STIFFS BEAT WALSALL 4-2

Last updated : 31 July 2005 By Ed

The Sunday Times:

Roy Keane played for more than an hour of this comfortable victory at the Bescot stadium. The Manchester United captain showed little sign of the hamstring injury that has kept him out of United’s tour of the Far East. The Irishman was part of the move that led to United’s first goal on four minutes, scored by Kenny Cooper, and it was Keane’s through ball that allowed Lee Martin to add a second, just before the half hour mark. Despite goals for Walsall from Jorge Leitao and Darren Wrack, United completed the win with a Colin Heath penalty and a Beckhamesque strike by Cooper from the halfway line

Walsall manager Paul Merson:

"Keane was head and shoulders above everybody else. He's a top-drawer player. But I don't think he was tested as much as he might have been expecting. I thought my players could have got around him a lot more but they stood off and let him play. One of my players got done by him and was laughing about it, but I don't find that funny. That's how he plays, he comes in and he gets people going. That's what I want in my team."