Manchester United 4 (Ronaldo 17, Tevez 33, Rooney 53, 70) Aston Villa 0
Manchester United put on a commanding display to destroy Aston Villa. It was capped by a number of great goals and one astonishingly impudent goal from Christiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo scored one and helped make the other three in an display that will have Chelsea and Arsenal seriously worried about their title prospects despite weekend wins for both teams.
Ronaldo’s goal, on 17 minutes, will live long in the memory of those at Old Trafford to see. A back flick from around the penalty spot that went through a crowd of players and into the net. Not just a back heel into the net from a yard out (Scholes scored one of those a while ago) but from so far out, I doubt any other player could pull it off.
If the first was individual brilliance, the second was a team goal of the highest order. Tevez started the move in the middle of the park, and the ball was played intelligently out to Rooney on the left. With Villa played out of position, Rooney gave the ball to Scholes whose pass out to Ronaldo on the right was so good that Ronaldo didn’t have to break step before playing a perfect first time cross. At the end of the cross was the man who started it all, Carlos Tevez with a simple header to make it 2-0.
The game effectively over, it was a question of how many of the chances United were going to put away. Rooney put the ball just past the post, then Ronaldo’s shot was deflected onto the bar. Eventually United got their third and Rooney scored at Old Trafford twice, both from great passed from Ronaldo.
If United, and Ronaldo and Rooney in particular, can keep up this form, the title will be in the bag.
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Villa are the sort of team you always want to play near the end of the season. Villa are 7th but with little chance of getting a European spot and have no win in four games. In short, they have nothing to play for. The last sort of team you want to face now is a team on the edge of the relegation battle. When playing Arsenal or Chelsea, you know it will be a battle and will be up for it. When you face a team at the bottom, subconsciously you think it will be easy but those teams have a lot to play for. Look at