Fergie hails Owen effect as United ease through
Owen scored the opening two goals — the first a scuffed low finish, the second far more emphatic — and Ryan Giggs’ deflected effort rounded off the victory before half-time.
Ferguson said: “His (Owen’s) ratio (of goals) to games is unbelievable, and his second goal was fantastic.
“With Berbatov, Hernandez, Rooney and one or two other strikers around the place he’s not getting the games he deserves, it’s unfortunate for him, but he’s fantastic to have around.”
At the other end of the age scale, there were debuts for defender Ezekiel Fryers, who produced an assured display alongside Michael Carrick at centre half, and fellow youngsters Paul Pogba and Larnell Cole.
And Ferguson said: “Young Fryers did very well, he wasn’t fazed at all.
“Paul got a good 45 and young Larnell Cole came on at the end — it’s good for them to get taste of the atmosphere and what the first team is like.”
Owen added: “It’s nice to score, it’s what my game’s always been about, but I always try contribute in other areas.
“I’m comfortable with trying to be an example to the young kids, I’m 31 and I’ve still got a few years in me.”
Owen started alongside Dimitar Berbatov, only for his strike partner to finish the game as part of an increasingly unorthodox back four after an injury to Fryers.
But Owen revealed: “He does it all the time in training, he thinks he can play centre-half so he was probably the first to put his hand up when we lost our centre-half.”
Leeds boss Simon Grayson saluted his opponents but was unhappy with his own side’s performance.
Substitute Ramon Nunez’s dreadful late miss summed up a lacklustre performance and Grayson said: “We tried to perform as well as we could but we didn’t pass well enough, didn’t create enough chances, didn’t work them hard enough.
“There’s a big gulf but we can’t be too down because it’s a big task. But we want to play them on a regular basis, that’s where we’re trying to get.”
Leeds fans never need to get up for this particular fixture.
A gap of eight years between visits to Elland Road, punctuated by that famous 2010 FA Cup triumph at Old Trafford when Simon Grayson’s team were still in League One, had heightened anticipation amongst the white rose contingent.
Had either Lees’ header, or Ross McCormack’s follow-up gone in, the roof would have come off this famous old stadium.
As it was, Ferguson found an unlikely saviour in Berbatov, who booted off the line on both occasions, allowing United to assume total control by half-time.
Owen’s first involvement saw a little jink inside Lees after he had collected Park Ji-sung’s square pass, then a rather scruffy finish that ended up in the bottom corner.
Andy Lonergan had no chance there, and he was equally helpless with Owen’s second. Again, the cross came from the right, this time delivered by Mame Biram Diouf. The finish was clinical, one touch to control, the second to belt it into the top corner.
Giggs provided the perfect ending to the first half for the Premier League champions, pushing the ball through Lees’ legs after collecting Park’s return pass from a short corner, then curling home a deflected effort with the outside of his trusty left foot.
It proved to be the end of the veteran Welshman’s contribution as promising midfielder Pogba was given his first taste of senior action at the break.
The French teenager could hardly have had a better position with which to begin life at senior level, although he will not remember the curling shot he skied into the night air with much affection.
Indeed, the second period was largely a forgettable affair.
Leeds found it impossible to give their fans the glimmer of hope they craved and United strolled around in comfort.
Owen came close to completing his hat-trick when he turned onto a Berbatov through ball and curled narrowly wide of the far post.
LEEDS: Lonergan, Lees, Bromby, White, O’Dea, Howson, Clayton, Becchio (Forssell 52), Snodgrass, Keogh (Vayrynen 52), McCormack (Nunez 66).
MAN UTD: Amos, Fabio Da Silva, Fryers, Giggs (Pogba 46), Park Ji-Sung, Carrick, Valencia, Owen, Berbatov, Macheda (Cole 77), Diouf (Welbeck 70).
Ref: M Jones (Cheshire).
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