Both Sir Alex and Nani claimed the Portuguese winger
produced his best performance in a United shirt on Sunday as United
beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
A brilliant piece of skill and a cute, chipped cross
led to United’s first (claimed by Nani but credited as an own goal)
and it was Nani who laid on the Reds’ spectacular second. In fact,
the Reds’ no.17 was at the heart of United’s most penetrating
attacks time and time again.
“I played well,” Nani admitted. “I scored one goal, provided an
assist and had a few other chances to score. It was a fantastic
performance and I’m happy to help my team win this game.”
Whether or not Nani will be credited with the strike will probably
be a matter for the Dubious Goals Panel. It will almost certainly
rule on the goal, although most pundits on Sunday agreed it should
go down as an own goal. Nani – surprise, surprise – had other
ideas.
"Of course it's my goal," he said. "I put the ball into the goal so
it should be my goal. I did everything to make it happen. I was
very confident and the dribble [on the touchline to beat two
Arsenal defenders] worked very well. I'm really happy to contribute
to today's win."
Meanwhile, Sir Alex was thrilled with the 23-year-old's
performance on Sunday and agreed it was his finest yet for the
Reds.
“Nani's last three games have been absolutely first class and today
was his best,” the United boss said. "He was absolutely
outstanding.
“It’s difficult to say why we’re seeing his best form now, but
maybe maturity is one reason. He’s a very shy boy and maybe his
personality is getting stronger and better for dealing with playing
for us every week. Today was an example of that maturity.
"Hopefully games like that will give him the confidence to know
he’s a United player. When you talk to the other players, they all
want him to play, they all think he’s fantastic."
Nani, who’s now made 50 league appearances for United, is confident
he can produce more top performances as the Reds chase a record
fourth consecutive league title.
“I’m working hard every day to be fit and ready to play. I’m very
happy because I feel the confidence from my team-mates, the manager
and the fans. I hope I can continue to show good form. I'm
feeling better with every game I play."