Man Utd 4-0 Wigan

Tevez sparks goal deluge



Manchester United finally hit the goal trail at Old Trafford and marched to the Premier League summit with a 4-0 blitz of Wigan.

After drawing yet another first-half blank, United turned on the power in the second period as Carlos Tevez opened their account before Cristiano Ronaldo's double and Wayne Rooney's late header finished off the Latics.

It was just the kind of result Sir Alex Ferguson demanded after a barren run by United's prolific scoring standards and extended their winning league run to six matches, during which time they have not conceded a single goal.

Throughout a succession of narrow victories Ferguson has continued to insist it would not be long before his side swamped an unlucky opponent.

And the Latics, beaten on all five previous meetings with their illustrious north-west neighbours by a combined score of 16-3, were the perfect whipping boys.

Indeed, had Chris Kirkland not been able to stretch out a hand and paw away an early Salomon Olembe header which seemed destined for an own goal, Wigan might well have been totally crushed.

Referee Mike Riley's inexplicable decision not to award Ronaldo a penalty when he collected the rebound and was instantly bundled over by Michael Brown was also significant in that sense as United's momentum stalled amid a hat-trick of unwanted injuries.

Ferguson had already suffered one blow as the latest in an almost laughable catalogue of fitness problems to hit Louis Saha forced the Frenchman to pull out in the warm-up.

Although Saha was only on the bench, his absence cost United a useful attacking option as Rooney's partnership with Tevez continued to falter.

It was at the back, though, where the major damage was inflicted as Nemanja Vidic failed to recover from an early clash of heads with Marcus Bent.

The tough-tackling Serb had already complained about problems with his vision once when he booted the ball out of play and sought more treatment.

It appeared Vidic merely wanted more time to recover, but after a lengthy discussion with club doctor Steve McNally, Ferguson eventually told the brave defender his appearance was at an end.

Within seven minutes Ferguson had lost John O'Shea as well after the Irishman pulled up with what appeared to be a muscle problem.

The second substitution provided Danny Simpson with his Premier League debut and Rio Ferdinand with his third central defensive partner as Gerard Pique, given only his second league start, took over from O'Shea, who had taken over from Vidic.

Given the huge injury list he already has to contend with, Ferguson could certainly have done without the disruptions and it hardly helped United's flow either.

An increasingly wound-up Rooney was booked for leading with his studs as he slid into Titus Bramble and, in the week when FA chief executive Brian Barwick unveiled his new strategy for gaining more respect for referees, the first half ended with Ronaldo, Ferguson and Ryan Giggs all offering Riley a piece of their mind.

Having done little to suggest they might be about to breach Wigan's defences, Ferguson might have been anxious at the break. If the Scot was worried, those fears were quickly dispelled.

Giggs had already rattled the bar when Rooney spun on halfway and fed Anderson, who in turn released Tevez.

The former West Ham star is not noted for his speed, but he had enough pace to hold off Kevin Kilbane, enough skill to step inside Bramble and Kirkland, and enough patience to wait for the right moment to belt his shot into the bottom corner.

It was if a pressure valve had been released around Old Trafford and within five minutes United netted a second as Ronaldo rose to nod home from point-blank range, after Kirkland had only been able to parry a Giggs cross that flicked off Kilbane.

From that moment on there was only one outcome and more good work from Anderson and Pique, who had adapted to his changing circumstances admirably, offered Rooney the chance to tee up Ronaldo for number three.

The effort was Ronaldo's fourth goal in five games and while he may still be 19 adrift of last season's phenomenal total, much like United, the brilliant Portugal winger is starting to find his form after a slow start to the campaign.

Re-acquainted with the taste for goals, Ferguson's men wanted more and Rooney duly obliged when he nodded home Simpson's excellent cross eight minutes from the end.

Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the impact of Carlos Tevez after Manchester United finally shrugged off their goalscoring problems to surge to the Premier League summit at the expense of Wigan.

For 53 long minutes, it looked like being another blank day for United as Ferguson's injury-hit side struggled to make their dominance tell.

But Tevez came to the rescue with a fine solo run and finish, after being released by Anderson - and with Cristiano Ronaldo adding two goals and Wayne Rooney completing a 4-0 scoreline, Ferguson's team recorded their sixth successive win and leapfrogged Arsenal at the top.

'We needed a spark - and Carlos provided it,' said Ferguson.

'There were challenges coming in from all angles. But he kept his nerve - which was the right thing to do.

'The second-half performance was absolutely superb. We speeded the game up, and the flow was much better.

'There was excellent interplay between the strikers, and it seems to be coming together.

'While there is still a long way to go, I have a lot of confidence in this squad.'

A sixth successive league clean sheet represents the best run in United's history.

The effort is even more remarkable, given the number of injuries Ferguson has had to contend with recently.

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and captain Gary Neville were already out - along with midfield quartet Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-sung.

The situation got even worse in the warm-up when Louis Saha limped out with a knee injury. Then Ferguson lost Nemanja Vidic to concussion and John O'Shea to a dead leg before the game was half-an-hour old.

'It was difficult,' reflected Ferguson.

'The injuries disrupted our rhythm, which always gives you a problem.

'They have put a lot of strain on us, so the ones who came in deserve great credit.'

Although Tevez took the man-of-the-match honours and Ronaldo and Rooney the other scoring plaudits, Gerard Pique - on his second Premier League start - and Danny Simpson - on his first - excelled, as did Anderson who played a major role in two of United's four goals.

'We knew they would come good sooner or later - you just hope it is not against you,' said Wigan boss Chris Hutchings.

'They have a great attacking threat from all areas and are a formidable outfit. That is why they are in the Champions League.'

Ferguson now has a fortnight to patch up his side for the trip to Aston Villa on October 20, while Wigan must rebuild after six matches without a win.

'The second half was a bit disappointing, because we lost our shape,' said Hutchings.

'But look at the players Manchester United have.

'When you try to stop one they always have someone else.

'They opened us up too easily in the end. But they scored seven against Roma last season, which shows you what they are capable of.'



Source - Soccernet