Man Utd 3 - Stoke City 2
As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read Manchester United - 3, Stoke City - 2.
And as the players trudged off the field, David Moyes stood applauding the crowd with his fists pumped. The crowd, for their part, were celebrating as though we had won the league again.
I don't think even the most ardent Man United fan believes we'll win the league this year. We'd quite happily settle for a place in the Champions League.
But the reason this Stoke City win should be celebrated like a title victory is down purely to two reasons.
a) Moyes is getting the hang of it and knows how to make the right substitutions.
The two biggest culprits for very, very sloppy first half display were Nani and Cleverley. I'm glad that those were the first two to come off. I'm also glad Moyes resisted the temptation to remove Kagawa, who - despite this not being one of his better showings - still showed a bit more purpose than Clev.
b) This team still knows how to fight.
The reason I love Man United is because it fights to the very end. The United victories that are etched in my memory are all fighting displays such as the 5-2 against Spurs in 09 (which ranks as one of my favorite all-time victories).
This win against Stoke doesn't even come close to the top 10 but it sort of proves we still how to know it.
So yes. This a win we'll take. In this "period of transition", we'll take the wins no matter how they come.
And we'll celebrate like we've won the league.
And as the players trudged off the field, David Moyes stood applauding the crowd with his fists pumped. The crowd, for their part, were celebrating as though we had won the league again.
But the reason this Stoke City win should be celebrated like a title victory is down purely to two reasons.
a) Moyes is getting the hang of it and knows how to make the right substitutions.
The two biggest culprits for very, very sloppy first half display were Nani and Cleverley. I'm glad that those were the first two to come off. I'm also glad Moyes resisted the temptation to remove Kagawa, who - despite this not being one of his better showings - still showed a bit more purpose than Clev.
b) This team still knows how to fight.
The reason I love Man United is because it fights to the very end. The United victories that are etched in my memory are all fighting displays such as the 5-2 against Spurs in 09 (which ranks as one of my favorite all-time victories).
This win against Stoke doesn't even come close to the top 10 but it sort of proves we still how to know it.
So yes. This a win we'll take. In this "period of transition", we'll take the wins no matter how they come.
And we'll celebrate like we've won the league.
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