'Wayne Rooney yesterday made his league debut for Manchester United and, while few at Old Trafford would care to admit it, it was a far more accurate reflection of his new club’s status than the alluring deception of their mangling of Fenerbahçe. There was no hat-trick for the England international and few heroics as the hysteria generated over a manic five days dissipated into the chilly evening air.
Having won their previous three fixtures, this represented a dispiriting embrace of normality for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team, who have already lost to Arsenal (in the Community Shield) and Chelsea and drawn with Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Everton. They now trail Arsène Wenger’s champions by nine points and Chelsea by seven and while bigger gaps have been closed, on present form it feels like a chasm.
Under Steve McClaren, Middlesbrough have been beaten just once in four visits to the stadium where their manager once assisted Ferguson, but this result, in its way, was even more improbable than their pair of victories. Seven senior members of his squad were injured, James Morrison, who scored against Banik Ostrava, enjoyed an impressive first start at this level and another two players made their first appearances.'