Manchester United Fans Club

Manchester United equalled a 100-year-old scoring record as they stormed to the Premier League summit with an impressive 4-1 win over Middlesbrough, although the victory owed as much to visiting winger Stewart Downing as to the home team’s superb attacking talents.

Nani, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, twice, were on the mark for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team as they recorded an eighth consecutive league victory, as well as scoring four goals in four consecutive matches for the first time in the club’s history. Sir Alex Ferguson’s free-scoring champions did it again to pile the pressure on Arsenal ahead of their visit to Liverpool.

For once, Ronaldo was not hogging the headlines either, as United’s ‘other’ Portugal winger took centre stage. Nani had already accounted for Tottenham earlier this season with one blockbuster. Yet even that memorable effort was eclipsed by his latest piledriver.

Nani had put United on course for victory after just three minutes following a pass from the returning Owen Hargreaves. The ‘other’ Portuguese winger shrugged off Gary O’Neil before burying an incredible curling shot into the top corner of Mark Schwarzer’s goal from nearly 30 yards.

It looked as though that would be sufficient to open the floodgates for United but hard-working and resilient Boro took just three minutes to level, thanks to some poor United defending. Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere, promptly exposed previously unseen slackness in United’s defence, arriving with perfect timing between Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to nod home Tuncay’s cross.

Ferguson might have thought his side would be in for the tough afternoon until Downing committed a gross error which handed Rooney an easy opportunity to restore his team’s advantage. Downing, a one-time transfer target for Ferguson, decided to try and dribble out of his own penalty area under pressure from the Reds in the 33rd minute.

He stumbled twice and succeeded only in tapping the ball hopelessly to the unmarked Rooney. The England striker needed no second invitation to take the ball on a step or two and almost separate the net from the goalposts with an unstoppable drive, his sixth goal in five games in an incredible October for Rooney and United alike. Rooney is really coming into form, the best scoring streak he has I could say so far since he put on United shirt.

Boro were unlikely to be able to return from such a damaging psychological blow and United toyed with them in the second half before strolling towards the victory that returned them to the summit of the Premiership.

Ferguson admitted he will be wearing his “Liverpool scarf” on Sunday when the Merseyside club host United’s closest rivals Arsenal. But, with United in such form, it appears unlikely they will need much help to maintain their title challenge.

Ronaldo, actually looking out of sorts by his standards, missed a couple of other chances before the break — one a particularly bad mis-hit in front of goal from Nani’s cross.

Rooney was also guilty of poor finishing, just 20 seconds after the break, when he shot wildly over from yet another clever Tevez touch and Boro’s final hope of salvaging something from an increasingly difficult afternoon evaporated when Edwin van der Sar dived acrobatically to tip Lee Cattermole’s long-distance blast around the post.

The pressure was off United, and the outcome settled, once and for all after 54 minutes when Tevez appeared on the end of a superb flowing move. Anderson’s accurate pass found Tevez who flicked the ball forward for Rooney, ran on to the England man’s back heel, and buried his shot past Schwarzer with the minimum of fuss.

Ultimately the game was sealed with Tevez’s goal, it was just the kind of victory Ferguson would have wanted and no matter what happens at Anfield tomorrow, United, with a free midweek in front of them thanks to their shock Carling Cup loss to Coventry, will approach their crunch showdown with Arsene Wenger’s men at the Emirates Stadium next Saturday in confident mood.

The same scorer completed the rout five minutes from time as United counter attacked through Ronaldo and Rooney before Tevez checked past his marker and saw his shot deflected into the Boro goal via Andrew Taylor.

There could have been no-one left in the stadium, or anywhere else probably, who believes United’s twin strike-force are incapable of playing with each other. The pair may be similar in size and approach but rather than blunting their individual edge, it just makes the Red Devils twice as dangerous.

With Owen Hargreaves lasting almost three-quarters of the game on only his fourth appearance since arriving from Bayern Munich, the day could not have gone much better for Ferguson and his men. With Scholes and Carrick still to come back from injury, Hargreaves lasting almost three-quarters of the game was a boost for Ferguson, easing the midfield injury headache ahead of next week table-topper match against Arsenal.

And the news from Stamford Bridge after the final whistle only brought even more glee, Chelsea hit six past the Man City goal and looks like Mourinho memory are starting to fade into history book. However, I’m still miss his press conference quotes.