Hosts make perfect response to Champions League exit

The England striker returned to form with two goals to lead the Red Devils to victory over Mick McCarthy's team as they bounced back from their midweek disappointment
Manchester United bounced back from their midweek Champions League elimination in style as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Wolves at Old Trafford.

Nani and Wayne Rooney bagged two goals apiece to hand the Red Devils three points against a Wolves side that once again failed to provide much in the way of resistance against one of the Premier League's top teams, Steven Fletcher's goal early in the second half aside.
United quickly began to assert their control over the game, having been woken up by an early effort from Fletcher that missed the target. Their first chance came when a gap between the Wolves defence and midfield was effectively exploited by Rooney. Carrick’s through ball gave him an opportunity to the left of Wayne Hennessey but the Welsh goalkeeper saved well.

One man currently enjoying a rich vein of form is Nani and he slammed a low shot in from the edge of the box to give the home side a 17th minute lead. The Portuguese winger starred against Basel and was prominent again here, cutting in from the left past two Wolves players to set himself up for the opener.

Wolves came from behind to beat United last season but there looked to be little chance of a repeat here. Rooney, whose barren spell prior to this match had stretched to eight league games, has never gone nine Premier League matches without a goal and ensured that record stood up with a precise finish from 18 yards after 27 minutes.

Hennessey was called into action again a short time later, just doing enough to get a fingertip to a Rooney effort which deflected off of Roger Johnson towards the far corner. He went on to make two further saves from Rooney and Nani before the half drew to a close.

If there was one spell in which Wolves were on top in the first half, it was in the first 60 seconds. History was to repeat itself in the second period and this time Ferguson’s men were punished for their early lethargy. Jarvis sped down the left and evaded Chris Smalling before standing up a cross for Fletcher, who powerfully rose above Patrice Evra to bring Wanderers within one.

United, once again, belatedly sprung into life and a cross from the wonderfully energetic Phil Jones just beat the toes of Rooney and Welbeck.

It was Jones who would instigate the move that restored United’s two-goal lead. The 19-year old released Valencia down the right wing and the Ecuadorian picked out Nani in the box, who tapped past by Hennessey.

Valencia, who grew into the game as it went on, was arguably even more impressive than Nani and he set up United’s fourth. Cruising into space down the right-hand side he pulled a cross back for Rooney to convert for his second of the match.

Ferguson was confident enough to introduce 19-year old Zeki Fryers at left-back with just under 25 minutes to go. The young defender is the first player to play for United in the Premier League who was not born when the competition began in August 1992.

Substitute Federico Macheda was denied by Hennessey in the late stages of the game but it mattered little as United moved back to within two points of league leaders Manchester City with the sort of positive response they urgently needed.