Cristian Ronaldo's brace condemned West Ham to a fourth consecutive defeat as Manchester United eased to victory.
Champions condem West Ham to fourth successive defeat
Cristiano Ronaldo's brace was enough to silence those that have accused him of being out-of-sorts this season and in the process condemn West Ham to a fourth consecutive league defeat.
Manchester United rarely had to get out of first gear as they had too much guile, power and pace for Gianfranco Zola's shy of confidence Hammers at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo's first saw compatriot Nani cast as the architect, as his precision cross from the left, after being fed in by Patrice Evra, was dispatched from ten yards.
It was then left to Dimitar Berbatov to further enhance his glowing reputation as a darling of the United faithful, when the most exquisite piece of skill left James Collins flummoxed on the by-line, before he fed in Ronaldo for the simplest of finishes.
Sir Alex Ferguson will feel his side could have scored more in the second half as they took their foot off the throttle, but it was a more than comfortable evening for the Scot and his players.
Tevez start
After Saturday's slip-up at Everton, the three points were all Ferguson wanted as his side look to keep current pacesetters Liverpool in view.
In leaving out Wayne Rooney for Carlos Tevez, Ferguson was omitting a man, one visit to Everton apart, at the top of his game.
The need to give Tevez a chance after sitting on the sidelines for virtually a month, was obvious. Some fans, though, questioned why Rooney was the man sacrificed. Others wonder why Berbatov was bought at all given last year's strikeforce proved to be a devastating combination at home and abroad.
Berbatov has tried to answer the doubters with a flurry of goals and eye-catching assists. But none came close to his contribution after half an hour.
Berbatov brilliance
Collins must have thought he was in control as he shadowed Berbatov to the by-line as the pair chased Anderson's pass. But the young Wales international was in for a shock. With a pirouette any ballet dancer would have been proud of, Berbatov turned, rolled the ball beyond Collins and was gone, hugging the white line before presenting Ronaldo with a tap-in for his second goal. Even Collins must have felt like applauding.
Having faced Arsenal at Upton Park on Sunday, Zola is quickly discovering management is not quite as easy as he found being a player.
If only Zola had someone with his instinctive brain and silky touch at West Ham. Almost daily his players are being linked with moves elsewhere.
England defender Matthew Upson is among that number, deservedly so judging by the way he threw his body in the way of so many United chances.
Berbatov, Ronaldo and star man Nani were all denied by the centre-half. There was nothing Upson could do to deny Ronaldo his opener though, the Portugal superstar crashing home from eight yards after one of Nani's pinpoint crosses had rolled into his path.
Tevez was eager to make an impression and he would have scored if his header from Patrice Evra's cross had been a foot either side of Robert Green rather than straight at him.
Any faint hopes of a West Ham revival were dealt a grievous blow just before the break when Valon Behrami went down in agony with no-one near him. The immediate fear was a serious knee injury and the Swiss was in obvious pain as he left the field on a stretcher.
Behrami blow
Zola might have been getting some much-needed advice as he strolled down the touchline in earnest conversation with Ferguson as the pair made their way to the dugouts.
But the second period just brought more worries for the newly-installed Hammers chief.
Tevez might have had a penalty when he was hauled down by Herita Ilunga before Nani's rushed his shot when Berbatov laid a neat pass and smashed it over.
The introduction of Rooney and, for only his third appearance of the season, Michael Carrick merely illustrated the difference in standards Zola must now try to overcome.
Rooney had gone for the bald look again and a delicate chip straight after his arrival might have shaved the crossbar if Robert Green had not touched it over.
There was nothing delicate about Rooney's next effort, a thunderous shot from 30 yards that Green was forced to beat away. The keeper might have expected to work harder when Patrice Evra set up Ronaldo but with a hat-trick beckoning, the winger's shot was disappointing.
Not as disappointing as the volley Craig Bellamy fired into the stands though which must have made Zola wish he could pull his boots back on.
| Manchester United |
Team Statistics |
West Ham United |
| 2 |
Goals |
0 |
| 2 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 9 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
3 |
| 5 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 3 |
Corners |
1 |
| 11 |
Fouls |
15 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
6 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 85.4 |
Passing Success |
78.7 |
| 13 |
Tackles |
23 |
| 76.9 |
Tackles Success |
69.6 |
| 58.3 |
Possession |
41.7 |
| 55.2 |
Territorial Advantage |
44.8 |
|
