Cats floored by two shots of Berb-on

DIMITAR BERBATOV continued his remarkable recent vein of goalscoring form with two against Sunderland taking his season’s tally to 13 in as many league starts for Alex Ferguson’s team.

Yet, it was a sign of United’s current dominance over the rest of the Premier League that the veteran manager could declare himself disappointed with aspects of the performance.

When the Bulgarian headed United in front after only four minutes, United always seemed destined to extend their unbeaten league run to 22 games and counting and, in the moments that followed that goal, a repeat of last month’s 7-1 demolition of Blackburn Rovers looked every bit a possibility.

Craig Gordon’s post was struck, his crossbar assaulted, and United looked capable of scoring every time they picked up the ball and waltzed through a Sunderland midfield painfully lacking enforcer Lee Cattermole, who would at least have made this walkover a contest of sorts.

As it was, it took until 10 minutes from time for Edwin van der Sar to touch the ball in anger, keeping out a hopeful Boudewijn Zenden long-range effort, and United could not have wished for a less taxing afternoon as they kept one eye firmly on tomorrow evening’s visit to Birmingham.

It was all enough for Sunderland manager Steve Bruce to declare United as the team to beat.

“That first half is arguably the best they have played,” said Bruce. “I hear they haven’t played that well and they’re unbeaten in — what? — six months; that’s not a bad stat.

“They’re top of the league with a game in hand. History tells you that they get better in the second half of the season. They’ve got some big games coming up but I wouldn’t bet against them.’’

Yet, the day should have been even more comfortable than it was — if at all possible — and United could not have wished for a better start than their early opening goal.

It came from a penetrating Ryan Giggs run through the middle of the park and a short pass to Wayne Rooney who, in turn, picked out Berbatov, lurking at the far post, with a magnificently-judged chip.

The Bulgarian forward stooped to head convincingly past Gordon, his 12th league goal in 13 starts for United this season.

United’s attacking switch has been well and truly turned on by that early opener and Sunderland threatened to capitulate in the waves of possession that the home side enjoyed immediately after.

Giggs again found Rooney and the England forward lobbed a shot just wide from the edge of the area before Anderson’s perceptive pass found Berbatov in the 11th minute and the forward surged into the area, defenders backing off, and thundered a shot against the post.

Yet more woeful defending presented Anderson with the space to line up a shot which also hit woodwork, this time the crossbar, five minutes later and Ji-Sung Park’s pass soon sent Rooney away only for the forward to fail to truly test Gordon, who smothered his shot easily.

Berbatov, also, might have done better on 19 minutes when Giggs carved open a shooting opportunity for him only for the goalscorer to this time find the side-netting and a spell of extraordinary United dominance ended with the outstretched legs of Gordon keeping out a Giggs effort.

Sunderland finally started to compete in midfield and take some of the sting out of the United attack and it was not until the 40th minute that the hosts again created a chance, with Anderson’s speculative shot bouncing wide from outside the area; the half then ending with Rooney’s low snap-shot being well held by Gordon.

Finally, in the opening minute of the second half, Sunderland had a shot on goal as a favourable deflection from a Steed Malbranque shot fell for Asamoah Gyan who flashed a shot well wide from a tight angle.

Anderson continued to exert his influence on the game, however, exchanging passes with Rooney and seeing his own shot charged down by some desperate Sunderland defending, before the Brazilian set up a second for United and Berbatov.

Anderson’s pass was breathtaking as he looked one way, and slipped the ball the other, for Berbatov to advance a couple of strides into the Sunderland area where his shot took a cruel deflection off Anton Ferdinand and past Gordon into the visitors’ goal.

Substitute Darron Gibson and Berbatov, with a 70th-minute half-volley which the goalkeeper did well to parry, further threatened the Sunderland goal as the game degenerated into the stuff of training ground work-outs.

Indeed, the only thing Ferguson could truthfully complain about — and it was a valid observation — was the fact that the finishing left something to be desired, particularly in the case of Rooney, who has still not scored in open play for United since March.

“Dimitar could have scored four or five today,” said the manager. “He had some terrific opportunities and was very unlucky with some of them.

“Wayne Rooney had a couple of tries, he was very unlucky with the chip he almost got in over the goalkeeper. The first half he had a couple of shots saved, he’s getting there. The important thing is he’s playing well, that’s refreshing.”