The Manchester United striker has endured a tough time since his move from Tottenham in 2008, but looked every bit the £30million man in this derby victory.

Berbatov opened the scoring minutes before half-time with a header, before his second on the hour mark sent the United faithful berserk. Reina was watching Berbatov back, thinking he would have pass the ball to his mate, instead, the Bulgarian launched an unstoppable overhead kick that crashed in off the crossbar after controlling Nani cross with his knee. Reina was static at that time.

Steven Gerrard had other ideas though, with a quickfire brace to draw Liverpool level with 20 minutes to go. But Berbatov was to have the last laugh, heading home John O’Shea’s cross with five minutes to go to take all three points.

Boss Alex Ferguson was full of praise for the man he made United’s record signing two years ago. He said: “There was a lot of criticism of him last season, and it happens when we buy a player for a lot of money and he’s not scoring a hat-trick every game.

“This season he’s started off in the right fashion, his pre-season training was very good, the pre-season tour was good and he’s carried that on.

“But there’s never been any doubt about the quality of the man. And we saw that again today.”

Rio Ferdinand was the shock absentee from the derby, with Jonny Evans partnering new skipper Nemenja Vidic in a United line-up that also included Wayne Rooney and Berbatov up front. As expected, Fernando Torres and Gerrard were recalled for Liverpool and Joe Cole also kept his place.

United started off by laying seige to the Liverpool goal, with Paul Scholes making them tick in midfield. An ambitious Nani shot earned the hosts a corner when it flew off Paul Konchesky, but Vidic nodded Ryan Giggs’ set piece over from seven yards.

Konchesky went straight through the back of Nani and was fortunate to escape a yellow card, which started the bombardment of Pepe Reina’s area.

One high ball into the box brought a Vidic penalty claim that referee Howard Webb waved away, with a theatrical dive not helping the Serbian’s claims. Liverpool began to get a hold on the game, but the best early chance still came at the other end though as Rooney combined with Berbatov to release Nani.

A ball inside to Rooney saw his shot deflect back into the winger’s path — only to be skewed wide of the far post. The game was still waiting for its explosive moment when Johnson conceded a corner four minutes before the break.

Giggs curled it on to the head of Berbatov, who arrowed it into the far corner to send Old Trafford into raptures.

Torres, who was marking the Bulgarian, will feel he could have done better.

The second half saw Manchester United come out all guns blazing, Berbatov got an early sniff for a second, only to be beaten to the looping ball Reina. And then Nani rattled the near post with a thunderous shot after O’Shea had set him up on the edge of the area.

Cole then fired wide at the other end before before Berbatov got an incredible second. The striker controlled Nani’s cross on his knee, before launching on overhead kick that left Reina rooted to the spot and crashed in off the crossbar.

It took Liverpool less than five minutes to respond though, with Evans chopping down Torres inside the box. Gerrard duly sent Van der Sar the wrong way. The goal gave Liverpool hope when it seemed there was none. And, just as they did last week at Everton, United quickly caved in again.

O’Shea could have been sent off once Webb decided he had brought Torres down on the edge of the box. But Gerrard punished them anyway with a precise finish to a free-kick that ended up in the bottom corner.

Berbatov was not to be denied though, capping his hat-trick with a towering header.

Berbatov overhead kick

Everton scored twice in stoppage time to snatch a dramatic 3-3 draw at home to Manchester United, who left Wayne Rooney out of their squad after a week of allegations about his private life.

Rooney did not even travel to Goodison Park as manager Sir Alex Ferguson, on the occasion of his 700th Premier League match, claimed he wanted to protect the 24-year-old from abuse from the fans with whom he used to be a favourite.

The disruption appeared to affect his team-mates early on as they fell behind to a Steven Pienaar goal but Darren Fletcher, Nemanja Vidic and Dimitar Berbatov put United well ahead before the Toffees’ stunning late comeback through Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta.

Whether Rooney’s absence affected the overall result is open to debate but for the first 15 minutes, United found themselves under constant pressure.

Arteta’s sixth-minute free-kick clipped the top of the bar before the Spaniard had another shot deflected behind by Jonny Evans. Pienaar saw his shot from Arteta’s corner blocked and Leon Osman blazed over all in the same passage of play.

Ferguson was less than happy and was soon prowling his technical area barking orders at the players.

John O’Shea’s response was a blistering drive from the left angle of the penalty area which grazed the outside of Tim Howard’s left-hand post.

Everton’s pressure, albeit slightly less intense, continued while Nani was off the field having a cut lip tended with Cahill, Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines all failing to trouble the goalkeeper with half-chances.

There was always the danger their failure to capitalise on possession would leave the way open for United to nick a goal and they almost did in the 34th minute.

Tony Hibbert’s foul on Ryan Giggs saw Nani roll the free-kick to Paul Scholes and his powerful drive took a big deflection off Cahill but Howard, diving in the opposite direction, somehow diverted the ball over with his foot.

Four minutes later the American goalkeeper stuck up a hand to palm away Giggs’ close-range shot after United counter-attacked.

But the visitors were caught cold themselves when Patrice Evra missed an ambitious overhead-kick clearance to put Arteta charging through on goal and although he shot straight at Van der Sar, Leon Osman turned the rebound to Pienaar at the far post who rolled home.

Two minutes before half-time, however, Nani’s cross was diverted home by Fletcher and Berbatov’s volley almost put them ahead in added time.

It was apparent at the start of the second half Everton were in for a tougher test and it took just three minutes for that to become a reality.

Nani’s corner from Berbatov’s deflected shot was only half-cleared and when Scholes returned the ball to the Portugal international wide on the right he swung over a cross for an unmarked Vidic to head in from five yards.

It at least provoked a reaction from Everton and Pienaar’s curling 20-yard shot was held by Van der Sar at the second attempt.

But United were where they like to be, in control and able to counter-attack, and one rapid foray forward saw Howard deny Nani low to his right. He got nowhere near the next one in the 66th minute, which owed everything to the brilliance of Scholes and Berbatov.

The former England international’s raking pass picked out the Bulgarian wide on the right and his first touch brilliantly took him clear of Sylvain Distin. With acres of space to run into the languid striker took five or six paces before lashing an early shot into the bottom corner, taking Howard by surprise.

Baines curled a free-kick into the side-netting and as Osman hit a woefully-weak shot at Van der Sar as the hosts tried to find a way back but, as has been the case in their previous matches, they lacked a cutting edge.

However, in a dramatic finish Cahill headed home from Baines’ cross in injury-time before setting up Arteta himself, with the Spaniard’s deflected strike snatching an unlikely point. David Moyes was left furious at the end of the game, as Atkinson blew the final whistle as the Toffees streamed forward with a last-gasp counter-attack – though Jagielka, unaware that the match had ended, could only fire into Van der Sar’s arms.

Wayne Rooney ended his five-month goal drought by scoring a penalty as he set Manchester United on their way to a comfortable Premier League win over West Ham.

Rooney’s 33rd-minute penalty after Jonathan Spector had fouled Ryan Giggs will hardly enter his personal haul of fame.

Second-half efforts from Nani and Dimitar Berbatov, who took his tally to three in four games, sealed victory to keep United in touch with early pace-setters Chelsea.

But for West Ham, the international break only provides further opportunity to worry.

Without a point under Avram Grant’s stewardship and unconvincing in Carling Cup triumph against lowly Oxford at Upton Park on Tuesday, the Hammers are now bottom of the table and facing a fight to preserve their top-flight status.

Fabio Capello’s whistle-stop tour of the north-west had taken him to Blackburn and Blackpool. It probably brought a black mood as well when he discovered Frank Lampard would miss the Euro 2012 double-header against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

Whether that news is going to trigger another attempt to lure Paul Scholes out of international retirement remains to be seen.

Capello is not the only one to admire the 35-year-old who, by this season’s standards, had one of his quieter games, even if his passing remains sublime.

Indeed, Scott Parker, a man many felt was unlucky not to get the World Cup call last summer, possibly just edged their personal midfield duel.

The problem for West Ham was that Parker was one of only two Hammers to impress.

It could not be lost on Capello that Robert Green was the other. The two men will forever be united in ignominy for the debacle in South Africa, triggered as it was by the keeper’s howler against the United States in Rustenburg that cost England their flying start.

Yet there was a reason Capello trusted Green in the first place. And his excellent save to deny Nani proved it, even if Green required the additional help of his crossbar after the United winger had latched onto Dimitar Berbatov’s lay-off and let fly from 20 yards.

It was the best of a number of Nani chances, one of which should have provided United with some half-time daylight.

Darren Fletcher was a similar distance out when he belted a right-footed drive that was destined for the top corner before Green pushed it away.

Capello could only wistfully wonder what might have been. At least he did have the certain knowledge that his top striker no longer has to worry about how long it is since he last scored.

Thirteen matches for club and country had passed since Rooney put United ahead in their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on March 30.

That drought has been a popular debating point outside Old Trafford but Rooney kept any anxiety he might have been feeling well hidden as he strode up to take the penalty after Spector had been beaten by Giggs and then made a clumsy attempt to retrieve the situation.

Rooney had the confidence to engage in a bit of kidology with Green before sending his international team-mate the wrong way, the celebrations somewhat subdued to say the least.

Tossing away those points at Fulham will gnaw away at Ferguson for some time.

Any fear of a repeat was dispelled within five minutes of the restart when Nani, one of the chief culprits on that occasion, profited from some excellent approach work from Scholes and Rooney, dumped Danny Gabbidon on his backside, then beat Green with ease.

Given West Ham’s almost complete inability to create anything of their own, it was effectively game over.

Kieron Dyer wasted a decent chance when he fired into the side-netting but on this evidence it looks like being a bleak winter for the Londoners, especially if they fall victim to a late attempt to prise Parker away.

United duly collected a third when Berbatov propelled a perfectly-executed airborne volley beyond Green after Nani had charged into the box and clipped a cross to the far post.

The goal heralded a triple substitution by Ferguson, which included a debut for Chris Smalling and standing ovation for Scholes.

With at least two members of his coaching team and FA technical director Sir Trevor Brooking all present, it was tempting to wonder if Capello was thinking of a kidnap attempt.

Berbatov was handed a starting berth alongside Wayne Rooney and responded by drilling home an excellent 33rd-minute effort at Old Trafford.

The Bulgarian should have had another goal after half-time but, after Darren Fletcher had doubled the Red Devils’ advantage shortly before the break, it was evergreen substitute Giggs who extended his remarkable record of scoring in every Premier League season when he latched on to Scholes’ inspired pass and sent a first-time volley bouncing past Steve Harper.

It was part of another masterclass from man-of-the-match Scholes, who with every game must make Fabio Capello cringe at his failure to lure the 35-year-old out of international retirement for World Cup duty in the summer.

The only real disappointment for United was another blank day for Wayne Rooney, who has now gone 13 matches for club and country since he last scored, against Bayern Munich in March.
Questions will continue to be asked of Rooney until he starts to show the form that established himself as one of the world’s leading players last season. His performances in South Africa were almost too bad to be believed, the nadir coming in England’s terrible draw against Algeria in Cape Town.

Yet at times, it almost feels as though Rooney is trying too hard. His work-rate remains impressive but too often shots are snatched. He succeeded only in battering a free-kick into the Newcastle wall with one obvious opportunity, then skied Berbatov’s nod-back high over the bar when far better was expected.

Even his part in United’s second goal was accidental as he failed to control Patrice Evra’s low cross and succeeded only in prodding the ball towards Fletcher, whose smart turn and finish brought an admiring nod of approval from the unselfish England man.

Since his club record £30.5 million arrival from Tottenham, Berbatov has often found himself as the man being sacrificed by Sir Alex Ferguson in the biggest United games. With Javier Hernandez threatening to take Old Trafford by storm and Michael Owen’s lack of match practice costing him a place on the bench, Berbatov knew he must start to impress on a more consistent basis.

He certainly showed Rooney the way to goal when Antonio Valencia showed admirable determination in getting back to win possession for his team which John O’Shea quickly moved forward to Scholes.

The old master wasted no time in pushing the ball towards the Bulgarian, who was marginally onside and profited further when Jose Enrique nudged the ball further forward as he attempted to tackle. Berbatov steadied himself before drilling a shot from an acute angle into the far left corner.
It was the first harsh lesson of top-flight life for Newcastle, who surprised many, including Ferguson, by bouncing back from the Championship quite so soon. Young striker Andy Carroll was one of the major factors in their promotion. But after getting away from Nemanja Vidic with a superb run across the United box, he should have buried Joey Barton’s corner instead of nodding a golden chance to put Newcastle ahead tamely wide.

Later, with the points effectively secure, United set about boosting their goal difference. Rooney may be struggling to locate the net but there was plenty to be admired about his delicate touch to find Berbatov after Scholes had played the initial bullet pass.
It was a better chance than the one Berbatov had converted earlier. Again he beat Harper, but this time also put the ball wide of his left-hand post. For Rooney, it was his last meaningful involvement before he was replaced by Hernandez.

At least he is another hour closer to the 600 minutes of playing time Capello thinks he needs to achieve top form, although the process would surely be accelerated if he could find the net.
Anything would do, including the bizarre one off his face that Hernandez managed in the Community Shield. That goal ensured the Mexican was not searching for his first competitive goal as he chased about.

But it was the tracer-bullet accuracy of Giggs that proved to be the difference late on after he had been picked out by his old friend Scholes.

source: www.soccernet.com

Paul Robinson needed to make two excellent saves to deny Antonio Valencia before half-time, but afterwards, with United so desperate for the points, the former England number one had surprisingly little to do.

Not for the first time recently, Dimitar Berbatov was a major disappointment and the fact Rio Ferdinand was feeling his groin towards the end suggested a problem Fabio Capello will not want.

There are no worries for Chelsea though, who still lead the Red Devils by a point, with a game in hand, knowing the main danger to their championship aspirations now lies much closer to home, at Arsenal.

Although United had not actually lost their last three games, that is how it felt.

Even Sir Alex Ferguson spoke in those terms ahead of the clash, a 3-2 win over Bayern Munich apparently not enough to take away the feeling of desolation an away-goals Champions League exit.

In such circumstances, a rip-roaring response would normally be anticipated, the players sent out to represent Ferguson eager not to let their manager down.

On this occasion, such urgings fell on deaf ears.

Although they gradually took control, on a sunny afternoon, the first half took on the air of a pre-season contest.

On Blackburn’s part, the lack of urgency was understandable given their position firmly wedged in mid-table.

For United it was an altogether different story.

After all, they are still supposed to be playing for the title.

Indeed, while it might only be because Chelsea were on FA Cup duty yesterday, the prize for victory was a place at the top of the table.

Despite their torpor, United should have been in front at the break.

Valencia was the recipient of both clear-cut chances.

The first was created by Federico Macheda, making his first Premier League start of the season.

Valencia charged on to the young Italian’s neat pass with purpose and let fly with a powerful effort that was heading for the bottom corner until Paul Robinson made a fine low save.

Berbatov was the architect of the second.

Ferguson had little choice other than to declare his trust in the Bulgarian given Wayne Rooney was missing with an ankle injury.

But it was a largely unhappy afternoon for United’s £30.75million record signing, who was reduced to arm-waving and head-shaking as his meaningful contribution until he threaded a pass through to Valencia.

The South American eagerly latched on to the chance but again Robinson denied him, this time at close quarters.

As there was no immediate injection of focus or direction after the interval, so Ferguson decided to sacrifice Giggs, who admittedly had been fairly anonymous.

Outstanding earlier this season, the Welshman has struggled for form since recovering from his broken arm.

His replacement, Darron Gibson, is at least prepared to shoot, as he proved in midweek.

The Irishman’s aim was a bit askew. But at least he tried as United’s season began to crumble around them.

That Scholes chose to play on as Berbatov was down and apparently injured after a crunching collision with Nelsen seemed to tell its own story about the discontent in the United camp.

Friction between Edwin van der Sar and Ferdinand would be less easy to understand, although there was a clear lack of communication between the pair as, under no pressure, England’s new captain booted a ball out for a corner the keeper was about to collect.

Berbatov’s unhappy afternoon continued when he failed to test Robinson, having been set up by Neville and then fired wide after a long throw from the full-back bounced straight through the Blackburn defence.

It was almost an epitaph for his entire United career, and when Neville’s late scuffed effort rolled wide, the vast travelling support knew their season was destined to end in disappointment.

source: www.teamtalk.com

Yesterday home game was a combination of genius & stupidity display that left United with ten-man to battle for the last 40minutes, moments later Robben’s wonder strike earns Bayern a ticket to semi-final of the Champions League.

From a seemingly impregnable position, three goals ahead of Bayern Munich on the night and two in front on aggregate, the Red Devils’ world collapsed in a six-minute spell either side of the interval.

First-leg match-winner Ivica Olic pulled a goal back immediately before the break after Nani had followed up Darron Gibson’s early opener by scoring two of his own.

The goal put doubt in United minds that turned into panic once Rafael had been sent off for a second bookable offence shortly after the restart.

United tried desperately to hang on.

But just as the thought started to ferment that they might manage it, Robben escaped to the far post and rocketed a volley beyond Edwin van der Sar after fellow winger Franck Ribery had dropped a perfect corner into his path.

It was a gut-wrenching climax and leaves the Premier League without a semi-final representative for the first time since 2003 and United shattered after the biggest week of their season ended in total misery, with only an outside chance of the title to cling to and a dressing room of shattered bodies, physically and mentally, to revive.

It had all started so magnificently too after Ferguson had named Wayne Rooney in his starting line-up after all.

Such is the subterfuge involved in top-level combat these days, Ferguson’s declaration that there was “no chance” of his star striker being involved was just part of a game.

Yet, no matter how many potential line-ups Louis van Gaal had gone through in his mind, it is a fair assumption that Gibson did not feature in any of them.

When Ferguson has talked the Republic of Ireland international up as a potential star of the future, few have tended to believe him.

Clearly the United boss does have faith, and what an inspired choice it proved to be.

Barely two minutes had passed when Rafael swept the ball forward to Rooney, whose lay-off was collected by Gibson.

If Hans-Jorg Butt had done his homework, he would have known the Derry-born youngster tends to get his goals from outside the area. His startled look as the ball flashed past him suggested an obvious lack of revision.

It was the start United craved, and it was to get even better when Antonio Valencia, a constant menace down the right, sent over one of a number of dangerous crosses.

Just as Joe Cole had done at the other end on Saturday, Nani got himself to the near post and flicked the ball into the far corner with his heel.

Old Trafford erupted, in precisely the manner Ferguson knew they would when he spoke about the feeling of a ball being sucked into the opponents’ goal on those special Old Trafford nights, of which he has had so many.

Bayern were completely bewildered, both by the team they were facing and the whirlwind that had hit them.

Rafael, Rooney and Gibson combined again, this time to send the youngster through, only for the full-back to suffer an untimely bout of nerves as the goal stared back and he fired wide.

Yet just as the half started in a goal burst, so it ended the same way. Once more Valencia the architect, once more Nani supplied the finish, and the elaborate celebration.

The sense of euphoria lasted two minutes, the time it took for Olic to shrug Michael Carrick aside and find the bottom corner with Bayern’s first decent chance.

If Edwin van der Sar had not brilliantly turned away a curling shot from Robben that was heading for the bottom corner, United would actually have reached half-time behind on away goals, so precarious was their advantage.

Amid all the goalmouth incident, another pivotal moment had gone largely unnoticed. Rafael’s petulant kick at Mark van Bommel came back to haunt him four minutes after the restart when he tugged Franck Ribery back.

The sight of the Bayern players converging on referee Nicola Rizzoli demanding a red card was unseemly. The decision itself was correct.

Rafael’s dismissal brought Rooney’s involvement to an end as John O’Shea was introduced for the first time in five months to shore up the defensive gap and begin a rearguard action that required resistance to almost constant bombardment.

United tried to break. Indeed Nani nearly scored his hat-trick from one such raid, but the overwhelming pressure was one-way.

Even then it took a phenomenal goal to defeat the hosts as Robben’s perfectly-executed volley flew past Van der Sar into the far corner.

United did not have the energy to respond.

United two points clear of Arsenal again after the win, now both teams left with seven games this season.

Park Ji-Sung headed home the winner after an hour, securing the spoils after Wayne Rooney’s 33rd goal of the season had controversially leveled Fernando Torres’ fifth-minute opener at Old Trafford.

Although victory was not achieved without a nervy ending, during which Torres spurned a glorious chance to equalize, the result kept United’s noses in front of their title rivals.

For Liverpool though, fight was not enough.

When they scored four times in the corresponding fixture last season, it appeared to open the door to that championship Holy Grail.

Not only has that been proved fool’s gold, a 10th defeat of the season leaves them requiring slip-ups from Tottenham and others just to finish in a Champions League spot. What Rafael Benitez claimed before Christmas was a guaranteed fourth-place finish could hardly be further away.

Sir Alex Ferguson once claimed that a game of tiddlywinks between what the majority still believe to be England’s biggest clubs could trigger the deepest of passions.

Certainly there was no sense of inferiority from the visitors despite their present status, and with good reason.

It was the Merseysiders who had won the last three meetings – each of which featured the dismissal of Nemanja Vidic, who it seems in Torres has found someone he simply cannot handle.

Such is the mystique surrounding that duel there was an audible gasp the first time Torres ran at the Serbian. Like so much of the opening period’s final half-hour, it petered out disappointingly. The spark had been ignited long before that, although Torres was the one who flicked the switch.

By his very demeanour, Torres gave the impression of being a man on a mission.

Five minutes into the contest, he seized on the loose ball after Michael Carrick had lost possession, sending Steven Gerrard away at top speed with an inspired backheel.

As Gerrard found Dirk Kuyt to his right, Torres continued his own run, United’s defense never set properly to ensure the Spaniard remained under their control.

By the time Kuyt dug out his cross, Torres was on his own.

Park’s wayward effort from a similar position later on proved the goal was anything but the routine effort it looked to be as the Spanish star guided the ball out of Edwin van der Sar’s reach.

Quite apart from falling behind against such fierce rivals, an increasingly enthralling title race demanded a United comeback.

For Liverpool, the equalizer came far too quickly. The controversy was immediate too.

Benitez argued Javier Mascherano’s attempt to haul back Antonio Valencia was outside the box, which, indeed, was where the infringement began. Ferguson countered the combative midfielder had prevented a clear goalscoring opportunity.

The managers – no friends these two – continued their finger-jabbing row long after Wayne Rooney had tucked home the rebound from a spot-kick awarded by Howard Webb and saved by Pepe Reina.

That was it for the goal threat until the hour mark arrived.

During his long career, Gary Neville has gone on plenty of unselfish runs down the right wing, knowing David Beckham or, more latterly, Cristiano Ronaldo were never going to give him the ball.

Darren Fletcher is not quite of that attacking caliber but Neville must have sensed his run was purely to provide space for the Scot.

So it proved. As Neville flew past on the overlap, Emiliano Insua edged to his right. In an instant, Fletcher had exploited the gap and curled over a cross.

As Rooney and Jamie Carragher tussled and tugged, Park arrived behind them, launching himself at the ball like a guided missile and powering the diving header into the corner of Reina’s goal.

Rooney had one more chance before the end, which he fired wide.

Torres was on the end of a far better one when Steven Gerrard drilled over a low cross near the end.

For once against United, the Spaniard miscued and Yossi Benayoun headed the loose ball straight at Edwin van der Sar.

United could celebrate, Neville and Ferguson doing the cheerleading.

Liverpool’s money men are staring at a big black hole marked Champions League, Benitez is failing on his guarantees.

Angry Wolves fans launched a blistering attack on manager Mick McCarthy for a team selection that virtually handed Ferguson victory on a plate during the encounter at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

Chants of “we want our money back”, “where is our first team” and “£40 to watch the reserves” bellowed out of the visiting section after McCarthy made 10 changes to the side that defeated Tottenham on Saturday.

Although Wolves’ second string battled hard, the result was a formality and, if United had got themselves out of third gear, they would probably have won by a more comfortable margin than goals from Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Antonio Valencia gave them.

McCarthy, presumably, was not offering his team selection as a gift to mark the latest milestone in Ferguson’s long and illustrious career.

The Yorkshireman had his reasons for making 10 changes, notably the weekend encounter with Burnley, one of the sides who rose from the Championship with Wolves last term.

But Wolves now have five days to prepare for that one.

For half an hour the hardy band of travelling fans had plenty to cheer as their representatives gave everything in the Wolverhampton cause.

If Rooney had taken the third-minute opening that presented itself when Darron Gibson’s shot crashed into him, the landslide the team sheets suggested might have materialised.

Instead, Marcus Hahnemann, the one player to keep his place from White Hart Lane, made a close-range save, as he did to deny the England striker when he got on the end of Patrice Evra’s low cross midway through the half.

It seemed barely credible the visitors should give United any more assistance.

But that is exactly what Ronald Zubar did as he rose to head away Gibson’s corner under minimal pressure and instead punched it out of the area.

Having been so lethargic before, Rooney upped the pace by drilling home his 13th goal of the season.

Once in front, there was never any real suggestion United would not join Chelsea at the Premier League summit, having failed in that objective against Aston Villa at the weekend.

On his first league start, Gabriel Obertan was guilty of taking too much time to get his crosses in, a failing that Cristiano Ronaldo received a few admonishments for earlier in his career.

If the young French winger needed any proof the direct route was best, he got it when Vidic rose highest at a Gibson corner and got enough power into his header to carry it over the line, even though Hahnemann attempted a goal-line block.

The effort secured victory and the hosts knew it, which probably explained the sense of lethargy that gripped them at the start of the second period.

Vidic’s departure was the most notable aspect of that period. The defender did raise his hands to say he was willing to continue after originally indicating a desire to come off and Ferguson will be hopeful of having him fit for Saturday’s testing trip to Fulham.

It did not matter on this occasion, though, and the scene was set for a brilliant piece of skill from Dimitar Berbatov.

Such a maddeningly laid-back figure, the Bulgarian first collected Paul Scholes’ lofted pass before delivering a brilliant overhead kick into the path of Valencia, who drove a first-time shot into the roof of the net.

The 15 minutes Ferguson afforded Michael Owen as replacement for Rooney was presumably not what England boss Fabio Capello had in mind when he said he wanted the striker to play more often.

But, then again, this was not what Manchester United away was meant to mean for Wolves when the fixture list came out, either.

McCarthy will only know whether his grand plan has worked on a professional level on Sunday afternoon.

Many disgruntled Wolves fans making that late-night trip back down the M6 might not be quite so easily convinced.

Sir Alex Ferguson described Federico Macheda’s sensational injury-time effort in the corresponding fixture last term as the defining moment of United’s season.

It is too early for Agbonlahor’s header to be described in the same way, but on a day when United were in action after Chelsea had stumbled unexpectedly on home soil, it was a poor result for the hosts.

Although Villa headed north without a win for so long, they did have the confidence of victories against both Chelsea and Liverpool this season to fall back on.

Martin O’Neill’s teams tend to be regarded as solid and durable rather than exciting.

But Stewart Downing’s recovery from long-term injury has released James Milner into central midfield and, as Fabio Capello and Sir Alex Ferguson have noted, he can be useful going forward.

And while Villa themselves might not have enjoyed the best of times against United of late, Agbonlahor has not done too badly.

The England striker had scored in the past three seasons against the Red Devils, so he was completing a rather impressive four-timer when he nodded home Ashley Young’s right-wing cross.

Agbonlahor had already shown impressive strength to hold off Wes Brown, then spotted his opportunity after rolling a pass to Young, darting into the space where he expected the cross to come.

Brown might be criticised for not sticking to his man. But Tomasz Kuszczak was equally culpable, edging four yards off his line and then stopping as he realised he had no chance of cutting it out.

The cross duly came and, with Kuszczak in no man’s land, Agbonlahor steered his header into the net.

It could quite easily have been two by half-time as Kuszczak’s indecisiveness spread through a defence supposedly bolstered by the return of Brown and Nemanja Vidic.

Agbonlahor harried Darren Fletcher off the ball after the Scot had received a pass he was not expecting from Kuszczak.

Instead of going for goal himself he unselfishly tried to present Emile Heskey with a tap-in. This time Kuszczak redeemed himself.

United were not exactly a muted force, it was just that their efforts tended to be half chances rather than clear opportunities.

Antonio Valencia was a threat but was caught on his heels when Wayne Rooney flicked an inspired pass to the near post.

Rooney was also booked for a blatant dive when he went down anticipating a challenge from Luke Young which never actually arrived.

And it was Rooney who saw his shot crash off the bar after a brilliant piece of close control when he received Patrice Evra’s low cross.

United’s efforts were underwhelming enough for Ferguson to introduce Michael Owen at the break.

Like Giggs, it was a rare off-day for Rooney, who failed to take a couple of those half-chances that kept coming United’s way.

If that was not bad enough, after flattening Downing, Rooney raced at the Villa goal then woefully overhit a through-ball intended for Dimitar Berbatov.

Not that the Bulgarian had anyone to blame but himself when Michael Carrick charged forward on the overlap and invited the finish with a precise cut-back.

It looked certain to be the equaliser, but Berbatov failed to make a proper connection.

Downing was perfectly placed to boot a Vidic header off the line with 10 minutes remaining as the game entered the phase where last year Villa’s victory hopes were so cruelly snatched away from them.

Carrick drove another late effort wide, but at the end the only noises United made were Ferguson’s complaints about the amount of time being added on.

A measure of United’s achievement was that it represented only a third win in 10 attempts against German opposition in Europe. The fact they did it with over a dozen key men missing made the feat all the more remarkable.

It was Owen’s first three-timer since he joined the Old Trafford side in the summer – and his first for anyone since 2005 – and will undoubtedly go down as one of his finest on a night when United had their backs against the wall.

The result confirms a seeding in the knockout round draw a week on Friday which in itself does not guarantee easier opposition but at least ensured Old Trafford will host a second leg rather than a first.

An already complicated qualification picture had become even more murky following confirmation earlier in the day that two CSKA Moscow players had tested positive for banned substances following their meeting with United at Old Trafford last month.

As it left the Russians facing expulsion at a UEFA disciplinary hearing on December 17, it raised the possibility of United having to appeal for their top-spot status, or Wolfsburg begging to maintain interest in the competition until the day before the last round of 16 draw.

Sir Alex Ferguson knew the best way of avoiding such anxiety was to win.

Yet to achieve that would be a monumental feat given he landed in Germany without 14 recognised senior players, including eight defenders.

United had prospered from weakened situations before. But never had they been so badly depleted.

Michael Carrick was handed a sweeper’s role, with Darren Fletcher and Patrice Evra flanking the England international as Ferguson abandoned his traditional back four.

As the highly-rated Edin Dzeko was part of Wolfsburg’s strikeforce, statisticians were busy spending their pre-match discussions wondering if United were set for a record European defeat.

As it turned out, a repeat of their five goal hammering by Sporting Lisbon in 1964, or even a 4-0 spanking by Barcelona in the early Champions League days when the controversial ‘three foreigners’ rule handicapped a Red Devils side good enough to have won the domestic double the previous spring, never looked likely.

Zvjezdan Misimovic headed a good chance over and Tomasz Kuszczak made a couple of decent saves to deny Makoto Hasebe.

But with a bit of good fortune, namely when Carrick slid in on Hasebe and appeared to bring the wide-man down inside the area without making contact with the ball, and a lot of perseverance, they survived without conceding a goal.

A scoreless opening period would have been well received by Ferguson. Owen’s goal made it a perfect opening 45 minutes.

The former Liverpool star has probably not had the impact hoped for when he joined United in the summer and his hopes of going to the World Cup next summer appear to have receded to non-existent.

But Owen remains a master at finding space. And when Nani drifted over a cross from the left 60 seconds before the break, he had evaded the home defence for long enough to give him time to steer his header into the far corner.

But the job was only half done and Ferguson must have known a Wolfsburg bombardment was coming.

Having attacked mostly down their right – trying to expose the least defensively competent wing-back, Nani – Wolfsburg changed their point of attack, knowing Park Ji-sung was not being protected by an orthodox defender.

Marcel Schafer had already fizzed over one cross from the left that Carrick had smashed clear when he had another go at picking out Dzeko.

The Bosnian was astute enough to get between Carrick and Evra, so when the cross arrived perfectly in the centre of the six-yard box, Dzeko rose unchallenged to send a textbook header flying past Kuszczak.

With over half an hour remaining, it appeared United’s defensive heroics would be in vain.

But some sturdy defending kept Wolfsburg at bay and when substitute Gabriel Obertan glided into the home box and drilled a cross to the far post, Owen was waiting to tap home.

The qualification picture was suddenly, for United at any rate, much clearer.

Owen’s third, when he streaked through after Wolfsburg had wasted their final chance, merely added a notable footnote.