Premier League Preview: Manchester United

Last Season: 7th

Pre-Season Prediction: 5th - Van Gaal and his new system will drastically improve the team although the squad just currently isn't good enough. Prediction could change by the end of the transfer window though.

'Last season? What last season?' The Moyes Era has already become known as the Forgotten Era to fans of Manchester United after they suffered unquestionably their worst season at least in my living memory. A seventh place finish,  an overpriced purchase of Marouane Fellaini, failure to qualify from Europe, failure in cup competitions are but a few of Moyes' many failures in his short time as Manchester United manager and the future can only be brighter after that worst of seasons.

The summer started promisingly with the signings of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw but has rather stagnated since then. Potential deals for Mats Hummels and Thomas Vermaelen both fell through and United still look extremely weak at central defence, especially with Van Gaal opting for three central defenders. It looks like Marcos Rojo may be joining but another centre-back will definitely be needed for ample squad depth. With Michael Carrick out for a few months another midfielder may be required whilst a competent right-sided wing-back is a necessity after the uncertainty of Antonio Valencia in that position.

All of that said, it is uncertain as to whether Van Gall will actually opt for a larger squad after already saying he would prefer to work with a small squad to get back into Europe. Much of this will depend upon who he manages to shift before the end of the transfer window. Rumours are as many as seven players could be departing Old Trafford which would leave the squad very thin. Van Gaal may be willing to gamble on youth but that is a dangerous game considering he has been told to get top four football or he faces the axe.

So far Van Gaal's tactics have been top notch. His 3-4-1-2 tactics have led to an unbeaten pre-season including a trophy as well in the form of the International Champions Cup after defeating Liverpool 3-1 in the final. Six victories out of six - although one was a penalty shoot-out victory against Inter Milan - has left the squad members vocally optimistic. Defensively there is still plenty of work to do as players adapt to this new system, but from an offensive level there has been a marked improvement from the dismal displays of last year.

The general consensus among the media is that 3-4-1-2 is a sparkly new tactic which is completely fresh but the reality is that it isn't. The likes of Wigan and Hull have implemented this in the not so distant past and met with mixed results, as you can see from Wigan's relegation. Unfortunately for Van Gaal he is unlikely to have time on his side. The board as well as the fans are demanding an instant return to Champions League football and if LVG suffers a slow start then the pressure will very quickly start to build. Unfortunately, with the implementation of new tactics and a growing concern about the quality of the squad with little action in the transfer market, it may already be too little, too late for United's European push.

Key Man: Darren Fletcher - With the departures of Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic and Giggs, there has been a major loss of experience in this young Manchester United side. Rooney has been awarded the captaincy and will inevitably be important but Fletcher's importance is greater if not more understated because of his position on the pitch and the dearth of quality in his position. Fletcher will probably be required to play week-in-week-out at this current rate and his stability in the center of the park could be instrumental to controlling the pace of this new side. He will also provide protection for a back-line which is still learning their roles.

One to Watch: Tyler Blackett - With just three current first-team centre-backs and no new signings on the immediate radar, any injuries to either Evans, Smalling or Jones could see heads turned to the reserves. One of the stand-out players in pre-season has been the versatile defender Tyler Blackett, who can play either at centre-back or as the left-sided wing-back. Blackett has impressed with a number of mature performances, especially in the ICC Final against Liverpool and also provided the assist for a last minute goal against Valencia a couple of days ago. With Phil Jones error and injury prone, you could be seeing Blackett starting sooner rather than later.

Best Signing: Ander Herrera - Finally United have signed a central midfielder with a bit of flair and creativity. Central-midfield has been a problem area for the Red Devils for a number of years now but through the signings of young Spaniard Herrera it looks as though it might be solved for now. Herrera's performances have been mixed so far and it still remains to be seen how he will cope with the physicality of the Premier League but he has at least provided some moments of magic including a golden first touch and some quick feet. He seems to be built in a similar mould to Luka Modric and with the right guidance could be just as good.

Sports Ladder (March 31st - April 7th)

UP - Formula One - I was considering putting Lewis Hamilton in the 'UP' section this week but quite frankly Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix was just a brilliant advertisement for the sport of Formula One as a whole. At a time when the sport is in a difficult transitional phase it really excelled this weekend with top quality racing across all sections of the grid. More of the same please Bernie!


UP - Pineau De Re - So it was that time of the year when everyone becomes a gambler, and at 25/1 Pineau De Re would certainly have been a tasty flutter for this year's punters. Pineau came into the race on decent form after a respectable third place finish at the Cheltenham Festival in March and the eleven-year-old upped his game to finish well ahead of the rest of the field in first place.


UP - Manchester United - It shows quite how far the mighty have fallen that they make this week's ladder for simply not getting mauled by Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, Moyes' team have looked a better contingent in recent weeks and a creditable 1-1 draw with the current world champions leaves the Red Devils with every opportunity of progressing to the semi-finals of the Champions League.


UP - Jodie Stimpson - In recent years we have become all-too accustomed to Triathlon success through the trials and tribulations of the Brownlee brothers. But this week a new name ascended to the top of World Triathlon as Jodie Stimpson surged to a comfortable 25 second victory in this year's opening round of the World Triathlon Series in Auckland. One to watch in Rio?


UP - Oxford Rowing Team - I cannot honestly claim to be a fan of the boat race but as it only comes around once a year then I suppose it should receive a mention. Any possibility of a close finish was ruined five or so five minutes in when a clash of oars nearly left one of the Cambridge rowers in the Thames. He recovered but his team did not, as Oxford romped to an eleven length lead.


DOWN - Ivica Olic - Feeling unlucky today? Well I think Ivica Olic may have something to say about that. In this weekend's clash between Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg Olic managed to hit the bar twice within half a second. Yes, twice. As if that wasn't bad enough, Wolfsburg, who were 1-0 up at the time, went on to lose to Dortmund 2-1. Unbelievable.

DOWN - Tiger Woods - This week news broke that the Masters would be short of the Master, as it was announced that Tiger Woods would not be able to take part at the first major of the year after undergoing surgery for a pinched nerve in his back. Woods has won the Masters four times and this will be the first time he will have missed it in 19 years. Looks like the major wait will go on.


DOWN - England Shirts - National thoughts about England's chances in the FIFA World Cup are not overwhelmingly positive. So in these times of crisis, when moral is low, something I would not recommend would be selling the replica England shirts at £90. This just seems like such a disastrous move and prices so many people out of the market. FA-ilure.


DOWN - British Tennis - Whilst Britain reaching the Davis Cup quarter final is certainly no mean feat, the defeat to Italy highlighted how weak the squad is behind Andy Murray. Having to rely on Murray to push us through the doubles, as well as the singles proved to be just too much as the Scot fell in three sets to Fabio Fognini and with him our chances of a tie with Switzerland in the semi-final.


DOWN - Jay Rodriguez - One of the more heartbreaking stories of the week as young Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez suffered an extremely nasty looking knee injury which will rule him out of the World Cup in Brazil. There was of course no guarantee that Rodriguez would have been on the plane but his scintillating form alongside Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert meant it was likely. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Sports Ladder (23rd-30th March)

UP - Liverpool - Well it's been a long time coming, but this week Liverpool have finally risen back to the top of the Premier League. Whilst teams around them have faltered in recent weeks, the Reds have won eight consecutive matches and under the leadership of Brendan Rogers and the form of the SASASAS it looks like they legitimately could win their first Premier League title ever.

UP - Lewis Hamilton - We've had to wait some time to see a convincing smile emblazoned across the face of Lewis Hamilton but it was certainly present after the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend. A technical failure in the Championship's opening race in Australia meant he had to wait a few weeks for his second victory in the Mercedes car but it was an outstanding, commanding and controlling performance from the Brit.

UP - Laura Massaro - Massaro is not exactly a household name, but one thing is for sure, she is a world champion. This week she became the first female British Squash World Champion since 1999 after her 11-7 6-11 11-9 5-11 11-9 victory over Egyptian teenager Nour El Sherbini down in Penang in Malaysia. Massaro joins Brit Nick Matthew in currently holding world champion status in the world of squash..

UP - Martina Hingis - As both the men's and women's singles finals in Miami were contested by the first and second seed it was up to the doubles to provide something a bit different. And provide it did as the veteran Martina Hingis won her first title since 2007 as she surged to victory with smiley partner Sabine Lisicki. The pair defeated the Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina on their way to the title.

UP - Benedict Cumberbatch - It's not everyday you see a 'high-functioning sociopath' conducting the post-race interview after a Formula One race but on Sunday the actor who plays Sherlock was indeed up on the podium with Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel. It was a surreal moment but if you weren't aware of who Cumberbatch was you probably wouldn't have guessed he was an actor as he was calm, composed and collected in his new role as interviewer.

DOWN - Kosuke Hashino - It's rare that an event from Rugby breaks into my Ladder as it isn't a sport I follow very closely. However I couldn't help but have a little chuckle at the attempted 'swan dive' of Kosuke Hashino. After a brilliant interception Hashino found himself completely through but rather audaciously tried and failed the Chris Ashton 'swan dive'. Luckily Hashino and his team mates saw the funny side as Japan ran out eventual winners.

DOWN - Tom Cleverley - We haven't seen much of Cleverley in the news recently. He has had less game time recently under Moyes and hence we have less to complain about. However today the new England kit was released and many England fans will have been disheartened to see the Manchester United midfielder modelling the kit, suggesting he is going to the World Cup. I feel as though some sort of petition is in order.

DOWN - England Cricket - It hasn't been a particularly pleasant six months for the England Cricket team since their Ashes victory last summer and that trend continued this week. With just one win in their four matches Stuart Broad's team crashed limply out of the Twenty20 World Cup. Their dismal run of form continues after their demolition in the winter Ashes and the retirement of Kevin Pietersen.

DOWN - Andy Murray - Andy Murray's poor start to 2014 continued with yet another early exit after departing the Sony Open in the quarterfinals, albeit to Novak Djokovic, the eventual winner. It was not necessarily a poor tournament for Murray, but the loss means he moves down to 8th in the World Rankings, an extremely disappointing position for a current Grand Slam holder.

DOWN - Manchester United Fans - Interestingly Manchester United fans on the whole had a good week but there was a select few who really were an embarrassment to themselves and to football on the whole. The decision to hire a plane with the message 'Wrong One - Moyes Out' was both childish and pathetic as far as I am concerned. Moyes has clearly had a tough start as United manager but  stupid stunts like this will hardly improve his confidence.

Boxing Day Victory for Fortunate United

Manchester United came back from 2-0 down to defeat Hull City 3-2 at the KC Stadium in an encounter lacking much festive cheer.

United, looking to win their fifth consecutive game in all competitions, started poorly conceding two goals within the opening twelve minutes, a corner converted by James Chester followed by a deflected goal for David Meyler.

Chester sends Hull into an early lead.

However, United hit back through a Smalling header before Rooney equalised on the 26 minute mark, burying from outside the box. United's Boxing Day sucker punch came in the 66th minute through a Chester own goal. Antonia Valencia was sent off with minutes to go for receiving a second yellow card.

Hull started the game at breakneck speed, scoring withing four minutes from a controversially awarded corner. Huddlestone's deep delivery was headed back across goal by Bruce before his centre-back partner James Chester jabbed in for the opening goal.

United showed little signs of recovery and  Hull struck again less than ten minutes later. David Meyler pounced first on a loose ball to fire a shot into the back of the net, courtesy of a deflection off of Jonny Evans.

Rooney scores a wonderful half volley

The second goal was the kick in the teeth that United needed. They began to take more control of the game, a glancing header from Valencia flashing past the far post. It didn't take long for them to get a foothold in the game, with Chris Smalling rising to head home a Wayne Rooney free-kick.

Tom Cleverley then went close with a curling effort as United ramped up the pressure. Soon after they struck, Rooney latching onto a loose ball before striking a half-volley past McGregor from outside the box.

The early pace of the game began to decline and the remainder of the first half passed by largely uneventfully, players perhaps feelings the effects of the previous days festivities.

United emerged after the interval full of festive fluidity, pressing Hull in their own half.  However, Hull's centre backs continued to trouble United's defence, Curtis Davies heading narrowly wide from a corner.

The welcome return of Darren Fletcher to the United starting line-up for the first time in over a year was a boost as he controlled the midfield, looking neat and tidy in possession. He received a standing ovation from both sets of supporters as he departed for Hernandez mid-way through the second half.

A despairing Chester heads into his own net.

United were lucky to survive going behind for a second time, again defending poorly from a corner as Alex Bruce thundered a header against the crossbar. However, United completed the comeback minutes later, a distraught James Chester heading the ball past substitute keeper Harper after Young produced a dangerous cross from the right wing.

Hull pressed for an equaliser of their own, the goal-shy Danny Graham heading into the arms of De Gea at the far post. Moments later De Gea was lucky to not concede as he flapped at a long ball. The game ended more fiery than a Christmas pudding, Antonio Valencia receiving his marching orders for rashly kicking the ball away after conceding a free kick.

Chester should have made amends for his own goal, lashing a one-on-one straight at De Gea in the dying moments before Bruce pulled a shot wide from inside the box for the final attack of the game.

The victory sees United move to within four points of the top four as they travel to Norwich at the weekend, Moyes stating after the game that he believes they can challenge for the title. On the other hand, Hull remain 12th as the teams around them also lose on a busy boxing day. Hull entertain a rejuvenated Fulham at the weekend as they seek to remain clear of the relegation zone.

United Triumph at Home to West Ham

Manchester United's improving form continued as they beat West Ham 3-1 at Old Trafford to record their fourth consecutive win in all competitions.

West Ham's mid-week turnaround at Tottenham could not provide the momentum to carry them through this test at Old Trafford as goals from Welbeck, Januzaj and Young sealed West Ham's fifth defeat in seven Premier League matches, despite a second half consolation from Carlton Cole.

Manchester United started strongly, Adrian making a fine point-blank save from Tom Cleverley, denying the midfielder his second goal in two games. Adrian made another good save from Valencia, tipping a low shot around the post.

Welbeck tucks the ball away to give United the lead.

However it did not take them long to take the lead as they struck in the twenty fifth minute after capitalising on a quick free kick. The ball broke with Rooney teeing up Welbeck for a sweet finish across the front of keeper Adrian.

United's lead was doubled ten minutes later through youngster Adnan Januzaj. Only moments after correctly being denied a penalty, the winger completed a one-two with Welbeck on the left before cutting back and burying the ball in the far corner of the net.

Their first half domination continued after the second goal with a lighting fast counter attack, narrowly put over the bar by Valencia. Januzaj was then booked for a poor dive highlighting how this youngster still has a long way to go.

Januzaj scores a composed goal.

The second half started much the same; Manchester United looking solid with West Ham lacking any sort of cutting edge. However an injury to in-form Welbeck will be a blow for United. West Ham looked slightly improved in the second half, Rooney having to clear a corner off the line after a couple of dangerous headers.

United had a goal ruled out incorrectly for offside when Valencia played in Hernandez. However, this was made up for minutes later when Ashley Young lashed home a third from the edge of the box after another assist from Rooney, Young's second goal in two games.

As with the lunch-time kick off the away team scored a consolation goal, Carlton Cole tucking the ball beneath De Gea with a calm finish. However, they could not expand on this goal as the game ended 3-1, despite a flurry of late chances for United.

Cole tucks away a consolation goal.

The win sees Moyes' team move above Tottenham to 7th in the League although that could change tomorrow when Tottenham take on Southampton. West Ham were lucky to avoid dropping further down the table as the teams around them also either lost or drew so they remain in 17th position, only one point above the drop.

Liverpool Leap to League Lead

Liverpool battled to a 1-0 victory against Manchester United on the eve of Bill Shankly's 100th Birthday to move top of the Premier League.

In a feisty game at Anfield Daniel Sturridge continued his outstanding form with a poachers header after four minutes as Liverpool put in a strong defensive shift, sending a message of intent to their rivals.

The game underwent a lively start with United sending two dangerous crosses in within twenty seconds, but it was Liverpool who struck first. After careless play from Ashley Young, a Gerrard corner was headed towards goal by Agger with Sturridge getting the final touch.

United almost hit back instantly with a Van Persie overhead kick clearing the cross bar. Their pressure continued, with a low Welbeck shot well saved before a corner flashed across the face of goal, missed by everyone.

Liverpool regained a foothold in the game with Daniel Sturridge skipping away from Ferdinand, a strong tackle required by Vidic to bring him to a halt. Shortly after a Gerrard free-kick was well held by De Gea.

As the pace began to drop, tensions rose as Jones fell to the floor injured and United were furious when Liverpool played on, a nasty tackle from Tom Cleverley ending this period of play and earning him a booking. This was followed by bookings for Aspas, Van Persie and Carrick.

The half continued on a knife edge and ended on a sour note as a coming together between Van Persie and Skrtel led to verbal exchanges between a number of players and could perhaps have ended with a red card for Van Persie.

United started brightly after the break but lacked any sort of cutting edge whilst Liverpool looked extremely solid defensively. Glen Johnson in particular seemed to be making a number of important blocks.

The game went into a lull as Liverpool successfully held out against a far from penetrating United attack but a weak Vidic pass-back nearly let Sturridge in as Liverpool looked to put the game out of sight.

Mignolet was called into action by Nani when a vicious shot was palmed away and Hernandez had
a shot easily saved but the best chance of the game came with two minutes of normal time remaining, when Hernandez played in Van Persie who shot well wide.

Sterling nearly killed off the game in stoppage time but his shot was well saved by De Gea. However, it did not matter, as Brendan Rogers side ended David Moyes' competitive unbeaten run as United manager, moving Liverpool to the top of the table.

Liverpool Player Ratings:

Simon Mignolet: 7 - Had little to do but performed well when called upon.

Glen Johnson: 8 - My Man of the Match with a brilliant defensive performance. Made Ashley Young look very average.

Martin Srktel: 7 - A solid display on what could be his last Liverpool game.

Daniel Agger: 7 - Got the assist for the goal and player well throughout.

Jose Enrique: 7 - Quiet but competent when he needed to be.

Lucas Leiva: 7 - The unsung hero had a fine game in midfield.

Steven Gerrard: 7 - A typically assured performance from the captain.

Jordan Henderson: 6 - Drifted in and out of the game but did little wrong.

Iago Aspas: 3 - A very poor game. Terrible passing accuracy and weak on the ball.

Philipe Coutinho: 6 - Didn't fully show what he was capable of.

Daniel Sturridge: 7 - Scored the winner but faded in the second half as United pressed on.

Substitutes:

Raheem Sterling: 6 - Wasn't on the ball much but had one shot saved in stoppage time.

Andre Wisdom: N/A - Came on too late.

Luis Alberto: N/A - Came on too late.


Manchester United Player Ratings:

David De Gea: 7 - Looked sharp to prevent a second goal. Could do nothing about the first.

Phil Jones: 6 - Looked solid until his early injury.

Rio Ferdinand: 5 - Struggled at times to deal with the creativity of Liverpool.

Nemanja Vidic: 6  - A weary backpass but otherwise okay.

Patrice Evra: 7 - One of United's few bright sparks. Linked well with Welbeck on the left.

Ryan Giggs: 5 - Looked his age in a rare poor performance from the veteran.

Tom Cleverley: 5 - Never got into the game and failed to make an impact.

Michael Carrick: 6 - Typically solid game from United's central midfielder.

Ashley Young: 4 - A disappointing return to the United team, his error led to the first goal.

Danny Welbeck: 7  - Constantly worked hard and caused Liverpool some problems.

Robin Van Persie. 5 - A quiet afternoon but missed a good chance at the end.

Subsitutes:

Antonio Valencia: 6 - Continues to look better than last season but still a long way to go.

Nani: 5 - Shows no signs of returning to form.

Javier Hernandez: 6 - Played a nice ball through to Van Persie and looked busy.

Premier League Preview: Manchester United

End of an era, start of an era, call it what you want, this is a very different season for Manchester United fans. With the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson leaving his post after nearly twenty seven years in charge, Everton's David Moyes takes the reigns and will have a lot to do to live up to his predecessor. However, only yesterday he made a strong start with a 2-0 victory in the Community Shield.

Where Moyes has drawn slight criticism in his early days in the job is in the transfer marker. Despite attempts to sign Thiago and Cesc Fabregas showing the kind of calibre of player Moyes is looking for, the fact that neither have, or will sign is slightly disconcerting for United fans. The other fact that no one, other than a youngster Guillermo Varela, has been signed will be a cause for concern with the season starting in five days, especially with Chelsea and Manchester City spending big money. Expect signings at Old Trafford before the end of the transfer window.

Manchester United's pre-season form has been sketchy but with such a vast quantity of games in such a variety of countries they were never going to have it perfect. Plenty of fans would like to be patient with Moyes but at the end of the day they are used to success, and if that does not come there may be a backlash. Moyes has an incredibly tough job to emerge out of Ferguson's shadow but if he does things his own way he should be alright. He would certainly have appeased the fans with his victory in the Community Shield.

Key Man: Robin Van Persie - Van Persie's two goals in the Community Shield only reinforced the fact that he is instrumental at Old Trafford. Van Persie was the turning point in last season's title race and with Rooney potentially on the way out he will be even more important this year. Last year's League top scorer, Van Persie will be looking to replicate that feat and United will need him if they are to push for the title.

One to Watch: David De Gea - After a rocky start to his Manchester United career David De Gea has emerged as one of the best goalkeepers in the league. His incredible shot stopping has obtained him a regular starting spot ahead of Lindegaard. His strength has improved over the last few years but he still struggles to deal with balls in the air and if he can conquer this flaw he will emerge as one of the most promising goalkeepers in the world.

Best Summer Signing: Wilfried Zaha - A bit of a cheat on this one as Zaha was technically a Ferguson signing earlier in the year but my knowledge of Varela is as rich as my knowledge of nuclear physics. Zaha, signed straight from the Championship and already with England caps under his belt, is a technically gifted winger with the ability to run with the ball. After making the step up from the Championship how will Zaha cope with the increased pressure on him?

Last Season: 1st

Pre-Season Prediction: 3rd - A season of change will see United slightly off the pace, especially with their rivals spending big.

RVP Brace Seals First Moyes Silverware

David Moyes' career at Manchester United starts with a trophy as Manchester United cruise to a solid 2-0 victory in the Community Shield.

United never looked troubled on a day when a Robin Van Persie brace earned them the Shield. Their slick passing and solid defensive showing would have pleased Moyes who has come under question in the media for his lack of summer signings.

Van Persie's early header got United off to a strong start.

United started the stronger of the two teams with Wigan failing to establish themselves in the game and it didn't take them long to capitalise. On the 6th minute a sweeping cross from Patrice Evra allowed Robin Van Persie to accurately head back across goal, placing the ball in the bottom left corner.

One of the early talking points was Moyes' decision to play the youngster Wilfried Zaha. Zaha had a busy game, getting involved where possible and playing direct attacking football, one cross in particular nearly led to United's second.

As the first half progressed Wigan began to grow into the game and just after the half an hour mark had a good opportunity to draw level. Chris Smalling was beaten by a bouncer over the top and James McClean should have done better with a shot across goal to play in Grant Holt.

Wigan continued to press and had a good chance from a Ben Watson free kick. The cross drifted in to the far post where Emmerson Boyce's header back across goal was slightly too high for leaping defender Leon Barnett.

After the interval Wigan emerged as they had left at the end of the first half. Their play was encouraging for new manager Owen Coyle with play focused down the flanks. However, the first chance of note fell on Tom Cleverly who fluffed a shot wide from the edge of the area.

Despite Wigan continuing to play fluid football it was Van Persie who struck the killer blow. A nicely worked move culminated in a Welbeck pass to Van Persie, his low shot taking a deflection off of James Perch, carrying it past an unlucky Scott Carson in the Wigan goal.

The second goal seemed to knock the life out of Wigan with the game going through a flat spell. One man who got a rousing reception on his substitution was Ryan Giggs who, at 39 years young, produced yet another fantastic display. Wigan had one final chance of note when Roger Espinoza shot a half volley wide.

The game seemed to lack tempo as it neared the end and it gave Moyes a chance to show some fresh blood in the youngster Adnan Januzaj, who had impressed in pre-season. Januzaj showed his ability on the left, finding some room and sending a deflected cross over the top of everybody.

Moyes lifts his first silverware at United.

In the end it was not too testing a day for United. Wigan had a few dangerous spells but were unable to test David De Gea at all during the game. Still, they will take some solace from their performance and will look to carry their mid-game performance into the rest of their season in the Championship.

Moyes will be pleased to have got off to a winning start after a rocky pre-season, but more importantly he will be pleased to have kept a clean sheet. Michael Carrick winning the McDonalds Man of the Match epitomises the type of game that was played and Moyes will now turn his attention to more serious matters in the form of Swansea next weekend.

One trophy down, thirty-seven more to go to catch up with his predecessor.