Champions Outclass Poor Potters

Manchester United 5-0 Stoke City

United gave a ruthless reminder of why they are the current Premier League champions with a high quality performance that the Potters simply had no answer too.

Stoke found themselves chasing the game early on, as any hopes of a repeat of our heroic clean sheet at Anfield earlier in the season, were washed away by a trademark Christiano Ronaldo free kick. A silly foul by Amdy Faye on Carlos Tevez lead to the Portugese winger slamming a swerving free kick past Thomas Sorensen in only the third minute.

A long afternoon could have been in prospect but the Potters battled on and and at times had chances to bring the game level. The closest they came was from a Rory Delap long throw which saw John O'Shea back header towards his own goal only for Edwin Van Der Sar to claw the ball away. Salif Diao then wasted a futher opportunity for the Potters when he blazed over from the edge of the box when well positioned.

Going into the interval at only one down would have given the superb travelling support optamism that Stoke could still get something from the game. But any chance of this was extinguised when Michael Carrick was allowed too much space on the edge of the box and chrisply fired past Sorensen to double United's advantage.

Moments into the second half it got worse for the Potters when futher poor defending saw £30 million striker Dimitar Berbatov turn the ball home from around six yards. Game over.

Stoke's minimal attacking threat had dried up completly as they were forced to deal with a barrage of attack from United and only some last ditch defending from in particular Abdoulaye Faye kept the score at 3-0 at this stage.


17 year old United substitute Danny Wellbeck then produced the goal of the game with a fantastic strike into the top corner, from well outside the area, that saw the helpless Sorensen with no chance.

Further punishment followed when Ryan Shawcross fouled Carrick on the edge of the box, which lead to Ronaldo scoring his second of the game with anoter well struck free kick that wrong footed Sorensen to complete a misrable afternoon for the Danish keeper.

Stoke could have no complaints about the scoreline as they were throughly outclassed by simply a much better team. Despite the scoreline however the Potters should not be too down hearted, so called better teams than Stoke have gone to Old Trafford and got a pasting in the past, and it's not results against the likes of Manchester United away that are going to be crucial in the fight for survival.

Man of the Match - Danny Higginbotham - Held his own when facing Ronaldo and got provided Stoke with rare attacking forays down the left side.

Attendance - 75,369

Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher (Gibson,63), Park (Welbeck,63), Tevez (Manucho,74), Berbatov.

Stoke: Sorensen, Griffin (Wilkinson,79), Abdoulaye Faye, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Olofinjana (Cresswell,31), Diao, Amdy Faye, Delap, Fuller (Kitson,68), Sidibe.