Away to Bolton

It was not a vintage performance, but it demonstrated the art of the being ruthless in front of goal very well. In terms of the number of chances created during the early exchanges, United was not ahead by much, but they finished their moved brilliantly.

Bolton defenses and midfield just could not contain the energy of United on the day, though United had to make an early replacement, putting the more pedestrian-paced Carrick on for the injured - later to a suspected broken foot - Cleverley. It was a typical Kevin Davies challenged coming from the blind side, missing the ball and catching the trailing leg. It looked innocuous, not even warranting a yellow card from referee Andy Marriner, but it was damaging enough never the less.

The opener came under 5 minutes, with Nani providing the low cross from the right and the newly-minted England International, Gary Cahill given a lesson by Chicarito. He was literally turned inside out, not even sure where Chica was. One nil.

The second and third came from Rooney's neat finish with Phil Jones providing the assists, the first being a good cross for Rooney to tap in, and the second, a low drive into the bottom corner, after a mazy Jones run, taking on four Bolton players. Not bad for a big guy. It remained three nil until the interval, although Chica did put the ball into the net the fourth time, but it was flagged off side.

United started the second half slowly, but soon settled back in with two quick goals. The first from Chica, an opportunistic but clinical finish. Nani receiving a long pass on the right touch, took a couple of defenders, and was clipped in the area. Referee played a good advantage, with the ball falling to Carrick after Nani was taken out. His low cross deflected nicely for the pouncing Hernandes waiting at the far post.

Soon after, Rooney completed his hattrick, again thanks to the skill of Nani, drawing the defenders towards his side of the field, creating daylight in the middle of the park for Rooney to receive his cut back. Another low drive to Jaaskelainen right hand corner, and it was five.

That stayed until the end of the game, with United deciding to rest some key players right after. Unfortunately, there were battle scars, with Evans having groin tweak and Evra overstretcthed his knee.

There were uncertain moment at the back with the physical approach of Bolton, but United defenders coped well. Even Rooney chipped in with a couple of vital blocks. De Gea was gaining confidence as the game wore on. Another clean sheet.

Man of the match? Rooney most definitely. His all round game, from defending set pieces and playing his colleague in in the middle of the park and the final third were exemplary. Eight goals in the first four Premiership Games of the season, and two hattrick in a row. He has to be the most in-form player in the League. Looking forward for next weekend game against Chelsea. But in the meantime, there was the matter of the trip to Benfica for the Champions League mid week.

Home to Arsenal

It was a privilege. A sort of birthday present. Asking for a clean sheet would be a tad ungrateful, but the eight goals were taken very well. And it was clear that the turning point was the penalty save by de Gea. Not only it lifted the team, that save would have given his confidence a world of good. A low hard penalty to his left from van Persie. Got down well to palm it away for a corner. That shot was poised for an equaliser.

We were cruising after a lucky goal from Wellbeck. How did he managed to get his head to the ball while being surrounded by three defenders and the goalkeeper would make Arsene cringe. Then came the first of two Ashley Young wonder strikes. We were playing champagne football by the time Rooney chipped the keeper from a free kick. We shut down before half time and conceded a goal in the dying minutes of the half.

Arsenal started the second half with impetus and got a few half chances. Then came another chipped free kick, again from Rooney. 4-1. Nani missed a glaring chance in front of goal a few minutes later, but atoned with a goal later, put on one-on-one by Rooney. No mistake there, but that was his last kick of the match before being replaced by Giggs. The sixth came from Park, before van Persie volleyed from point blank range to make it 6-2. United then wrapped things up when Arsenal was down to ten men. The seventh came as Rooney's hat trick from the penalty spot after Walcott clipped Evra inside the area. No mistake or penalty safe this time. The final goal came with the second wonder strike from Young in injury time. And that was how it stood when the fat lady sang. 8-2.

United could easily scored more, well into the double digit. Jones was solid at the back, de Gea was growing in confidence, but the man of the match was certainly Ashley Young. Arsenal did not help their cause, when they decided to play a high defensive line against a quick team like United. Even Alex Ferguson was sympathetic during his post-match interview. Arsenal could have made Rooney think twice about chipping the free kick if they had had a man to guard the post. They just did not learn their lesson, and did not change their tactics during halftime. Something very atypical of Arsenal. The only reason for that must be lack of personal. Arsenal definitely need to buy.

Home to Spurs

The three nil scoreline in the end did justice to the dominance United shown during the game against Spurs. It was worth me getting up at 3 am to catch the game. And with Astro already fixed in my study, I did not have to go upstairs to the main living room waking everybody up.

United looked mobile, and Spurs looked anything but. Bale did a few mazy runs on the left, while Lennon tried on the opposite end. However, both Evra and Smalling soon sussed the situation up, keeping them occupied with the runs of Nani and Young. We could have broken the deadlock in the first half, but chances went begging.

The second half started with Spurs on the front foot, but it was clear that when their forwards had the ball, there were no runners from midfield to offer support. The options were limited, and Jones read the game well and intercepted on numerous occasion. He not only nicked the ball, he launched a couple of attacks as well.

By the hour mark, Cleverley took the initiative and planted a great cross from the right, taken with aplomb by Wellbeck. One nil United. The next 15 minutes were rather tense as Spurs tried to salvage the situation. A deep cross caught by De Gea, who released Rooney, picking up the ball in his own half. A neat pass to Anderson at the edge of the box, who then set a through ball to Wellbeck. Occupying a defender, he neatly backheeled a return pass into the path of onrushing Anderson, who sidefooted past Friedel. Two nil.

The third was the icing on the cake, with Giggsy, on for Young lobbed onto Rooney's forehead. Despite missing a few earlier chances, he took it well and buried it into the far corner. If it was not for Friedel's heroics, it could have been more.

De Gea still had issues with high balls and direct play. He got a kick on his hands for his trouble from Jermain Defoe. He was not pleased. Still plenty to improve, but his distribution and ability with the ball on his feet was very good. A clean sheet in his first home game would definitely build his confidence up.

Wellbeck as man of the match? Not quite. He was sluggish before his goal. That accolade should go to Phil Jones. A future United and England Captain. Neat and tidy. Read the game very well. Great ability with the ball on his feet, and able start things off from defense rather than hoofing it. He was proving to be an astute signing by Sir Alex.

Great Start

Three points are three points. They will all tally up at the end of the campaign, and may be the difference between being the Champions, or the next title pretender. And it was great to have those points wrapped up in the away column, something we failed to do ten times last season in the Premiership.

This season will be a transition on a number of fronts. The aging squad has been injected with exciting new blood. Phil Jones looked a great buy, and Ashley Young looked to have played for United all his career. The third addition, the goalkeeper David De Gea, looks like he would need time to establish himself. After all, one thing being a Spanish International, but a United number one goalkeeper is a different thing all together. He is only 20 after all, and goalkeepers mature in their early 30s. There were arguments that United brought him in too early. I actually agree with that, but we still had to buy him. Buy him, but make him an understudy to the great van der Saar for a season. Following that argument, we should have invested in him last year.

He played a couple of televised games and made three blunders that cost us goals. But, that does not mean that he is the next Massimo Taibi, the rather unfortunate ex-AC Milan goalie who played six games for us, and was then quietly shipped back home. A folklore story at the stands at Old Trafford.

Exciting times none the less. Something to look forward to, and it will be a great season, with Citeh, Liverpool and Chelsea strengthening and Arsenal having their tail in between their legs! Next game, Spurs at home!

Charity Shield!

I thought that we were going to lose the plot in the second half, but to the players' credit, they dug in, and was rewarded with the win. Scoring in injury time was just rubbing it in, but as the penalty shoot-out neared, that seemed almost inevitable. United was just relentless.

I knew, it was only the Charity Shield, but the match was played at high tempo, and it was the most competitive Charity Shield match I have seen in years. Galvanised by the fact that it was essentially a derby - between a true champion and an upstart!

We were down by a couple of goals. Our new young keeper should have done better on those goals. So, what did Alex do during the break? Replace the first-choice centerback partnership with a new young combination. I thought Claverley and Jones impressed in the game. We already knew what Ashley Young can do, and he did not disappoint.

On the whole, I thought that it was a good results, especially judging from the level of fitness of the players. They were clearly fitter than the Citeh player by the end, and the mistake that Kompany made I was sure was down to fatigue and loss of concentration. He was otherwise a consistently sound defender. All of this clearly bode well for the new season.