Miller ace in Wolves pack as United stunned

KENNY MILLER left Molineux on Saturday with the match video tucked under his arm and his indelible mark on Wolverhampton history assured.

Miller chose the 67th minute against the champions to score his first Premiership goal and seal one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s history.

The 24-year-old Scot’s golden moment will be relived in the Black Country for years and the Miller household will be no exception.

“I’ve got a copy of the video and it will be going straight on when I get home,” he said. “I’ll treasure the moment, because it was my first Premiership goal and to score it against Manchester United is a dream come true.

"I’ve been disappointed with the chances I’ve had this season and a striker does thrive on confidence. But I thoroughly enjoyed the way I played today.”

Miller’s goal was enough to lift his side off the foot of the table, while United teetered on the top after a result which will have shook their title quest to its core.

Alex Ferguson’s men played most of the match in second gear and although they shaded a lacklustre first-half and were denied late on by some superb Michael Oakes saves, they scarcely deserved a share of the spoils.

Of course Ferguson saw it differently as he prepared to take his team off for a mid-season break to Dubai. “They were never in the game and that is a fact. We made some great positions, controlled the game and it was very disappointing.”

Ferguson did pay tribute to the battling qualities of Dave Jones’ men, adding: “Don’t forget this is a team that is fighting for its life. They want to stay in the Premier League because their whole history is Premier League football. They showed today they had the appetite to try and stay there.”

United’s day began bleakly when Rio Ferdinand sustained the 14th-minute knee injury which would ultimately see him hobbling off the field early in the second half to begin his eight-month suspension.

On a day in which Ferdinand’s decision to begin his ban despite a pending appeal had hit all the morning headlines, there was a certain irony in the fact that it was his replacement Wes Brown’s slip which let Miller in to shoot the winner past Tim Howard.

When Wolves were humbled 5-0 by Chelsea on September 20 even the most optimistic of fans could not have expected an unbeaten home run which is now extended to 10 games.

However, the home side’s renewed confidence was evident from the start as they set about a United shorn of Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs with plenty of purpose. Only their sluggish front men, Miller included in the early stages, failed to test the United backs.

United finished the half ominously in command with Oakes parrying Quinton Fortune’s free-kick then tangling with Fletcher in the box bringing vociferous penalty appeals from the United players.

Wolves continued to frustrate and Ince’s policy almost paid off with a flying 48th-minute effort which clattered Howard’s right-hand post.

Oakes grew in stature, denying Scholes with a fine 56th-minute save after an excellent lay-off from van Nistelrooy.

Then Miller raced onto Irwin’s flick and capitalised on Brown’s misfortune to net his side’s first goal against United since 1984.