Manchester United 2 Bolton 0
Old stagers Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes combined to keep Manchester United's
Barclays Premiership title push on track with the goals that defeated Bolton -
but Sir Alex Ferguson will fear an unwanted Christmas visit in the aftermath of
his side's sixth win in seven games.
With Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha sidelined for eight and four weeks
respectively, the last thing Ferguson needs is to lose another striker.
But that is what Wayne Rooney risked by pushing Tal Ben Haim in the face a
minute before half-time in retaliation for what he felt was a foul on him by the
Israeli defender.
Ben Haim's exaggerated reaction to the incident won him no favours but TV
replays indicated contact had been made, which neither referee Dermot Gallagher
nor his assistants apparently saw.
The disgusted Bolton players surrounded Gallagher at the interval to voice
their complaints.
It will be Wednesday before the Football Association even get round to
examining Gallagher's report but the possibility of a charge and potential
suspension for the second half of United's festive programme must be high.
Rooney's extreme reaction was out of keeping with the rest of a competitive
north-west derby which United controlled without quite being able to destroy
Bolton's admirable spirit.
Giggs had put the hosts in front with their first meaningful attack, gaining
early reward for another fine performance by acrobatically turning home Gabriel
Heinze's cross which had been flicked forward by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Welshman proceeded to rip the Trotters defence apart with a series of
surging bursts, maintaining his impressive form of recent weeks.
Red Devils chief executive David Gill has once again stated he is not prepared
to abandon a long-standing club policy of offering players over 30 anything
other than one-year extensions to their existing deals.
Giggs though is doing his best to force a change of opinion and he is
certainly providing young team-mate Ronaldo with some invaluable lessons in the
art of wing play.
Ronaldo appears to have been rejuvenated by his brief holiday and, just as he
did on his debut in the corresponding fixture last term, ran the Bolton defence
ragged at times.
Continually though, the Portuguese teenager was let down by a poor final ball
and he did nothing to rectify the problem with a series of disappointing corners
that either failed to beat the first man, or landed on the head of a towering
Trotters defender.
Like Ronaldo, Heinze was also returning from a week's break and the
Argentinian was quick to prove just what a key figure he has become in
Ferguson's plans for the future.
Quite apart from providing the cross for Giggs' opener, Heinze was outstanding
in both attack and defence, supporting his forwards with a series of
energy-sapping runs down the left flank, as well as intelligently dealing with
Bolton's aerial bombardment.
After four successive defeats, Trotters boss Sam Allardyce had made five
changes in an attempt to end his team's barren run, including the sacrifice of
playmaker Jay-Jay Okocha.
Without the Nigerian to stop, United were able to flood midfield and with
Darren Fletcher's legs offering the perfect foil for Roy Keane's more measured
contribution, it seemed purely a case of how many the hosts would win by.
Jussi Jaaskelainen has been touted as a potential Ferguson signing of the
future, and while the giant Finn blotted his copybook by fumbling a Ronaldo shot
round the post, he must have attracted the United manager's eye with the save
that followed, a flying one-handed stop to deny Keane's rasping 20-yard volley.
But while Jaaskelainen did even better to deny Giggs near the end when the
Welshman was sent clean through by Liam Miller, there was nothing he could do
when Nicky Hunt pushed the ball into Scholes path a minute from time, offering
the United midfielder the type of opportunity he rarely spurns.
It was his seventh goal in as many games, emphasising his contribution to the
Red Devils' cause, one that might be needed in a more advanced position should
Soho Square chiefs come knocking at Rooney's door later this week.
Teams
Man Utd: Carroll, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Heinze,
Ronaldo (Scholes 69), Keane, Fletcher, Giggs,
Rooney (Miller 84), Smith.
Subs Not Used: Howard, Phil Neville, Bellion.
Goals: Giggs 10, Scholes 89.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Ben Haim, Jaidi, Cesar,
Diouf (Okocha 51), Campo, Nolan, Speed,
Vaz Te (Giannakopoulos 69), Davies (Ferdinand 63).
Subs Not Used: Oakes, N'Gotty.
Att: 67,867
Ref: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).
