Robson backs United to get back on title trail

BRYAN ROBSON backed his former club to charge back into the Premiership title reckoning after Manchester United spoiled his big day at The Hawthorns.

The United legend saw his new team, West Brom, hold out for the first 53 minutes of a tightly-contested affair. Then a Paul Scholes double and a header from Ruud van Nistelrooy wrapped up United’s fourth successive Premiership win and cast Robson’s West Brom side adrift at the bottom.

Victory kept United nine points adrift of leaders Chelsea with an increasing number of pundits suggesting the title is set to stay in London. But Robson said he expected the famous consistency of the club he served with such aplomb for so long would fling them into the race in the new year.

Robson said: “Arsenal are the team to beat because they have got the advantage and you can’t write off Chelsea. But I think United are on a roll and if they don’t get disrupted by injuries or suspensions they are still in with a great shout.”

Robson had done his best to derail Alex Ferguson’s in-form side during a tight first half. As expected he received a rousing reception from the United fans in the sell-out crowd but the pleasantries went no further.

Zoltan Gera had the best chance of the first half with a fine shot which brought a diving save out of Roy Carroll. But Albion’s early ambition was significantly hindered by the withdrawals through injury of impressive Romanian Cosmin Contra and defender Darren Moore. “We were hampered by the injuries which unbalanced us a bit but it was not just that, because United are a good team.”United proved it in the second half as they stepped up a gear immediately to seize control. Their opener arrived eight minutes after the break when Scholes fired a powerful right-foot shot into the corner of the net after a neat flick-on by Ryan Giggs. It maintained Scholes’ return to goalscoring, having hit his first of the season in the previous week’s win over Charlton.

Wayne Rooney tested Albion keeper Russell Hoult before van Nistelrooy grabbed his fourth Premiership goal of the season in the 71st minute. Heinze headed Giggs’ free-kick back across the face of goal where the Dutchman was waiting to nod home from point-blank range.

Scholes completed the scoring with his second nine minutes from time from a close-range header after the home side failed to clear Giggs’ free-kick.

Afterwards goalscorer van Nistelrooy echoed Robson’s belief that the title remained very much at the forefront of United’s ambitions this season.

Van Nistelrooy said: “We believe in ourselves, make no mistake about that. We never give up until the end and why should we? Now we are on a good run hopefully we can keep it going and we can only do that by working hard.”

With United now looking ahead for a chance to dent Chelsea’s advantage things look decidedly more grim for Robson’s men. Results going against them mean they wallow on their own at the bottom of the table with the manager presented with a number of new injury problems.