Van Persie delight as he hits form at last
Dutch striker cheers Van Gaal with goal and a f ine display
ROBIN VAN PERSIE clenched his fist in delight and no little relief after responding to doubts over his Manchester United future with a thumping strike which completed a one- sided afternoon at Old Trafford.
Manager Louis van Gaal kept faith with Van Persie despite considering his fellow Dutchman low on confidence after touching the ball only 13 times in the previous game at Arsenal.
It proved to be an astute decision as RVP set up United’s second goal for strike partner Wayne Rooney, then turned Hull defender James Chester to score a great goal himself midway through the second half.
How much it meant to Van Persie was understood by the United players, who ran over to celebrate with their under-pressure teammate.
And when he was substituted four minutes later, he received a standing ovation from the United fans, and applauded them back. It was a satisfying return to form for the player and his team showed that they are warming to their task under Van Gaal.
Afterwards, the striker who is seen as vulnerable if United buy big again next summer, admitted that finding the back of the net had been a huge relief, particularly as his manager had described his last performance as ‘very bad’.
‘I needed that goal, to be honest,’ he said. ‘We played really well, you could see that in the way we passed the ball. Every week it gets quicker and better. We could have won 4-0 or 5-0.’
Van Gaal was naturally pleased to see his World Cup captain back in the goals for just the fourth time this season, but he was not going overboard on Van Persie’s all-round display.
‘Every striker needs a goal when they haven’t scored for three or four matches,’ said United’s manager. ‘I am very pleased and happy with him for his goal, but he can still play better.
‘He played No 10 and not No 9 at the beginning of the game. When I was forced to put him in a striker’s position because of the injury to (Angel) Di Maria, he played better. I am pleased he scored and had an influence on the game.’
The only downside to an easy win, that harked back to former boss Alex Ferguson’s days when the opposition looked scared stiff of United, were the injuries to Di Maria and Wayne Rooney.
Di Maria asked the bench to remove him after 14 minutes having felt a hamstring twinge and will not be risked when United hope to build on their recent run at home to Stoke City on Tuesday night. Rooney, who scored the second goal from Van Persie’s assist, was left hobbling after an earlier kick on the calf from Robbie Brady was supplemented by a bang on the knee in stoppage time.
‘He has already told me he wants to play against Stoke, but Rooney always says that,’ smiled Van Gaal. ‘We will know in 48 hours.’
In contrast, Hull were dismal as former Old Trafford skipper Steve Bruce watched from the dug-out in his 700th game as a club manager. They have lost four on the trot and he admitted: ‘It was a tough afternoon for us, no doubt about it. We made mistakes you can’t afford to at a place like this.’
Bruce picked five defenders and even that backfired with Van Gaal surprisingly claiming afterwards he knew about the visitors’ tactics in advance. ‘We trained for it, to move the ball quicker,’ he said. ‘This is the first match that we have dominated the game from the first minute until the last, in a way that I like.’
United went ahead after 16 minutes but it was the scrappiest of goals. Nikica Jelavic and Curtis Davies got in each other’s way as they challenged Marouane Fellaini for Rooney’s corner and, after Chris Smalling’s initial header had been returned to him by goalkeeper Allan McGregor, the defender tried his luck again with his right foot from six yards.
In almost slow motion, McGregor parried the shot but the ball deflected off his left knee and rolled just over the line, with referee Anthony Taylor pointing to the centre spot after receiving a bleep from goal- l i ne technology. United proceeded to dominate possession though Van Persie’s usually trusty left peg let him down from eight yards when he had only McGregor to beat.
In terms of the match result, it mattered not a jot. Van Gaal will have been pleased that his strikers, Van Persie and Rooney, combined for the killer second goal.
The pair know each other well – their children are in the same class at school and attend the same birthday parties – but on occasions look like strangers on the pitch. This time, in the 42nd minute, the dream team clicked. After Davies missed a header, Van Persie cushioned a
lovely lay-off into Rooney’s path and he drilled the ball home low into the corner for his fifth United goal of the season.
All that was missing was a Van Persie strike and it arrived after 66 minutes from Ander Herrera’s pass. He turned James Chester and fired a rising shot with his favoured left foot into the roof of the net.
With the game won, Radamel Falcao was sent on for his first action in six weeks but the Colombian striker was denied a goal when Michael Dawson blocked his shot between his legs.
It was an ‘ouch’ moment that summed up Hull’s painful afternoon.