The Independent:
Manchester United's Christmas programme, which hitherto had contained no cheer and little reason to be merry, was furnished with a more festive look yesterday when they disposed of Birmingham City for a win that will not be judged in its true light until Arsenal meet Liverpool this afternoon.
The result took United to within four points of the Premiership leaders and arrested a run of successive defeats that had threatened to end their interest in the championship. If Liverpool can do them a favour at Highbury their presence in third place, level on points with Chelsea, will look ominous.
A glorious second-half goal from David Beckham and Diego Forlan's fifth in his last four starts were enough to secure the points, but it said much for the merits of injury-weakened Birmingham that Fabien Barthez had to produce two outstanding saves from Aliou Cissé to make the scoreline look more comfortable than it was in reality. The second was excellent, the first astonishing for a man who had virtually nothing else to do.
United were the superior side but the peril of failing to convert their chances became apparent when only a breathtaking save from Barthez prevented Birmingham's equaliser. Paul Devlin sent over a teasing free-kick from the left and Cissé's header seemed destined for the bottom corner until the French goalkeeper's hand suddenly appeared to make the save.
Barthez again came to United's rescue with another save – this time to his left – to block another Cissé header, which made Beckham's goal 17 minutes from time a thing of relief as well as beauty to the majority of the 67,640 crowd.
The Observer:
Manchester United are back to winning ways, if not quite back to their best. This was no more than a professional display against a plucky but underpowered Birmingham City, yet after the week United have had their fans will be glad of that.
There was plenty to suggest that United have enough in reserve to come back again, especially in the way David Beckham marked his return to the starting line-up with a memorable goal, although with Chelsea losing at Leeds United the title now appears to be Arsenal's to lose.
It is only three weeks since United beat Arsenal, yet all the optimism engendered by that spirited performance evaporated with two away defeats over Christmas. After battling successfully through adversity, United are once more in danger of losing their way in the comfort zone. Certainly selection seemed less problematic for Sir Alex Ferguson when he had fewer options available.
On the positive side, Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand and Beckham have been restored to the team, even if all three are short of match fitness. On the negative side, Mikael Silvestre has been switched to left-back from central defence, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville dropped to the bench after the 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough, and Laurent Blanc was nowhere to be seen.
The most surprising absentee, however, was leading scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy. Club officials were anxious to point out that this was because he has an infected toe rather than pique over reported comments in the morning papers, in which Silvestre had apparently expressed a preference for the attacking style of Thierry Henry.
Even without their Holland striker, there was never much doubt that United would prevail over a limited Birmingham team depleted by injuries, it was just that Van Nistelrooy would have been unlikely to need 37 minutes to open the scoring. Without him, the succession of chances United created in the first half fell to the wrong players.
The Telegraph:
The magic was all David Beckham's. The man with the lengthening blond hair and fancy red boots chipped the goal that secured the win that put United back in the championship race. He is celebrity with footballing class.
It was pure, theatrical brilliance as he drew the goalkeeper in the 73rd minute and measured the most artistic of lobs that sent the 67,640 crowd away from Old Trafford knowing they had seen a masterpiece. United deserved their win, launched by a Diego Forlan goal, against a Birmingham City side that fought to their last breath.
If United had a problem it might have been in their acute sense of urgency. They had control of midfield but too often the forward ball was overhit. When Mikael Silvestre did get behind the defence, Forlan missed the ball when he looked certain to head in the opening goal, then Silvestre had a header saved after a curling cross from Juan Veron, who was contributing some magical moments of inventive skill.
Beckham, who was starting his first Premership game since early November, was also playing like a man who never wanted to see the substitutes' bench again.
He played a key role in the 37th-minute goal when Birmingham's defences were finally breached. The move began with O'Shea deep in United's right-hand, defensive corner. He brought the ball away and swung it across field to Scholes who slid it down the line to Silvestre to the corner of the pitch diagonal to where the move had started.
The Times:
Steve Bruce and Sir Alex Ferguson celebrate birthdays on New Year’s Eve but only one of them enjoyed happy returns at Old Trafford. Bruce arrived to a standing ovation from the supporters who cherished him as a player but left a deflated manager.
It was Ferguson’s side that, with Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane and David Beckham returning to duty in various ways, were vivid, vivacious victors. Beckham marked his 250th league appearance with a gorgeous goal to settle the game just as Birmingham threatened a second-half recovery.
But the most significant player was Juan Veron, who demonstrated himself capable, more convincingly than before in 18 months at Old Trafford, of not only functioning in the same midfield as Keane but of running it, too. A conjurer of passes and a sorcerer with angles, he had the ball under his spell, not easy when foes as fierce as Aliou Cisse and Robbie Savage are trying to boot it from your control. Not far behind was Fabien Barthez, whose reflexes kept United ahead in the second half.
United, indeed, could have won 6-0 but also drawn 2-2. Bruce was rueful about Barthez’s brilliance but accepted Ferguson’s contention that for United not to win would have been incongruous.