, which in the end didn't result in any clear cut chances to grab a winner. It ended all square. Our poor performance made Stoke look the better side in the second half.

This was not the type of start to 2015 that everyone expected from Manchester United. It meant that van Gaal was still waiting for his 'perfect' match. From the look of things it will be a long time before he gets it. The side were short of ideas and lacked the balance from the last few weeks.

Valencia was missed today, as when he and Young played out wide there was a cohesion in the side. Now that Young and Valencia will be missing for the foreseeable future the need for other players to return is imperative. We desperately need Di Maria and Blind to make a speedy return and start winning again. On a positive note, United are now unbeaten in the last ten games.

The transfer window opens this weekend and as I've said many times this season the defence is our biggest problem area. We desperately need someone at the back with the experience to bring stability. How many points have been dropped by our inept defenders? To say that Smalling was the best defender on show today doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. Smalling, Jones and Evans are our own 'Bermuda Triangle' as strange things happen when their together.

Next up for United is the 3rd of the FA Cup in which they will face League 1 outfit Yeovil Town. The main hope is that van Gaal approaches the match differently to the loss against MK Dons back at the start of the season. I'm hoping for a good cup run as it could be our only realistic chance of silverware this season. The last time we lifted the old trophy was back in 2004, so it's well overdue.

United have faced Yeovil twice before, both matches in the FA Cup. The first was at Old Trafford in the 1937-38 season in the 3rd round that was won by United 3-0. The second match was in the 1948-49 season. This time it was in the 5th round. United played the match at Manchester City's ground, Maine Road. United netted 8 goals without reply. Incredibly the attendance that day was 81,565, amazing.

The first match of 2015 has ended rather disappointingly, but there is still a lot to look forward to, I'm sure.

Thanks for checking out my thoughts.

Miles Dunton.

Man United held by ten-man Villa.

Villa Park is a stadium which holds fond memories for the United team and the fans. Throughout football history, it has been a happy hunting ground, as we have enjoyed many glorious matches there.

Who can forget the scenes that followed the 'goal of the century' by Ryan Giggs in the FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal in 1999, on the way to the historic 'treble'

You have to go all the back to the opening day of the 1995-96 season, for the last time Villa won against United at home. That day Sir Alex Ferguson's side, featuring youngsters such as Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and David Beckham, went down 3-1 in a result which prompted BBC pundit Alan Hansen to famously utter this classic comment: "You don't win anything with kids." How wrong he was proved to be.

The Manchester United team news, which didn't include any kids, had Louis van Gaal giving a start to Falcao up front, but more surprising was the choice of Darren Fletcher in midfield. This was due to undisclosed illnesses to Fellaini and Herrera.


Michael Carrick started the match in the middle of a back three along with Jonny Evans and Phil Jones in front of recent hero David de Gea.

Then there was Young and Valencia out wide with Fletcher and Rooney in the middle, Mata sat in the hole behind the strikers Falcao and Robin van Persie. On the bench were two players coming back from injury, Angel Di Maria and Da Silva.

United enjoyed the majority of possession in the early exchanges without creating any clear chances, but unfortunately Villa took the lead on 17 minutes, when from a free kick Benteke chested down in the penalty area, then without a serious challenge from the United defence, shimmied and curled a left-footed shot across three United players and past de Gea, who to be fair didn't stand a chance. A goal against the run of play, but a warning that this wasn't going to go all United's way.

Villa showed that they had the pace up front to worry the United defenders and on one such break their forwards were bearing down on goal, but without a brilliant tackle from Jonny Evans it could have been a lot worse for United.

On the half hour, Young nearly shoved the boos back down the Villans throats, when his curling shot come cross almost sneaked in at the far post if it hadn't been for Villa keeper Guzan managing to palm it to safety.

United's attacking play cried out for some invention as it was all so predictable, lots of the ball but no imagination, it was crying out for someone to work some magic. Sadly not many magicians were on show.

Falcao's first chance came on 23 minutes when he was played through by van Persie, in the end he shot tamely under pressure. The best play was coming from United's right flank via Valencia, but the Villa defence dealt with any crosses that came over.

It was a poor first 45 minutes for the Red Devils, and even though they had the ball in danger areas they had nothing to show for it.

At the start of the second half, it was no great surprise to see van Gaal make a change by bringing on Tyler Blackett for Fletcher. This meant that Carrick moved up into his preferred midfield role.
Right from the off the United back three, without Carrick marshaling them were in trouble as the trio of Blackett, Jones and Evans struggled to deal with Benteke, Jones just managing to block his shot. From the resulting corner de Gea made an important tip over from a Benteke header.

In the 50th minute van Persie forced a save from Guzan as United tried to convert their chances. The main objective, apart from equalising, was to keep the ball away from United's defence.

The pressure paid off in the 53rd minute when Young made a surge down the left and delivered a superb pinpoint cross, a cross which Falcao met with his head to give the keeper no chance.

In a rare show of emotion van Gaal punched the air with delight as Falcao raced to share his joy with the away fans.

After the equaliser came a push by United to find a quick goal and van Persie came closest with an overhead attempt.

On the hour mark came United's second substitution with Di Maria, making his return from injury, replacing van Persie. Straight away Di Maria was pressing forward and had three rather tame shots on goal, unfortunately, all were easily dealt with by Guzan in the Villa goal.

Then on 64 minutes the match heated up as Agbonlahor was red-carded for a foul on Young. He had a case for protesting as the replays showed it was a 50/50 challenge, but the referee decided he had gone over the top on Young. This not only left Villa down to ten men, but the boos for Young reached new decibels every time he touched the ball.


The 73rd minute saw another change as James Wilson was brought on for Antonio Valencia. Young was switched to the right and Di Maria patrolled the left wing.

That was a decision I didn't understand as the balance of the team would have been better served with Valencia staying on as he had been performing well down the right flank.

In contrast to Young who was having a torrid time with the Villa fans, and to take him out of that atmosphere would have made sense.

This was proven by the numerous opportunities he had to put in crosses from the right wing, but his deliveries on many attempts were below standard compared to his cross for Falcao's goal.

United had a flurry of corners and saw one cause confusion in the Villa box, but Falcao just couldn't reach the ball in time before it was put out of play by the Villa defence.

Towards the end of the match Villa came the closest to snatching the winner with a strike from Bacuna that just flew over a relieved de Gea's crossbar.

At the other end, Wilson had a lovely effort in the last minute but it lacked any power, how sweet that would have been for the youngster to grab the winner and the headlines.


Once again United toiled in a game that they should have won fairly easily bearing in mind Villa's injury list, and the fact that they were playing against ten men for the last twenty minutes. Only getting into their groove after the half-time change, which saw Fletcher depart and Carrick moved into the middle.

Carrick showing once again how brilliant the new vice-captain has been since returning from injury. He adapted so easily to the change in the system during the match. It's no great surprise that the team has still not lost this season when he has been in the side.

Darren Fletcher looked out of sorts in the middle of the park. and he didn't help himself by giving away the free kick that led to the Villa opener. Having been stripped of the vice-captaincy in favour of Carrick, you have to wonder how he fits into van Gaal's future plans, if at all.

He only started the match as both Fellaini and Herrera were not well enough to play. Fletcher has given the club great service over the last ten or so seasons, and has overcome a serious illness to get back into the team; however, in all fairness to him, if all the midfielders were fit he probably wouldn't get a look in.

This was a case of two points dropped at the end of the day. A few months ago I never thought I would be saying this, but our midfield missed Fellaini's presence, and I thought Mata had his first poor match for a while.

Having said all that, after six straight wins, a draw away from home is not the end of the world, and compared to when things were not going United's way at the beginning of the season this has been a good few weeks for the red devils.

We are now unbeaten in the last seven games. The team, under van Gaal's leadership, is still moving in the right direction and remain in third place.

Next up is the visit to Old Trafford of Newcastle United on Boxing day quickly followed two days later by United's last match of 2014, an away trip to the capital to take on Spurs. I fully expect United to end the year with two more wins that will send us flying into 2015.

I would like to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and thanks for all your continued support by reading my blogs.

Miles Dunton.

David De Gea. "Why always me?"

Manchester United 3 Liverpool 0

This is still the biggest match of the season for both teams and especially the fans. Yes, local derbies against City, the matches against Arsenal and more recently Chelsea are big, but there is no doubt about the coming together of United and Liverpool, it is huge.

The atmosphere inside Old Trafford reflected that, as both sets of fans were voicing their allegiances from when the teams entered the arena to well after they had left.

Millions of words have been written about the rivalry between the two clubs, a rivalry that really began in the 60's between the teams of Busby and Shankly, continued during the 70's with Docherty and Paisley, onto the early eighties with Atkinson and Fagan, then through all the Fergie years against a host of Liverpool managers.

Now we have the Louis van Gaal era, pitting his wits against Brendan Rodgers, and it was the home manager that came out on top in his first attempt.

United's starting line up had a few changes including the return of Phil Jones to play alongside Jonny Evans in a defence missing Marcos Rojo, who had picked up a last minute injury during training. Youngster James Wilson was again chosen to partner van Persie up front, which again meant no start for Falcao. The rest of the team was De Gea, Valencia, Young, Carrick, Fellaini, Mata, Rooney, and Van Persie. Interestingly, there was no player starting that has been bought under van Gaal's time as manager.

Liverpool enjoyed the majority of early possession and Sterling kept De Gea on his toes with a couple of efforts. United struggled to gel in the opening minutes with their formation, a formation with Rooney in midfield and Mata sitting behind the two strikers, and once again the defenders looking unsure at times.

The United players took their time getting into the match until they managed to find a way through on 12 minutes. Valencia producing great work down the right by cutting in between two defenders and crossing to the edge of the box, where a very grateful Rooney was waiting to hit a sweet right footer into the corner. That was definitely the Valencia of a few years ago.

Throughout the first half Rooney led by example from his midfield position. Constantly looking for the ball and trying to kick start moves and generally proving his worth as a captain. While at the back the defenders were at times living a little dangerously, a good job Sterling isn't renowned for his role as an out and out striker.

Then on 39 minutes Ashley Young crossed from the left, the ball sailed over everyone in the penalty area, but there was Juan Mata ghosting in at the far post to stoop and head United into a 2-0 nil lead. Mata ghosted in so well that the assistant referee didn't notice he was in a slightly offside position when the ball was delivered.

Not great from United but at half time they led by 2-0. The downside of the half was four yellow cards for Felliani, Jones, Rooney and Evans. So all those players had to tread carefully in the second half as this fixture is strewn with sending's off.

Thankfully no more United players were booked, but huge cheers rang out from the home fans when both Gerrard and Balotelli went into the ref's book.

The uncertainty in United's defence raised its head once more when Jonny Evans, not for the first time this season, played a suicidal back pass calling on De Gea to produce more heroics again. I would have loved to hear exactly what the keeper shouted to Evans. At this point in the match Liverpool were pressing forward but in all honesty never looked like producing a goal.

On the hour mark van Persie came close, but fired just wide, shortly after that De Gea produced the save of the match by turning a fierce shot by Balotelli brilliantly onto the crossbar. Four minutes later van Gaal made a change by taking off Wilson, who had not stopped running all day, and replaced him with Ander Herrera. Straight away the home side were leading 3-0. A slick passing move involving, Fellaini, Rooney, Mata and a Liverpool defensive error, eventually came to in form van Persie who converted a relatively easy chance.

With United in a comfortable lead Rooney was replaced by Falcao on 77 minutes. The Colombian forward still couldn't find his second goal for the club, in fact it was Robin van Persie who came the closet by having a shot well saved by Bradley Jones in the Liverpool goal.

There was time for one more change as Paddy McNair came on for Phil Jones. I thought Fellaini performed well in the second half by sitting in front of the defence, and breaking up the Liverpool attacks time after time.

I have lost count how many times have I sung the praises of David de Gea this season? He really does deserve better defenders in front of him, roll on January. Whatever his pre match meal is the whole team should have the same. He saved three point blank shots from Balotelli alone in the second half, after denying Sterling in the first half. Without his saves United would not have been looking at the same scoreline, and might have even ended up level or worse. Another man of the match performance from a keeper so high in confidence.

On paper a great result against our biggest rival, and a sixth straight win. Even so the performance was at times disjointed from United, especially at the back. But a win is a win, and after losing twice to Liverpool last season this was a much needed boost for the fans as much as the team.

Now United have only three more matches to play in 2014. Starting with Aston Villa away on the 20th, followed by Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, and ending with a trip to Spurs on the 28th, all these games are winnable and hopefully will see United finish 2014 on a high.

Thanks again for taking the time to read.

Miles Dunton.

Trouble playing away.

West Bromwich Albion 2 Manchester United 2

Blind saves Manchester United blushes with a late strike to rescue a point against West Bromwich Albion.

After the long international break it was great to see the Premier League return but it produced another disappointing away match for United this season with a draw at the Hawthorns and only one point.

Before the match Louis van Gaal stated that United are playing catch up in the premier league and after this result it is truer now than it was before the match.

Not for the first time this season our defence was shown to be lacking as West Brom took a 2-1 lead through Berahino, who was able to run through the middle of our center backs like dare I say it, a knife through butter,and gave David De Gea little chance in the one on one.

The need for a quality center back in the January transfer window is critical if United don't want a repeat of last season. Not only do United need a defender but they also need a leader in the defence as well, this is what was lacking last night. We miss the stature of Vidic to control the back four. Unfortunately, the weakest link in defence last night was Phil Jones.

Phil Jones

In the past he had been touted as a future captain, and some quarters of Old Trafford were liking him to the late great Duncan Edwards as he was big and powerful for his age, but last night and in his past games this season his below par performances have done nothing to prove this to be correct.

It was unfortunate not to have Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair available as they have shown that they are more than capable to fill in at the back.

Adnan Januzaj

Another player that flattered to deceive was Adnan Januzaj. I among many other fans have been championing his right to be given a start in the first team in the absence of Wayne Rooney, but I'm sorry to say he let himself and the fans down last night.

His performance was so lackluster, and knowing how ruthless van Gaal can be I'm not sure when he will be able to seize his chance again. He really is a fantastic talent but when you are given the opportunity you have to take it, he didn't.

Two other players who failed to perform to their normal high levels were Juan Mata and Robin van Persie. Mata especially, wasn't involved in a position he normally thrives in and with Rooney due to return after the Chelsea game he has, I believe, one more chance to show the manager that he can fit into his system. Robin van Persie didn't seem his normal self throughout the match. He came close when he hit the post but that was about it. Let's hope that this was a one off.

The substitution of Di Maria, who had been United's one bright spark in attack, to be replaced by Ashley Young was I hope a precautionary measure to save him for next Sunday's Chelsea match and not a tactical move as once again Young looked out of sorts.

Blind celebrates with Fellaini

On a more positive note it was pleasing to see both Fellaini and Blind score their first goals for the club. Fellaini has waited a long time for his moment but unlike Blind.

I still feel that he makes to many mistakes in the middle of the park, like the free kick he gave away before West Brom took a 2-1 lead. But let's allow him to savior his moment.

Fellaini shoots and scores

Blind's strike in the last few minutes to pull United level was a superb finish, and added to his work rate during the 90 minutes he was my choice as man of the match.

Falcao jet-lagged?

When the teams were announced before the match I was scratching my head as to why Falcao was on the bench. Then I saw a report stating that he was jet-lagged after travelling to play for Columbia in the recent internationals.

If this is the case then this proves that United's plan to play mid week high profile friendlies in the winter months is a ridiculous idea. Sure it would further the coffers and promote the brand but is it worth risking the fitness of the players, I and many others think no.

Once again this week sees the return of the Champions League without United. I think the players should watch the upcoming matches very carefully because that's what we are striving for this season.

We seriously need to up our game for the forthcoming matches against Chelsea, City and Arsenal, otherwise we could be in a tricky situation like last season.

Even after last night I still believe that  Louis van Gaal is the man to turn the club's fortunes around and as regards the team I just hope they believe in themselves.

Until next time thanks for taking the time to read.

Miles Dunton.