Manchester United 3 - 0 West Ham United

United were just too good. The Reds dominated right from the start and West Ham's futile resistance only lasted until the 33rd minute when Wayne Rooney opened his account for the season from the penalty spot. Goals of unquestionable class from Nani and Dimitar Berbatov followed after the break, sealing as convincing and comfortable a 3-0 win as you are ever likely to witness.

Avram Grant’s side arrived at Old Trafford bottom of the table and without a win in their first two games – defeats to Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers, which on both occasions saw them concede three goals. Their narrow 1-0 midweek win over Oxford offered some respite, but the second round of the League Cup is a far cry from Old Trafford, and the gulf in class was brutally apparent.

However, United too had a point to prove – which Sir Alex's men would do emphatically – after dropping two against Fulham last weekend. Sir Alex made three changes to the team that drew 2-2 at Craven Cottage. Rooney, who missed the Fulham trip with a stomach bug, replaced Javier Hernandez up front alongside Berbatov. Nani was drafted in for Antonio Valencia, while Ryan Giggs replaced Ji-sung Park.

The autumnal weather in Manchester – a seemingly random mix of wind, sun and rain – left a slick surface which, as well as encouraging a few late sliding tackles from West Ham’s feistier players, allowed United’s rapid passing to blossom.

Rooney registered the first effort on goal after 10 minutes, shuffling across the edge of the box to fire a low, skidding effort into Robert Green’s arms. United’s attacking play was full of intent with

Rooney, Berbatov and Nani at the centre of it. The latter two men combined on 20 minutes for a move that should have yielded the first goal. Vidic’s long, diagonal ball forward picked out Berbatov in space. The Bulgarian – nonchalantly as is his way – flicked the ball back into the path of Nani, whose thunderous effort crashed off the crossbar via a vital fingertip save from Green.

West Ham, for their part, offered energy and industry but little genuine quality. And after 33 minutes United finally took the lead from the penalty spot. Paul Scholes' sumptuous pass picked out Ryan Giggs on the left and he befuddled former Red Jonathan Spector and was subsequently clumsily fouled by the American. After Nani’s miss last week at Fulham, and with United’s talisman back in the team, there was no doubting who would take this penalty. Rooney stepped up confidently, arced his run and sent Green the wrong way to give United a deserved lead.

Clearly in the ascendancy the Reds went searching for a second before the break. Darren Fletcher forced another fine save from Green, this time with a curling effort from 25 yards that West Ham’s shot-stopper turned around the post. Then Berbatov fired over from six yards with a difficult shot on the bounce, while Nani also shot over the bar with a lob that required a far more delicate touch to beat the onrushing Green. United went in at the interval with a slender 1-0 lead; fully dominant thought not completely ruthless in front of goal.

But there was no profligacy from Nani five minutes into the second half. The Portuguese winger cut inside from his station on the right, had defenders

back-tracking and falling over their own feet, then struck a vicious left-footed shot past Green from 18 yards to make it 2-0.

United’s football at times was sublime, the neat trickery and interchanging play between Berbatov and Nani in particular catching the eye. Admittedly, West Ham looked lost defensively. Kieron Dyer hit the outside of the Edwin van der Sar’s post after 55 minutes, but it says it all that the Hammers fans almost didn't notice, they were preoccupied with entertaining themselves with their repertoire of songs.

The Reds’ third goal was the best of the lot and came after 69 minutes, unsurprisingly with Nani and Berbatov combining to score it. Nani pitched up a cross to the far post and Berbatov waited unmarked before scissor-kicking the ball past Green. Technically wonderful, with pin-sharp precision, summing up the Bulgarian's input all afternoon.

With the points wrapped up, Sir Alex made a triple substitution with fifteen minutes to go. Chris Smalling came on for his home debut, replacing Jonny Evans; Michael Owen made his first appearance at OT since suffering an injury in February, in place of Berbatov; while Michael Carrick came on for the, once again, impressive Scholes. The Hammers fans' joked “we’re going to win 4-3” and even resorted to pretending they’d scored four goals to clinch victory. There was no chance of that, of course, United were a class above Avram Grant’s side. And while performances like this indicate that the Reds will be challenging at the top end of the table this term, so too it suggests that West Ham will be scrapping at the exact opposite end of the table.

Champions League draw

Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea have been drawn in Group F against Olympique Marseille, Spartak Moscow and Zilina of Slovakia.

Manchester United will face Valencia, Scottish champions Rangers and Bursaspor of Turkey in Group C

Arsenal are in Group H where they will take on Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga and Partizan Belgrade.

Tottenham Hotspur's reward for beating Young Boys of Bern is a mouth-watering series of matches against holders Inter Milan, Werder Bremen and FC Twente in Group A.

They will all be bidding to win through to the last 16 and keep alive their hopes of making the final at Wembley.

Group A

Inter Milan

Werder Bremen

Tottenham Hotspur

FC Twente


Group B

Olympic Lyonnais

Benfica

Schalke

Hapoel Tel Aviv


Group C

Manchester United

Valencia

Rangers

Bursaspor


Group D

Barcelona

Panathinaikos

Copenhagen

Rubin Kazan


Group E

Bayern Munich

AS Roma

Basel

Cluj


Group F

Chelsea

Olympique Marseille

Spartak Moscow

Zilina


Group G

AC Milan

Real Madrid

Ajax

Auxerre


Group H

Arsenal

Shakhtar Donetsk

Braga

Partizan Belgrade

Fixtures to be played on: 14th/15th September, 28th/29th September, 19th/20th October, 2nd/3rd November, 23rd/24th November and 7th/8th December.

Fulham 2-2 Manchester United

Brede Hangeland headed a last-minute equaliser to deny Manchester United victory in a gripping Barclays Premier League match at Craven Cottage.

United appeared to be heading for victory when Hangeland scored an unfortunate own goal with seven minutes go - the first act of a breathless climax.

Nani missed a penalty moments later that would have put Sir Alex Ferguson's side 3-1 up after Damien Duff handled in the area.

And United were punished for Nani's wastefulness in the final twist as Hangeland atoned for his earlier blunder by powering a header past Edwin van der Sar.

A fine start from the Barclays Premier League runners-up was rewarded in the 11th minute when the influential Paul Scholes powered home a low 25-yard drive to register his 150th goal for the club.

But Fulham, who dominated lengthy spells after the interval, showed resolve to claw back the deficit with an emphatic strike from midfielder Simon Davies.

It was a thrilling way for Mark Hughes to mark his first home match as Fulham manager while Ferguson will know his side deserved no more than a point.

But he would have been delighted by United's formidable start when a dashing early run from Antonio Valencia caught the eye only for Scholes, the intended recipient of his back heel, to stumble on the ball.

Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher combined to good effect without any end product as play began to concentrate on Fulham's area.

Only lightning reflexes from David Stockdale kept a header from Berbatov out but moments later the Cottagers keeper was beaten by a magnificent strike from Scholes.

The ball was sprayed around with ease from a corner until Berbatov teed up Scholes who found the bottom right corner with a powerful low drive from 25 yards out.

Davies flashed an effort over the bar at the other end but United were still looking formidable as Berbatov tested Stockdale from a tight angle.

Bobby Zamora was gifted a free header from 10 yards out, but he could only nod a cross by Paul Konchesky wide with the target at his mercy.

Berbatov directed a header over the crossbar but United's defence was in disarray in the 31st minute and only a superb double save from Van der Sar denied Fulham.

Zamora used his strength to cause problems on the edge of the area and possession squirted out to Dempsey, who laid on a perfect pass for Dickson Etuhu.

Etuhu directed his first shot straight at Van der Sar but was presented with a second attempt when the ball rebounded to his feet only for the Dutch keeper, who was sat down, to prod the effort over the bar with an outstretched hand.

Despite the fluidity of United's play, with Berbatov, Javier Hernandez and Valencia prominent, Fulham looked very capable of pinching an equaliser.

Scholes almost jinked his way into a shooting position but Fulham were enjoying the lion's share of possession early in the second half.

Zamora blazed a free-kick over the crossbar after he had been hacked down by Jonny Evans and the balance of power was clearly shifting with the equaliser arriving in the 57th minute.

A rampaging run from Duff swept the winger away from Patrice Evra before he found Zamora, whose astute pass fell to an unmarked Davies.

Stood 10 yards out and with time to pick his spot, the Wales midfielder thumped the ball past Van der Sar.

Substitute Nani was making a telling impact and he expertly teed up Berbatov who was bundled off the ball as he was pulling the trigger.

Van der Sar caught a dangerous curler from Danny Murphy while at the other end a Nani free kick crept narrowly over the crossbar before skipper Nemanja Vidic directed a header off-target.

With 11 minutes to go Zamora blew a fine chance, and Fulham were left ruing the opportunity as they conceded a disastrous own goal.

Nani's innocuous-looking corner fell straight to Hangeland, deflecting off his shin and into the goal.

Fulham suffered another blow in the 86th minute when Duff handled the ball, but Stockdale pulled off a fine save to deny Nani from the spot.

Yet Hangeland and Duff still had time to make amends for their errors in a breathless finish that saw Fulham get what they deserved.

Duff floated in a corner from the right and Hangeland leapt high to nod it home, via a touch from the hand of the diving van der Sar.

Manchester United 3-0 Newcastle United

Dimitar Berbatov sent Manchester United on their way to a comfortable win over Newcastle United as the Red Devils began their Barclays Premier League campaign in style.

Berbatov took full advantage of a probing through-ball from Paul Scholes to break the Magpies defences in the 33rd minute.

The Bulgarian might have had more but once Darren Fletcher had doubled the hosts' lead before the break, it was left to substitute Ryan Giggs to add the gloss with an excellent late volley, maintaining his record of scoring in every Premier League season to date.

Newcastle made a confident start, with highly-rated striker Andy Carroll well to the fore.

Nemanja Vidic accidentally caught Magpies skipper Kevin Nolan on the back of his head as the pair challenged for an aerial ball.

John O'Shea was unable to steer a header into Berbatov's path after some impressive approach play involving Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney.

A neat backheeled return pass from Nani offered Rooney the chance to curl a shot goalwards but his effort was off target.

In between, Wayne Routledge had been forced to use his right foot to try and pick out Andy Carroll at the far post when his left might have brought some reward.

Carroll did get on the end of Joey Barton's corner though and, after losing Vidic, he should really have done much better than head tamely wide.

Nani's shot was deflected wide as the game began to open out and Smith flung himself in the way of John O'Shea's piledriver after the Irishman had been invited to shoot by Antonio Valencia.

Smith sent Paul Scholes flying as the veteran midfielder tried to carve out another opportunity, but Nani's free-kick was a disappointing one, straight into the Newcastle wall.

Carroll brought a decent low save out of Edwin van der Sar, then Barton chopped down Nani to earn the game's first booking.

An intricate free-kick move ended up with the ball at Rooney's feet, although the striker's wait for his first goal since March continued as he dragged his shot wide.

Michael Williamson rescued himself with an excellent tackle to rob Nani after he had been played into trouble by Fabricio Coloccini.

Rooney must have been thinking he would never score again when Berbatov's nod-back offered him the chance to strike a close-range volley, albeit with the ball bouncing behind him, but he skied it harmlessly over.

Berbatov soon showed him how it was done after Valencia chased back unselfishly to set an attack in motion that ended with Enrique nudging Scholes' pass on to the Bulgarian, who steadied himself and then drilled into the far corner from an acute angle.

Nani gifted Barton possession on the edge of the United box but the midfielder went for goal himself rather than attempt to pick out better placed team-mates and Van der Sar made a comfortable save.

It proved to be a costly error as four minutes before the break, United grabbed their second

Nani sent Patrice Evra racing into the box and although Rooney could not control the Frenchman's low cross, he did prod the ball into the path of Darren Fletcher, who turned Coloccini on the edge of the six-yard box and found the net with a smart finish.

Harper came out to collect Nani's cross at the feet of Rooney as the hosts began the second period looking for more goals.

Nani was eager to make an impression personally and his quick feet allowed him to get away from Williamson but he ran down a cul-de-sac and Enrique drew a free-kick in the winger's desperation not to lose possession.

Scholes could easily have had a penalty when he fell under Coloccini's challenge just inside the box then Rooney opted to try and find Berbatov rather than go for goal on his own, which hinted at a lack of confidence as he picked out Perch instead.

There was nothing wrong with his first-time lay-off of a fierce Scholes pass that put Berbatov clean through.

The Bulgarian beat an advancing Harper, but also the far post.

Another sublime pass from Scholes, this time over the top of Newcastle's static defence, set up Berbatov but the striker's acrobatic volley ended up nearer the corner flag than the goal.

Giggs then found Berbatov with a brilliantly disguised pass, although Harper got in the way of an improvised cross before Hernandez and Valencia could pounce.

Newcastle had enough possession to remain interested without pressurising Van der Sar, as Shola Ameobi proved as he sent a far-post header wide.

United were dominant and with six minutes remaining, Scholes picked out substitute Giggs who found the far right corner with his first-time volley.

Monday start is a blessing

Sir Alex Ferguson says it could be a blessing that United's first game of the season against Newcastle is on a Monday night, as it will give his players additional time to recover from the midweek internationals.

Several players were on international duty in midweek, including Ji-sung Park travelling to Korea, Javier Hernandez playing against Spain in Mexico, and Rafael travelling to the USA for Brazil's friendly match.

All three players have returned to Carrington with their fellow international Reds and will train with the rest of the squad today. But Sir Alex has made clear to his men that it is imperative that United are quick out of the traps.

"The game being on Monday is a blessing after our players' midweek travels," the Reds boss told reporters on Friday morning. Javier Hernandez was over in Mexico, Ji-sung Park in Korea, Rafael da Silva in the States for Brazil, Jonny Evans in Montenegro, Nemanja Vidic in Serbia. They’ll train today.

"In a normal situation, you’re wondering how they’ll be when they come back and you’re having to wait until the Friday morning to see how they are for the game on the Saturday. But now we’re not playing until Monday, it gives us a couple of extra days to prepare. So I think it’s a bit of a blessing for us."

"The other way of looking at it is that all our major competitors could win on Saturday and Sunday, and you don't want to start the season three points behind your rivals."

United know the dangers of early-season defeats to newly-promoted teams, of course, having lost away to Burnley in the second game of the 2009/10 campaign. So Sir Alex knows Newcastle pose a serious threat.

"Last season we went to Burnley and lost," recalls the boss. "You’re always wary of a team that’s just been promoted because their motivation is obvious. Newcastle – what were they last season? I think they were a team of great work ethic and the manager takes terrific credit.

"[Chris Hughton] wasn’t everyone’s choice to be Newcastle manager, but he did a great job," Sir Alex continued. "He had to deal with all the financial constraints and he sold a lot of players but created a bond with the players he had and they all fought to get out of the division. So I think we’ll find on Monday that Newcastle will come and battle. That’s the first thing they’re going to do and it won’t be an easy game."

Wayne Rooney is currently the most selected striker in the game.

Time is running out for players looking to tweak or register their 15-man squads in order to start scoring points from this weekend.

With so many fans entering teams, the competition will be ferocious in the bid to emerge as the best Fantasy Premier League manager of the 2010/11 season.

Wayne Rooney is currently the most selected striker in the game. Manchester City's Carlos Tevez is also proving a popular choice, while Hugo Rodallega of Wigan Athletic is the third most selected striker.

Frank Lampard is edging Gareth Bale in the popularity stakes as players flock to sign the London-based midfielders, while Barry Ferguson's £4.5m price tag is proving a big pull for entrants.

Chelsea captain John Terry is the most popular defender, narrowly leading the way ahead of Michael Dawson and Ryan Shawcross.

Tottenham players are proving a big hit, and it is Heurelho Gomes who is the most popular goalkeeper ahead of Blackburn Rovers' Paul Robinson and Thomas Sorensen of Stoke City.

The Barclays Premier League has attracted a number of new faces over the summer and Man Utd's Javier Hernandez could be money well spent at £7.5m after an encouraging pre-season.

Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh is proving popular, although fans are still to be convinced by new Manchester City purchases David Silva and Aleksandar Kolarov, despite their attacking tendencies.

Giant Birmingham City striker Nikola Zigic has only been selected by two per cent of teams, while new Liverpool attacker Milan Jovanovic may have to prove himself before winning the trust of managers.

The game is free to enter and players can make unlimited free changes ahead of the deadline for Gameweek One at 11.30 BST on Saturday. Click here to register and enter your team.

The overall winner of Fantasy Premier League 2010/11 will win a VIP trip for two to a Barclays Premier League match featuring a team of the successful player's choice. The winner's prize includes travel, two nights' hotel accommodation, two match tickets, pre-match meal and £250 spending money.

Nike has launched their new Nike Total 90 Tracer ball in time for this season's Barclays Premier League.

The new ball has been designed for unrivalled consistency, accuracy, touch and visual acuity and developed in tandem with the world's premier footballers and teams.

It was meticulously engineered down to every detail including the bladder's tension, hand-sewn seams and surface texture. The result is a ball that delivers superior playing benefits for players at every level.

During an extensive two-year testing process Nike worked closely with the Premier League and other top leagues in Europe, with national teams including Portugal and the United States, and confederation matches throughout South America and Asia.

The Nike design team also spent 18 months testing the T90 Tracer Ball at the Nike Equipment Innovation Test Lab in Oregon, USA.

The world's best leagues, federations and players demand the most innovative product on the market, that's why our brief was very simple: to create the world's best football," said Chris Bond, Nike General Manager of Soccer Equipment.

"As the game gets even faster and more competitive around the world, we've designed a product to exceed the demands of today's players from the amateur to elite levels."

The result is the Total 90 Tracer, which delivers enhanced consistency, accuracy, touch and visual science. It is the most pinpoint accurate ball in the world, helping players hit their targets with consistency.

Testing shows that the Total 90 Tracer consistently hits a three-foot in diameter bulls-eye while the leading competitor ball hits a bulls-eye approximately six-feet in diameter, showing the Total 90 Tracer is more than twice as consistent as the competition.

The Total 90 Tracer ball's micro-textured casing regulates airflow equally across its entire surface, making it less prone to wobble and giving it a more direct, arrow-like flight. Rigorously tested at the University of British Columbia wind tunnels, the ball has less drag in flight than competitor balls and produces more precise and truer shots every time.

Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen believes accuracy of the new T90 Tracer Ball means it is the best yet.

"We've been used to the Nike ball in the Premier League for 10 years now and it has progressed," he said. "I think it is a better ball now than when it started. A lot of research has gone into it.

"From a goalkeeper's point of view, you want confidence that you can make the ball do certain things and it's not the ball doing it on its own. Because that puts unpredictability in there as a goalkeeper if the flight of the ball is not true to the strike, it's not a confidence builder."

Testing at the Nike Equipment Innovation Test Lab found that the Total 90 Tracer is the most aerodynamically efficient ball in the marketplace, meaning players expend less energy kicking the ball.

Nike's T90 Tracer ball will make its competitive debut when Tottenham Hotspur play Manchester City on Saturday 14th August 2010 at 12:45pm.

United agree Bebe deal

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has signed Vitoria Guimaraes striker Bebe, subject to a medical.


Personal terms have been agreed with the 20-year-old, whose full name is Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, and he will move to Old Trafford for an undisclosed fee.

The Portuguese forward had also been closely linked with Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid but he will join fellow new signing Javier Hernandez as Sir Alex Ferguson bolsters the Red Devils' forward line.

Bebe made a name for himself at Vitoria after joining from Estrela da Amadora and, despite his tender years, has a strong physical presence as well as technical aptitude, vision and good passing skills.

Bebe has no senior caps for Portugal but has represented his country in the homeless World Cup after spending part of his childhood living on the streets.

The 6ft 2in forward signed a five-year contract with Guimaraes in July but has been captured by United, reportedly after former assistant manager Carlos Quieroz recommended the player to Ferguson.

Chicharito scored the goal for Mexico

Mexico drew with Spain 1-1 on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, in an friendly match for the Mexico Independance Bicentenary celebration.

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez scored the goal for Mexico in the 13th minute.

Sir Alex strikes it rich

Sir Alex Ferguson hopes his three goalscorers against Chelsea have served notice of a bright season ahead.

Despite only making one previous pre-season appearance, Antonio Valencia gave Ashley Cole a torrid time at Wembley and opened the scoring with a delightful goal. Following an impressive first season, the Ecuadorian could again be a major player for United this term.

"Antonio was excellent, absolutely superb," Sir Alex told MUTV. "This year he speaks English far better and that brings a great advantage in terms of communication. He's going to improve. You saw the signs last year and he had a great season.

"This year he'll have more authority, more confidence in the people around him and we've got more confidence in him. We kept giving him the ball, and that's an indication of what the players think of him. They couldn't feed him quick enough because he's such a threat and so powerful and strong."

Chicharito somehow contrived to head home his own shot for United's second but, despite the comedic nature of the goal, Sir Alex is delighted with the way the Mexican has bedded in at his new club, and expects him to handle life in the spotlight.

"I think he can handle that (hype)," he said. "He's got a nice personality and nice manners, he speaks the language well and he's integrated into the first team squad very well. The players love him. His goal today, it was going in anyway, but fortuitously it hit his head and it counts as a header! It was unbelievable."

Fellow substitute Dimitar Berbatov lobbed home United's clinching goal in injury-time, and the Bulgarian is also tipped to showcase his unquestioned talent on a more sustained basis.

"It was a beautiful goal," said the manager. "He's got outstanding class, he's got genius in him at times. Maybe this'll be his best season because I don't think he enjoyed some of the publicity last year. Everybody's sensitive to these things but today, as he's shown many times at the club since he came, he's got wonderful talent."

Chicharito settling in

Nemanja Vidic is impressed by the way Javier Hernandez has adapted to life at United, while Paul Scholes has likened Chicharito's clinical finishing to former team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Hernandez scored on his competitive debut in Sunday’s Community Shield win over Chelsea, having already hit two goals for the Reds in pre-season.

"He looks sharp," Vidic told MUTV. "He likes the ball played in behind the defence, he has pace and has scored already, which will be great for his confidence. He seems like he's enjoying himself, he speaks English well and that’s helped him to settle more quickly. It's like he's been here for three years!"

And when Scholes is almost effusive with his praise, you know the recipient must be worthy of it. "He looks like an out-and-out goalscorer," says Scholes. "That’s not to say he can’t play outside the box as well, because when the ball comes up to him his touch is good as well. But he's a threat in behind defenders, and hopefully he’ll score a lot of goals this year.

"People say he's like Ole, and I thought that the first time I saw him in training. We did a finishing session and everything was in the bottom corner. He scores whenever he gets a chance

He comes on and looks lively. He’s adapted to the pace of the game already. He's capable of scoring goals and if he’s anything like Ole, we’ll take that."

Vidic, who was captain for the day at Wembley, was also pleased to see Dimitar Berbatov get on the scoresheet with an exquisite chip in stoppage-time. "Everything Dimi does on the pitch is brilliant, but for him it's important to score goals too," the Serbian said. "I hope he gets a few this year to help us win trophies."

Vida’s happy to have ended speculation about his future by agreeing a new long-term deal at the end of last month. "I'm happy everyone is behind me," he added. "In my head I was clear, but now all the talk off the pitch will stop and that's helpful for me and the fans."

Chicharito - an instant hit?

There’ll be kids in back gardens across the country trying to perfect the art of scoring a goal by kicking the ball against their own face. We should call the move “the Chicharito”!

The young Mexican’s unusual strike at Wembley shows us that United have signed what Paul Scholes told me is “an out and out goalscorer”. Just think about the four goals we’ve already seen him grab in pre-season. There was a glorious chip (v MLS All Stars), the left-footed, first-time blast from the edge of the area (for Chivas against United), the clinical right-footer into the roof of the net (v Airtricity XI) and then booting the ball against his nose at Wembley. He scores with either foot and any part of his body.

I’m trying hard not to get carried away by Chicharito, but you can’t help being impressed by the evidence we’ve all seen with our own eyes.

Of course, goals in pre-season are one thing, doing it consistently in the Premier League and Champions League is another. But you wouldn’t back against him to be an instant hit.

I was down in the tunnel at Wembley when the players left the pitch at the end, and he was one of the last players to come in. He was gleefully clutching the Community Shield, a beaming smile across his face. He clearly loves being a United player already. He is also helped by his polite and humble manner and the fact that he speaks good English.

The boss didn’t want him to do a lot of interviews after the game – clearly he is keen to shelter him from some of the hype. It’s a media strategy that he’s used with some big names over the years, and to great effect.

I know everyone plays down the importance of the Community Shield, but I was delighted for the thousands of

United fans who paid good money to make the trip down to Wembley. Me and Paddy Crerand had some tremendous banter with fans on the tube as we left Wembley. Paddy was in full flow, holding court in a carriage full of United fans. When we both got off at Euston, the carriage burst into applause for him!

Then, on the train back to Manchester, a guy was so thrilled to be sitting near to Paddy that he rang his Granddad to tell him, then got Paddy to talk to him down the phone just to prove it really was him!