Report: United 2 West Ham 0

United won with the minimum of fuss against West Ham, but this was still a performance very much to get excited about.

Cristiano Ronaldo struck both goals on a night he paraded his World Player of the Year award, while Dimitar Berbatov shone and Carlos Tevez, Nani, Anderson and substitute Wayne Rooney all showed glimpses of why this is one of the finest collections of players Sir Alex has ever had. There were plenty of tricks, flicks, skills and thrills to provide warmth as Manchester’s winter chill made an early appearance.

Sir Alex handed Carlos Tevez his first start in a month against his old club, as Rooney dropped to the bench, while there was no place for birthday boy Edwin van der Sar – he turned 38 today. He was replaced by Tomasz Kuszczak and Rafael was favoured at right-back ahead of Gary Neville and Wes Brown.

United set out with the same attacking intent that has markedly changed the Reds’ goal return in the past month; the first chance came in the third minute when Nani squared the ball to Berbatov, but Hammers skipper Matthew Upson got enough on the ball to deflect the striker’s shot over the bar.

Nani went close himself two minutes later after a neat move from the Reds. Darren Fletcher’s lofted pass was nodded into the Portuguese winger’s path by Anderson, and Nani’s first-time, left-foot shot flew narrowly past the far upright. Whether it had all come a little too easy to Sir Alex’s men in the opening exchanges, a short spell followed where red passes too frequently went astray, and players were caught in possession. But it didn’t last long.

Before kick-off Old Trafford paid tribute to Ronaldo as he collected his FIFPro World Player of the Year accolade on the pitch. So often last season Ronaldo provided the goals just when United needed them, so it was no surprise that he was the man to step forward. Nani was the provider, his centred ball across the penalty area finding his countryman free, and Ronny struck the ball left-footed past Robert Green.

United’s relentless forward march soon paid dividends with the second goal arriving 15 minutes before the break. It was a goal of sublime creation. Anderson’s channelled pass set Berbatov on his way, but with the ball tight to the byline the Bulgarian had precious little space to operate in. No problem. He stopped the ball with his left foot, pirouetted and flicked the ball over James Collins’ challenge with his right. Having skipped away it was a matter of squaring the ball across the six yard box for Ronaldo to slide in and grab his second of the night.

There was a palpable feeling of resignation among the away supporters as they ironically chanted “we’re going to win 3-2”, and it’s something that opposition teams have become accustomed to doing against the Reds: accepting that, at times, United are unplayable.

The second half started with the Reds comfortably in control; without any strong urgency to rack up a big score, but always displaying a desire to entertain, Berbatov in particular working through his full repertoire of languid yet awe-inspiring touches.

And if you think this article displays a lack of incident from Gianfranco Zola’s men, it’s simply that there was so little to report. It was all one-way traffic; exquisite football, at times carnival-like stuff, and West Ham had no response. Tellingly, a glance at the home bench showed Rooney and Ryan Giggs, among the Reds’ best performers in recent weeks, while Michael Carrick, Gary Neville, Ji-Sung Park, Ben Foster and John O’Shea provided further options perhaps only Chelsea can match.

Rooney and Carrick entered the fray with 20 minutes to go and West Ham hearts must have sank further still. Even Anderson was taking long-range shots from 30 yards.

Of course, the finest football does not guarantee trophies, but if United can perform like this throughout the season, the top honours will certainly be attainable - and there will be plenty of great football to look forward to along the way.

Team Line-ups

Manchester United: Kuszczak; Rafael (Neville 82), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Fletcher (Carrick 68), Anderson, Nani (Rooney 68); Tevez, Berbatov.
Subs not used: Giggs, Foster, Park, O'Shea.
Booked: Evra

West Ham: Green; Faubert, Upson, Collins, Ilunga; Bowyer (Sears 68), Mullins, Behrami (Boa Morte 45), Etherington (Collison 46); Bellamy, Di Michele.
Subs not used: Lopez, Lstuvka, Davenport, Reid.
Booked: Collison, Collins.

Rooney Hits Top Gear

Wayne Rooney says he hasn’t changed his approach after scoring his third goal in three games to help United to an impressive 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.

The 22-year-old Reds forward has been in fine form recently, scoring against Bolton Wanderers, Aalborg and now Blackburn. But Rooney defended his form at the start of the season by saying the only difference now is that he is finding the back of the net.

“Once you get your first goal of the season your confidence is sky-high. I’ve not really been doing anything differently,” he said after scoring the goal that clinched victory over Paul Ince's men.

“I’m not doing anything different to what I was doing at the start of the season. I’ve just been taking my chances – that’s the only real difference.”

Rooney’s performance – including his fantastic second-half top-corner strike – was arguably his most complete of the season so far. The same goes for United, whose fluid movement in attack was a joy to watch, particularly after the break.

“It’s a great result for us because it’s been a difficult place to come to in the last few years,” Rooney told Setanta Sports. “The conditions weren’t the best, it was raining heavily, but I thought we played well and deserved the win.

“We moved the ball well at times. We were confident in possession and getting the goal in the first half allowed us to pass the ball more freely in the second half. We knew we’d get the chances to finish the game off and we did.”