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The Barclays Premier League title was back to Old Trafford yesterday after Manchester United clinched the trophy by beating Aston Villa 3-0. Here are the five talking points of the match.
Robin Van Persie‘s hat-trick
This man made a marked difference in the performance of the team this year. And what better person to win the title for Manchester United than Robin Van Persie. The man who has 24 goals to his name and has terrorised every defence in the Premier League. He was just as good yesterday and his positioning was brilliant. This was his second hat-trick this season but it was the second goal that caught everyone’s eye. It was exactly the same way he scored a brilliant volley against Everton last year after an Alex Song long ball. Only that this time it was Rooney who assisted the goal. Mancini must be regretting missing out on signing this man.
Wayne Rooney in the heart of the midfield
When the starting line-up was revealed, everyone expected Rooney to play in the hole with Giggs in the centre and Kagawa on the left. But Sir Alex started Rooney in the midfield and Giggs on the left with Kagawa behind Van Persie. It turned out to be a master-stroke as Rooney was excellent there alongside Carrick who deserves the Player of the Year award as much as Van Persie. Rooney’s assist for Van Persie’s second goal and his midfield dominance reminded everyone of Paul Scholes. Rooney looks to be the perfect successor for Paul Scholes in the midfield.
A new defensive pairing
Just as it has been happening all season, Sir Alex changed the central defensive pairing for this game. Jonny Evans played alongside Phil Jones in the defence after a long time. But their performance was assuring as Villa couldn’t penetrate through the defence. Phil Jones looks like he can become as good as Vidic as he won most of the header battles and made slide tackles perfectly. He looks like he could play in any position Sir Alex asks him to. Jonny Evans was the perfect foil for Phil Jones as he was excellent while making the tackles and interceptions. It looks like Manchester United have two excellent central defensive pairings for the next season.
Benteke deserves a better team
Christian Benteke deserves a better team for his abilities. Even though Phil Jones and Jonny Evans were up to the task, Chistian Benteke was ready to take them on but no one was there to compliment his attacking abilities. He was just too good for his teammates and couldn’t link properly with them. He was all over the attacking line, holding up the ball, doing those clever flick ins but he didn’t have space to take the shots. We shouldn’t be surprised if this man doesn’t change clubs in the summer. Belgium looks like it would be a major force in the near future with players like him, Hazard, Lukaku etc.
No. 20 has arrived
Manchester United have won the league title for the 20th time and thirteenth time under Sir Alex Ferguson. The title was as good as stolen from them last season in the final minutes but Sir Alex responded by signing Shinji Kagawa and Robin Van Persie. The latter proved to be the difference in the title race as Manchester United won the title with 4 games to go after establishing an unassailable 16 point lead. Michael has had his best season in a United shirt as he has been phenomenal throughout the season which led to him being nominated for Player of the Year award. David de Gea and Rafael da Silva performed exceedingly well over the course of the season and there always has been Rooney or Hernandez to bail them out of tough situations. Even though they didn’t play to their full capability, there was always a player who would win the match for them. This record of 20 titles doesn’t look like it is going to be matched in the near future as Liverpool seem highly unlikely to win the title currently.
