MATCH VIEWS FROM THE BROADSHEETS

Last updated : 05 November 2006 By Ed

THE OBSERVER

It cost £2.60 to get into Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson took over. Quite a lot has changed over the past 20 years, although Portsmouth away from home are only worth watching at 1986 prices.

Ferguson lost his first match in charge to Oxford United - that is how much things have changed - but he could not have wished for an easier game for his anniversary. It is unbelievable that Portsmouth went into this game lying fourth in the Premiership table, they managed to make Bolton's 4-0 collapse last week look like stiff resistance. Bolton are even higher in the table, so draw your own conclusions about the state of the league. There is nothing wrong with the state of Manchester United, but you cannot get too excited about walkovers.

Presumably Harry Redknapp watched a video of United's awesome first half-hour against Bolton last week, so he must have been worried when Sir Alex Ferguson named an identical line-up after his unsuccessful tinkering in Copenhagen. Portsmouth employed a similar formation to the one Bolton used, with five in midfield and Benjani Mwaruwari on his own and hardly in the game up front, suggesting containment was their plan.

It never had a chance of working. Just like last Saturday United took a commanding early lead, although this time they did not need to stun their opponents with their passing and movement. Portsmouth put themselves two goals behind before Cristiano Ronaldo produced his first step-over. A quick throw by Gary Neville with barely a minute on the clock caught the Pompey defence so square that Dejan Stefanovic was obliged to check Wayne Rooney's smart run at the expense of a penalty, gratefully accepted by Louis Saha.

Portsmouth's other centre-back was at fault seven minutes later, when Andy O'Brien's late lunge at Saha's thigh brought a free-kick, superbly dispatched by Ronaldo from 25 yards. David James will watch the replays and wonder what else he could have done to counter the strike. It is not about bend or disguise with Ronaldo's free-kicks, it is all about speed, power and placement.

Naturally United sprayed the ball about with some panache after an opening like that, because they could. Portsmouth rather dumbly stuck to their single-striker formation and concentrated on keeping the score down, a task in which they were assisted by United's best chances falling to Neville. James made two smart saves in the first half from the United captain, although impressive as Neville's running was, one could not help feeling the outcome might have been different had opportunities fallen to Rooney.


THE INDIE

It was 20 years ago today (almost) that Sir Alex taught the Reds to play (again). In the eventful two decades since, they have been going in and out of style, but they are guaranteed to raise a smile on days like yesterday, when the performance was full of the purpose and panache that the manager knew from day one he had to restore to the club as well as winning some trophies.

All the evidence from the past few weeks of Premiership football, with five successive victories and 14 goals against one, suggests that elusive combination can be achieved again this season and bring home something more glittering than the Carling Cup.

Portsmouth, like Bolton last Saturday, were swept aside almost before working out which way they were kicking, and then found their brief attempt at revival after half-time dismissed just as brusquely. In the space of a week United have routed the teams third and fourth in the Premiership, scoring seven goals and threatening many more. Chelsea's visit at the end of the month is looming and the mouth is watering already.

Once again Wayne Rooney and his partner Louis Saha were both in irresistible form, supported superbly by Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gary Neville down the flanks, and Paul Scholes from behind. Getting a touch of the Premiership's new yellow football (a mere £65 in a shop near you) was often beyond Portsmouth.

With barely quarter of an hour played, Ferguson was able to accommodate the Stretford End's request to "give us a wave", relaxed in the knowledge that his team were well on the way to another victory. "It's amazing," he said. "I don't know where the years have gone. The good thing today was that we didn't let it become a circus or carnival. We were professional. It was a dream start and we could have scored a lot more goals."

There was special praise too for three players he has nurtured from schoolboy hopefuls into senior achievers, Neville, Giggs and Scholes: "They're great players and if we're in a challenging position next April these are the players who've been there before and I think they'll get us through."

Keen as Ferguson had been to play down the significance of the occasion - he declined to have a presentation on the pitch - everything was set up for a day of celebration. United were back to virtually full strength and Portsmouth were critically weakened in defence. Noe Pamarot and Andy O'Brien had to stand in against an attack that last weekend produced what Rio Ferdinand called the best 25 minutes of football he had ever played in. Not surprisingly, they struggled from the start, conceding two early goals amid a riot of pace and movement.


SUNDAY TIMES

Sir Alex Ferguson was able to start those 20th anniversary celebrations early after his powerfully resurgent team had put Portsmouth to the sword with the same high-quality efficiency with which they disposed of Bolton Wanderers last week, recording their fifth Premiership win in succession.

United took the lead when Wayne Rooney gained them a penalty after just one minute and 40 seconds. Louis Saha made short work of beating David James from 12 yards, and Pompey never looked like recovering. Cristiano Ronaldo, with a fulminating free kick, quickly made it 2-0 and the only surprise was that it took United until midway through the second half to add to their lead, through the increasingly impressive Nemanja Vidic.

It was Ferguson's more recent recruits who scored the goals, and Rooney was again the man of the match, but there was a reminder of the good old days in the form of top-notch contributions from three of the celebrated "Fergie Fledgelings", Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. Neville, the captain, has not played better for a long time. Certainly, he will never have had so many goal attempts in one match. With better luck, or more composure than can realistically be expected from a defender, he might have had a hat-trick. "That's asking the impossible," Ferguson said.

At full strength, Portsmouth would have struggled to compete with United, who look more of a threat to Chelsea's pre-eminence with each passing week. Shorn of three of their regular back four, they had no chance. Their cause was fatally undermined by the absence of both regular centre-halves, Sol Campbell and Linvoy Primus, and also Glen Johnson at right-back. In search of defensive security, Harry Redknapp reorganised in 4-5-1 formation, dropping to the bench the Premiership's leading scorer, Kanu, and deploying Benjani Mwaruwari on his own up front. The attempt at damage limitation lasted less than two minutes.

A long throw from the right by Neville caught out the Pompey defence and Dejan Stefanovic was deemed to have brought down Rooney near the six-yard box. The contact was minimal, but the referee, Mike Dean, decided punitive action was called for, and Saha drove the consequent penalty past James's right hand.

Portsmouth's looked like a lost cause almost before they had started. United, ominously for their opponents, were back at full strength after the costly selection of too many reserves in the Champions League defeat by FC Copenhagen, and by the 10th minute they were two goals to the good. The second took the form of a 25-yard free kick from Ronaldo, thumped into James's left corner. "A marvellous strike," said Ferguson.

With Portsmouth looking disorganised and bewildered, United were as rampant as they had been at the Reebok stadium a week earlier, with Scholes strongly influential in midfield. Such was United's comfortable superiority that Neville was soon back to have another pot at goal, this one saved by James's legs. Then, when the former England goalkeeper advanced from his line to thwart Rooney, the ball ran to Scholes, whose shot was headed off the line by Andy O'Brien.

Portsmouth's first strike was delayed until the 43rd minute, when Matthew Taylor's meaty effort was parried by Edwin van der Sar, who was back in action at the start of the second half, saving low from Benjani. By this stage, Redknapp had decided that a second striker was needed if Portsmouth were to salvage anything from the game, and Andy Cole was introduced in place of Manuel Fernandes, receiving a warm welcome from his old "red fan" club, but looking very much like a spent force.


THE TELEGRAPH

Even after 20 years, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson still does not like to get too far ahead of himself. But after another victory that forces Chelsea to play Premiership catch up today, he will be counting the days to his club's next home game on Nov 26 when Jose Mourinho brings his champions to the Theatre of Dreams.

If United keep on winning games as effortlessly as this, Ferguson will welcome some proper competition, though the real reason he will be looking forward to the Chelsea game is for the opportunity to open up a lead more substantial than goal difference.

Five successive Premiership wins, however, have laid the foundations for a serious title challenge, for which the footballing public, as well as United's supporters, are grateful. And Ferguson himself must be amused to suddenly find himself so popular for winning matches when his club were once detested for doing so.

That, of course, is because of the widespread hatred and envy now directed at Chelsea, though United are also playing football as delightful as any under his long reign. He described last week's performance at Bolton, where they won 4-0, as one of their best for years and they just carried on in the same vein from the first whistle here, Ferguson sending out an unchanged Premiership team after his tinkering in midweek led to Champions League defeat in Copenhagen.

Had United's players been in the mood, they could have run up six or seven.