Manchester United 4-0 Wigan

Manchester United 4-0 Wigan

Manchester United continued their fine Premiership form with four second half goals, as they moved to the top of the table for the first time this season with a 4-0 win over struggling Wigan.
United, already without the services of Michael Carrick, Gary Neville and Owen Hargreaves, lost striker Louis Saha to injury during the warm up. And things did not get any easier for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side as both John O Shea and the in-from Nemnaja Vidic had to be replaced within the first twenty minutes. Perhaps it was these injury disruptions, but the home side failed to settle in the opening half hour. Wigan played their part, demonstrating discipline and resolve, although both Thomas Kuszczak and Chris Kirkland remained largely untroubled in a disappointing first half.
With such a depth of talent at their disposal, it was only a matter of time before United hit their straps, and they took the momentum into half time as first Cristiano Ronaldo and then Carlos Tevez fired in efforts on goal. Indeed it was the Argentinian Tevez who opened the scoring in the second half, holding off Kevin Kilbane, before drilling his effort beyond Kirkland. Ronaldo soon came to the party, heading in from close range on sixty minutes, before finishing a Wayne Rooney cross, to cap a fine afternoon for the Portuguese winger. And Rooney was to get himself on the scoresheet. Buoyed by a fine goal in Europe against Roma in the week, Rooney looked sharp all afternoon, heading home substitute Danny Simpon’s cross in the 82nd minute to complete the scoring. United will hope that Vidic in particular can return soon, as they put paid to criticism’s of their recent run of 1-0 victories with an attractive and efficient second half performace. Wigan, on the other hand, will want to keep an eye on the relegation zone, which they are slowly slipping towards.