THE INDEPENDENT
They may have lost a chief executive to Chelsea, their most celebrated player to Real Madrid and the previous Premiership match to Southampton, but as Sir Bobby Charlton said last week: "Manchester United are still Manchester United." That meant that without touching any great heights, they were still good enough to see off a Charlton challenge that was spirited but suffered from lack of penetration and then the sending-off of Jason Euell for two striker's challenges. Even at 35, Paolo di Canio will bring something to their party over the course of a season, but on his home debut yesterday he was hanging back sipping mineral water rather than dominating the dance floor.
United, already missing four players, lost Roy Keane early in the second half and will be under strength for their opening Champions' League game against Panathinaikos on Tuesday. But Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea and Nicky Butt all returned earlier than expected and there was a welcome bonus too in the result at Highbury, which cut the gap on Arsenal at the head of the table to a point. Chelsea are up there as well and as ever the championship contenders will need resilience - and a big squad - once their European programme begins.
As is often the case, United were able to field a stronger side than had seemed likely from Sir Alex Ferguson's prognosis the day before. With Ferdinand and O'Shea in the centre of defence and looking fine, Keane was not required at the back and was able to boss the midfield alongside Butt for an hour.
Phil Neville was the only square peg, on the right of midfield, though his defensive bias compensated for that of Cristiano Ronaldo on the opposite flank. The Portuguese teenager does not do defence and does not need to on days like these, contenting himself with running his opposing full-back dizzy with step-overs and dummies that almost invite spectators to offer their marks for artistic impression.
THE OBSERVER
If a sign of a successful team is the ability to win when playing poorly, Manchester United graduated with honours at the Valley, where two goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy gave them a margin of victory this workmanlike performance barely deserved.
Charlton are no more than a decent side, and were reduced to 10 men when Jason Euell was sent off in the 65th minute for a second yellow card.
Yet they looked like holding United until Van Nistelrooy struck his third and fourth goals of the season to take them to within a point of Arsenal at the top of the table.
Two seasons ago, these sides served up a riveting 3-3 draw, a game full of incident, goals and entertainment. By contrast, yesterday's first-half was so dull that it was not until the smell of half-time refreshment was beginning to waft through that either goalkeeper was called into serious action, as Charlton's Dean Kiely tipped a drive from Cristiano Ronaldo away for a corner.
That move, in the 43rd minute, came at the end of a half that was high on perspiration, but low on inspiration. One could not fault the workrate of the sides, who were both weakened by injuries, but there was precious little quality on show.
As the hour mark approached though, things changed dramatically. First, Roy Keane was forced to go off with the after-effects of an ankle injury sustained in a first-half clash with Scott Parker. Within a minute United took the lead, after Van Nistelrooy was fouled on the edge of the penalty area. Giggs's free-kick was blocked by the defensive wall and Gary Neville drove the rebound towards goal. His team-mate Nicky Butt blocked the ball in front of goal, but after rattling around like a pinball, it landed for Van Nistelrooy to hammer it into the roof of the net from close range.
Charlton's chances of equalising were weakened when Euell stupidly lunged at Gary Neville as the defender was making a clearance and received a second yellow card from referee Mike Riley.
United wrapped up the game in the 80th minute when Van Nistelrooy stole in at the far post after a Giggs free-kick from the right eluded everyone apart from the Dutch striker, who flicked the ball past Kiely.
THE SUNDAY TIMES
Ruud van Nistelrooy, last seen losing his cool when he was substituted for Holland in Prague on Wednesday, returned to the comfort of English Premiership football in southeast London yesterday. His task was simple; he twice did what he does best, finding the right spot and the weak spot in the opposition’s goalmouth. And, hey presto, Ruud was smiling again, on the scoresheet as the match-winner with two goals from two opportunities.
Until Van Nistelrooy’s first predatory strike from all of three yards, this had been a match of orchestrated mundanity. Alex Ferguson must have brooded in his Carrington Castle, alone with all those players scattered far and wide across Europe, a manager seething because of the internationals and seething some more because the last action for his club had been defeat at Southampton a fortnight ago.
We could see it in his line-up. Fergie’s miracle had brought Rio Ferdinand, Nicky Butt and John O’Shea off their sick beds.Yet his line-up must have been among the most functional in his 16-year reign at Manchester United: it featured Phil Neville on the right of midfield and Quinton Fortune at left-back.
And with little but a few flicks and feints from Paolo Di Canio on his Charlton debut, this was an encounter, under the autumnal sunshine at the Valley, of attrition eroding attrition.
After the red card — and amid a confetti of yellow cards signifying that Mr Riley was struggling with the combat — United did what they had come for. Giggs took a free kick on the right touchline and it floated unseen and untouched to the far post, where Van Nistelrooy was waiting.
And this time, even closer than his first opportunity, the Dutchman had nothing else to do but touch the ball over the vacant goal-line. The final act that silenced the greater part of the 26,078 people in The Valley.
Ferguson, for his part, was full of praise for Ronaldo’s persistence, and his temperament: "There were a few tackles on him but he just got up and got on with it," he said.
"Once he got his treatment, he wanted to get the ball again — he’s got that courage."
THE TELEGRAPH
Manchester United last tasted defeat at the Valley in 1955 and, despite the anticipation at Paolo di Canio's debut, Charlton never looked like pulling this one out of the fire once Ruud van Nistelrooy struck just past the hour.
Holland's master opportunist certainly benefited from a fortuitous ricochet, but once he had sight of goal from eight yards there was no doubt about the ball's destiny. After Jason Euell's frustration led to his dismissal, Van Nisterooy wrapped up victory with a simple prodded finish when slack defending allowed Ryan Giggs's free-kick to arrive at the far post unhindered.
So United overcame their hiccup at Southampton and, Di Canio, three times a transfer target for Sir Alex Ferguson, faded after a bright opening and trudged off disconsolately six minutes from time when his number came up on the substitutes' board.
Di Canio's selection was the major talking point prior to kick-off, considering United's attempts to lure him to Old Trafford, and the mention of his name drew a predictably rapturous response from the Valley faithful. With Mark Fish suspended, Charlton also brought Chris Perry into central defence for his debut, on loan from Tottenham.
As the interval approached, another sleight of foot from Ronaldo set up Giggs whose point-blank shot cannoned back off a defender and the force was clearly with United going into the second period.
But the opener, when it eventually came in the 61st minute, emanated not from the wonderboy out wide but from a routine free-kick in the middle for a push on Van Nistelrooy. So often these manoeuvres are pre-rehearsed but, in this case, what happened next was truly comical. Giggs's initial kick was blocked and Gary Neville's thundering follow-up rebounded off team-mate Butt, straight into the path of Van Nistelrooy who dispatched it without further ado into the roof of the net.
Galling it must have been for Charlton's reshuffled back line but nothing could justify Euell's wild lunge at Gary Neville three minutes later and, while his first booking was harsh, his second was inevitable.