United leave it late to seal win

Manchester United 3 Tottenham 0

After 89 minutes of tension and toil Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the gathering gloom around Old Trafford to revive expectation and optimism among Manchester United’s legion of support.

The howling gale billowing across the north-west this afternoon might have provided a useful metaphor for a season dramatically blown off course over the last fortnight.

Clinging nervously to the lead Ryan Giggs had given them with his impudent 29th-minute finish, United were set to advance into back-to-back meetings with Arsenal with the air of a condemned man until Ronaldo – the man who will eventually be asked to fill Giggs’ illustrious boots – made his dramatic impact.

Picking up possession just inside his own half, the 19-year-old strode forward with the confidence of youth and unleashed a devastating finish that left Kasey Keller with no chance as it crashed in off the post.

The noise cascading down from the stands was fuelled by the relief felt at a first league win since the end of January and a first clean sheet from two weeks before that and grew even louder when David Bellion slotted home an injury time third.

It is not a result that will end the pain of a Champions League exit and disastrous derby day defeat, the fall-out from which has been swift and condemnatory but it does ease the suffering slightly.

Even within the Old Trafford camp there has been open talk of players fighting for the futures and the list of potential departures has been long.

Sir Alex Ferguson decided it was time to rally the troops with a defiant ‘the empire is not crumbling’ message in his pre-match programme notes, which probably had a galvanising effect on his team, but not as much as the return of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to his starting line-up.

The loss of the Norwegian to knee surgery since mid-September might not have been an influence in the recent defensive catastrophes but as an attacking inspiration and replacement for departed England skipper David Beckham, his loss has still been keenly felt.

Just how much was emphasised in the opening period as Solskjaer embarked on half a dozen right-wing surges that would probably have brought greater reward that just a single goal had he been anywhere near match fit.

Instead, United had to settle for Giggs’ eighth goal of the campaign, but only his second on the league since November.

Solskjaer had already had a sighter, delivering a drilled cross from close to the by-line which evaded both Giggs and Diego Forlan.

That chance had been set up by the selfless industry of Ruud van Nistelrooy and it was the Dutchman’s willingness to roll his sleeves up and graft that won the throw that was eventually worked to Solskjaer on the right edge of the Spurs box.

The delivery was no less powerful than it had been before but this time it hardly got off the ground and, arriving at the near post, Giggs delivered the inspired right-heel flick which gave United the advantage they desperately craved.

Solskjaer might have added a nerve-easing second but did not have the strength to muster a finish to match a 30-yard burst over halfway and van Nistelrooy also saw a good chance go to waste when he took Giggs’ pass in his stride, rounded Kasey Keller but then got the ball stuck under his feet and allowed Anthony Gardner to clear.

In such abysmal conditions, the efforts of both sides to get the ball down and play deserved credit.

One Paul Scholes shot was actually blown away from goal such was the ferocity of the wind and the howling gale added strength to a Stephen Carr effort that Roy Carroll turned away late in the opening period.

That was about the best opportunity Tottenham had in the opening period but the interval introduction of Stephane Dalmat provided the visitors with an attacking impetus they had previously lacked.

Happily for the hosts though, the defensive brittleness so evident in recent weeks was absent as Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre remained resolute in their efforts to keep Spurs at bay.

It was United who had all the best opportunities after half-time but frustratingly none of them went in.

Forlan was caught completely off-guard when a Keane cross bounced off his thigh after van Nistelrooy had failed to connect with an attempted header, although the Uruguayan almost redeemed himself late on with a superb curling effort Keller was at full stretch to tip over.

Giggs nearly profited from John O’Shea’s gallop down the left wing but the Welshman blazed a first-time effort over.

In the end, it did not matter. United would probably have won without the late strikes from Ronaldo and Bellion but at a time when confidence is so fragile, those two goals could turn out to be so important to the Red Devils’ season.