United’s big men stand up at last

Relief for David Moyes, the right response from so many of his main players.

This was a night when all of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and David De Gea undeniably performed for their manager, to deliver a genuinely uplifting comeback.

Moyes can now cautiously dream of replicating Chelsea in 2012, rather than fear the immediate future. The one lingering concern is the way in which United reverted to type to risk the game late on, but an encouraging new energy ultimately proved enough.