Man United 3 Aston Villa 0: CHAMPIONS!…It’s Robin’s Victory Parade as hat-trick takes United to the title

Apr 23, 2013 Sports

---

 

Daily Mail – It was the performance that brooked no argument. Any team that can put the prize on the mantelpiece a full eight days before the end of April is worthy of respect.
The best? The worst? A weak league? A poor defence of the title from that lot down the road? These are arguments for another day.
Manchester United were superb against Aston Villa last night, Robin Van Persie exceptional. From the 94th second, when he scored his first, there was never any doubt of the outcome. Some would argue, the same could be said of the moment he put pen to paper as a United player.

Roberto Mancini, manager of Manchester City, for instance, said Van Persie could decide the title in United’s favour and so it has proved. Whether City were ever in competition for his signature is debatable.
Sir Alex Ferguson told confidantes two years ago that Van Persie was the one great player left at Arsenal and that he could get him at any time. Seeing the title go to City last season might have crystallised those thoughts.
Last night made the logic irrefutable. Van Persie destroyed Villa and, in doing so, steered United over the line at a trot. Nobody wins the title waving and throwing roses to the crowd. United, however, went close.
It helped that United had several swings at getting the three points required, not just this one, but even so Ferguson looked uncommonly calm prior to kick-off, still signing autographs after the match had started. He put his pen away just in time to see United take the lead.
Antonio Valencia carried the ball down the right and laid it back to Rafael, whose cross at first appeared to have been hit too deep. The curl on the ball kept it in and Ryan Giggs played the ball back across goal for Van Persie to tap it in from close range.
The celebrations began from there.
It was party time at Old Trafford, a surprisingly rare occasion considering this is Ferguson’s 13th league title.   Of those, just three have been clinched with a victory at home, so this was a night to remember. Sensing it, United stepped up the tempo and tore Villa to shreds. They could have been 4-0 up in 10 minutes.
From the next attack, Van Persie could have added a second, meeting a Valencia cross on the volley, the ball flying just over. A cross from Giggs was then headed back across goal by Van Persie, only for Shinji Kagawa’s attempt to be smothered.   Finally, Rafael shot from 25 yards, eluding goalkeeper Brad Guzan but not the far post.
Villa eased the pressure with a chance of their own from player of the season Christian Benteke, but it was brief respite.
United’s second goal came a minute later and, had it been the only event of the night, this would still have been a vintage performance.   Wayne Rooney played a quite stunning through ball, arguably the pass of the season, and it was met by Van Persie, outstripping Villa’s defence, for a first-time volley on the run that planted itself low in the corner of Guzan’s net.
It showed direct football at its simplest, but also its most beautiful — the long ball made exquisite.
Except this wasn’t just a ball: it was a pass.
And playing it may give a clue to Rooney’s future at Old Trafford. This has not been his finest season and even Ferguson has taken to issuing dark warnings about his place in the team.
In recent matches, he has reinvented Rooney as a midfielder, leaving Kagawa to partner Van Persie — but here was proof it could work. Rooney was superb in a deeper central role, always available, always ambitious in his play.
Ferguson once said he can play in any position and volunteers as much when United are short. If there is a hole at right back, Ferguson said, Rooney announces he could play there.
And, without doubt he can hack it in midfield: certainly against a team as raw as Villa. When he was substituted after 71 minutes it was to warm applause, not worried sideways glances.
It was nice Paul Lambert, the Villa manager, did not compromise his principles, although at times neutrals were close to begging him to sling 10 men behind the ball and defend, particularly when United added a third after 33 minutes.
It was Van Persie’s hat-trick goal and made him the Premier League top goalscorer this season. Kagawa found Giggs, who drove the ball into the penalty area and squared to Van Persie for what looked a simple conversion. Unfortunately, there was a complication.
Van Persie appeared to get the ball trapped beneath his feet. Others would have panicked. He rebalanced, took a couple of touches and somehow lofted the ball into the roof of the net with four Villa defenders plus Guzan between himself and the target.
It was a masterful finish, precisely what a fee of £24million is supposed to buy — what Chelsea thought they were getting for £50m from Fernando Torres.
And when Villa reconvened after half-time and took advantage of United’s relaxed mood, who was it who cleared Andreas Weimann’s header from the line as David de Gea flapped.
Van Persie, of course. The tradition will see Arsenal forming a guard of honour when Manchester United visit in six days time. It will stick in the craw to salute the former captain who deserted their cause, but no player will deserve it more.
Indeed, as one prime candidate withdraws from the running for Footballer of the Year, so Van Persie reacquaints us with the identity of the most influential player this season. Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale have turned in magnificent individual displays for Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, propelling their clubs forward, but Van Persie has defined the title race.
Points Table:
Teams                          P     GD     PTS
1 Manchester United            34     43     84
2 Manchester City            33     29     68
3 Arsenal                        34     30     63
4 Chelsea                        33     31     62
5 Tottenham Hotspur            33     17     61
6 Everton                        34     13     56
7 Liverpool                        34     19     51
8 West Bromwich Albion  33     -1     45
9 Swansea City            33     1     42
10 West Ham United            34     -7     42

---

---