Michael Owen scores his first goal for Manchester United as
they bounce back from their defeat at Burnley to thump Wigan with a
flurry of late goals.
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WITH one sweet swish of his left boot and delicate
application of instep to orb, Michael Owen was back. He preened
himself before his new club’s supporters and they sang the chorus
they had been storing since Sir Alex Ferguson signed him: “Are You
Watching Merseyside?” Manchester United were also back, finding
true form for the first time this season.
How inevitable it happened at Wigan. They have faced Ferguson’s
team 10 times since reaching the top flight and lost each time with
a cumulative goal difference of -26. If this was cricket, they
would be known as United’s rabbit.
In fairness, Wigan did not do their Flopsy Bobtail act until 11
minutes into the second half, when Wayne Rooney scored his 100th
goal for United with a sharp and decisive header, to jolt his team
out of their early-campaign lethargy and break his opponents’
resolve. Until then, Roberto Martinez’s men were competing, trading
chances with the champions and pressing a United midfield and
forward line which — except for Rooney and the industrious Darren
Fletcher — seemed worryingly containable.
Rooney’s goal woke Dimitar Berbatov, who scored a fine one of
his own and helped Rooney notch a second before Owen struck. In
stoppage time Nani exposed Chris Kirkland’s poor positioning with a
crafty free kick and suddenly Wigan faced their record Premier
League defeat.
While it remained 0-0, doubts created by Wednesday’s defeat at
Burnley still hung over United. “You always look for a response,”
said Ferguson.
“We’re not going to kill ourselves because of it but we’re going
to take reminders from it. It shouldn’t have happened but it did
happen and the players had to do something about it.” Owen’s strike
pleased him particularly. The striker, introduced for Rooney,
tailored his run expertly to the needs of Nani who required time to
manoeuvre into a position from which he could deliver a telling
ball, something the Portuguese, in his most mature United
performance to date, did with aplomb. The pass found Owen in a
pocket of space no bigger than a picnic-rug, with Kirkland fast
advancing. His dinked finish was instant, sending the ball home via
the far post.
“Fantastic goal, great run, the movement was excellent,”
Ferguson slavered. “Michael has been England’s best goalscorer over
the last decade and he proved that today. It will do him the world
of good.” Rooney — marvellously for England — is adopting his
colleague’s predatory mien. Goal No 100 came via a cross by Antonio
Valencia. Rooney’s next strike went in off Mario Melchiot’s shins
after Berbatov found him in the box.
Berbatov looked typically enervated before scoring and energised
thereafter. In a give-and-go with Paul Scholes he reached Scholes’
chipped pass, flicked it over Kirkland and hooked home the bouncing
ball. “Their first goal affected us too much psychologically,” said
Martinez. “It was two different games.”
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