Return of the Devils: Manchester United strike back?

Now, good teams have a tendency to make their critics look really stupid at times and this is precisely what happened when Manchester United thumped Wigan 5-0 to record a resounding comeback after their defeat to the lowly Burnley which, among thousands around the world, also prompted me to question their ability.

Having said that, Manchester United were still pretty poor in the first half as it ended goal-less. It was a patchy performance: missed opportunities, no real attacking play, misdirected passes, shaky defense! I had predicted a 1-1 draw and after the first 45 minutes I started wondering if I should have put some money on it.

Thankfully, I didn’t; it all changed in the second half!

I can only imagine what Fergie would’ve said to his boys at half-time. One thing’s for sure: it was definitely not pretty and might not have made it through most censorship filters! But it worked. United came out all guns blazing and it was Wayne Rooney who found the net with – behold – his head! Now that is a sight I haven’t seen too often. It was a terrific header, gave the goalie no chance! Rooney had worked tirelessly the entire game and it was no surprise to see him open the floodgate; and what a floodgate it was: wave after wave of United attack followed and Wigan looked completely out of answers. Dimitar Berbatov opened his account for the season before Rooney scored for the second time. On came Michael Owen to replace Rooney and he opened his account with a classy finish. That wasn’t enough. The last kick of the match saw Nani replicate some Ronaldo brilliance by scoring off a wonderful free-kick.

The reds were all smiles. It WAS a thumping response. I could clearly recall their sorry start to the previous season; before they managed a 5-0 win and then never looked back and ultimately lifted the Premier League. Could this be the break they needed this season? Although I won’t bet against it, it is still a fact that it was only 45 minutes of brilliance shown by Manchester United. Can they keep it consistent? THAT is the ultimate question.