Manchester United Analysis – Rooney scores twice as Nani steals the show
Wednesday 02 February 2011
  Rooney 1, Rooney 45+1, Vidic 63
  Bent 58
Wayne Rooney scored twice as Manchester United put in the kind of performance their fans are accustomed to at this stage of the season.
In opening his account for the evening so early in the game, Rooney was instantly given the confidence which has so often been missing from his recent performances. He had an immediate spring in his step enabling him to look close to his best for the first ten to 15 minutes of the opening half. The former Everton man floated out of the game after this period and was in an out of it in the second half, but the signs that he is getting close to top form are certainly there. His first strike was Rooney at his best. In initially getting away from Richard Dunne, Rooney was able to demonstrate great movement and quick thinking. He showed deft control in bringing the ball down and then power to finish while holding off the Aston Villa man. All the attributes of a top striker were exhibited in one move. It was a sight United fans hope they’ll be seeing much more of in the coming months. It certainly wasn’t the accomplished performance Rooney was giving at this stage of last season, but there were far more plus points than minus, with a good finish for his second and a stunning second half strike to nearly bring him his hat-trick.
A real plus from this encounter which won’t have gone unnoticed by Sir Alex Ferguson is the continued influence of Nani. The Portuguese sparkled all night and was by far United’s best player. Growing into the club and his own game, Nani was able to torment Villa all evening. The Villains’ defence were clearly aware of his ability to cut inside and strike it with his left foot, so in trying to continually shut out this option they were enabling him to get round the outside and get the ball in the box. Aware of his ability to do this, the former Sporting man was then able to get inside and threaten the goal on numerous occasions. Continually being doubled up on he was always able to find the space and create room for himself. His play for Rooney’s second goal was a huge indicator of his growing maturity. He was able to use his strength to hold off the full-back, desperately trying to bring him down, maintain his composure and pick out his striker with an inch perfect cross. A little over a year ago there would have been the potential for Nani to go down under the challenge or to take the shot on himself. He is fast maturing into one of the most devastating players in the Premier League.
United will be very pleased with what was a good performance for most of the encounter. They looked a real threat when going forward and defended resolutely under some concerted pressure. Many of the elements look to be falling into place which indicate United will hit form at the right time of the season. All that was lacking from this performance was an ability to close the game out in the early stages of the second half. If this can be achieved in the coming months United may be hitting title winning heights.
Starting XI
1 van der Sar
22 O’Shea - 5 Ferdinand - 15 Vidic - 3 Evra
17 Nani - 16 Carrick - 24 Fletcher - 11 Giggs
9 Berbatov - 10 Rooney
Substitutions
34 - 8 Anderson on for 24 Fletcher
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