As Manchester United lined up today to face Stoke City at the daunting Britannia Stadium, many were surprised to see the side being put out by Sir Alex Ferguson.

After a big gap, we saw Wayne Rooney being played as a mainstream central midfielder alongside Michael Carrick with Shinji Kagawa on the left and Antonio Valencia on the right. Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez started upfront for the away side.

>United were coming in on the back of a 2-1 derby loss to Manchester City at Old Trafford and the FA Cup exit at the hands of Chelsea. Doubts were being expressed as the team headed to a tough away ground.

Playing Rooney at the heart of midfield was a move which paid off spectacularly. He is a burly lad so there never was any doubt about him being bullied off the ball by the Stoke midfielders. He gave a mature performance today.

He was with Carrick to defend and attack balls when needed and when he had possession, he’d either spray the ball to the wingers or burst forward with it from central midfield to begin attacks.  The second goal was emblematic of this theme. He passed the ball after such a run and RvP got fouled as a result of the quality of the pas. Sir Alex said that a spell in central midfield would be good for Rooney’s confidence and so it was! It also allowed Chicharito a good run out.

RvP’s goal was a massive relief to him and to the staff at the club which showed in his celebrations. He had had a decent game up till then. He coolly dispatched the penalty and then ran to the bench to celebrate with the boss and his mates which was heartening to see. The boss was delighted as well. The strain of going 10 games without a goal was showing and the relief would have been overpowering for the Dutchman. This goal could see RvP go on a run of goals again which will be great for his confidence going into the next season.

The defence played well again. Phil Jones was fantastic against City on Monday and he continued his good form here as well. He didn’t allow Stoke to put in crosses from his end and tried to assist in the attack. He got an assist for Carrick’s goal as well which capped off a good showing by him. The central defenders were strong against the aerial bombardment that Stoke always carry out against the visiting sides. It was good to see the famed Nemanja Vidic-Rio Ferdinand duo play together in such a crucial game. Patrice Evra was good as well.

A special mention for Carrick here. He has been awesome this season! He got a goal today which was great to see. He does so much of the dirty work for the side that we forget he can score goals too! His presence of mind saw United take a vital early lead at Stoke which helped them to control the game. 

The performance that we saw was really heartening for everyone connected to the club. From Rooney springing Scholes-esque balls out to Valencia and Kagawa to Jones, continued solidity and the obvious piece of good news i.e. RvP`s goal, it was an accomplished performance from the side which re-asserted their dominance at the top of the league.

As the commentator Steve Banyard pointed out, United have been brilliantly consistent and not consistently brilliant this season! This is why they deserve the mammoth lead they have over Man City. This is what will make no.20 all the more sweet for the club!

By Yashasvee Prasad @yash647