Adam Dennehey WAFU manager
Some may have said it was inevitable, some may say it he’s past it at the age of 37 but there’s no denying that Paul Scholes’ comeback has added a little bit more fuel to the fire recently at Old Trafford and that’s only a good thing.
On his first appearance back in the Premier League at Old Trafford Scholes was – as he’s done so many times over the year – in the right place at the right time to put Manchester United into the lead in first half injury time with his 151st goal for the club.
Bolton went into the game bottom of the table after a wretched season and barley tested Anders Lindegaard in goal. The last person who their fans would have wanted to have seen in the United starting line-up was Scholes who had scored 7 goals against them in the past.
United started the game well. Nani breezed past ex-United winger Chris Eagles before shooting an effort well wide of the left-hand post before Adam Bogdan in goal tipped over a Danny Welbeck strike from close range, who had been picked out well by Michael Carrick.
Wayne Rooney was beginning to threaten and he saw two efforts blocked by Bolton defenders, one by Sam Ricketts from the edge of the box and one by Mark Roberts on the line from a Nani corner as United pressed for an early goal to settle into the game.
Rooney’s bad luck on front of goal continued when Bodgan brilliantly kept out a penalty to his right, awarded after Zat Knight had hauled down Welbeck in the box after the forward had played a clever one-two with Antonio Valencia. Bolton’s defender was booked for his troubles.
It was Rooney’s second penalty-miss in a row. Unlike at the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City’s Costel Pantilimon could only parry the ball out for the forward to head a rebound, Bolton’s keeper parried the ball well away from goal much to the delight of Owen Coyle.
Bogdan was in the thick of the action shortly after doing well to save a low Welbeck effort from just outside the box before Rooney blazed a shot well wide of goal. Just when it was looking like the visitors into half-time level Scholes struck.
Rooney pounced after Nani’s cross into the area was blocked, guiding the ball across the edge of the six-yard box for Scholes to slot home past Bogdan. It was United’s 50th league goal of the season and the veteran midfielder’s first since a 2-2 draw away to Fulham in August 2010.
Bolton saw David N’gog fire over shortly after the restart after Mark Davies had held of the challenge of Rio Ferdinand to cross the ball across goal. Davies then showed great composure tracking back to thwart Welbeck with a last ditch-tackle inside the area.
Valencia was beginning to run Bolton ragged and he picked out Rooney at the back post with a powerful low cross. Sadly the striker couldn’t quite stretch enough to poke the ball in and it was a chance that United were cursing but for the interventions of Rafael.
Twice the Brazilian was in the right place to deny Bolton, blocking a powerful volley from Martin Petrov inside the area before heading a Gretar Steinnson header off the line. Whilst it was regulation defending it was required and showed good reading from the youngster.
With the game calling out for United to double the lead, Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-Sung were brought on to wrap the game up. Five minutes after the pairs introduction United sealed the game with Welbeck getting the goal that his forward play had deserved.
Good play in midfield ended with Rooney receiving a loose ball from Fabrice Muamba trying to hook the ball away from Giggs. United’s talisman continued his run finding Welbeck who did enough to poke the ball home past Bogdan for his eighth goal of the season.
In the process of scoring, Welbeck picked up a knock after being challenged by Ricketts and had to be hauled off. Javier Hernandez came on as his replacement and now looks likley to start alongside Rooney in United’s next league game at Arsenal next Sunday.
Michael Carrick added a third seven minutes from time when he coolly fired in a shot low into Bodgan’s right-hand corner from 25 yards. It was the midfielder’s first goal at Old Trafford in almost two years, one that dare say a certain Scholes would be proud to score.
United: Lindegaard, Evra, Ferdinand, Evans, Rafael, Valencia, Carrick, Scholes (Park), Nani (Giggs), Rooney, Welbeck (Hernandez).
Star Man
Whilst the plaudits wil rightfully go to Paul Scholes who bagged United’s opener before going off to a standing ovation 21 minutes from time, Antonio Valencia showed once again why on-form he has to start on the right. He ran Bolton ragged the whole game and could have set up 2-3 goals but for strikers just not being in the right places to benefit from them.
By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87
