“HOW COULD WE HAVE DOUBTED them?” the BBC Radio commentator screamed as he called home Great Britain’s coxless four on Saturday morning and, ten hours later, much the same question was being asked at Old Trafford after Manchester United had finished a canvas ahead of Norwich City. At least the Canadians got silver medals to show for their gallantry in defeat; the poor Canaries got nothing.
It was a result that wiped the smile off the faces of those who, armed with a copy of the Barclays Premiership table which showed United bottom at kick-off, had been gleefully predicting another defeat, a six-point gap to Chelsea and the terminal decline of the United empire. Perhaps they had forgotten that the last time Sir Alex Ferguson’s team lost the first two matches of the season, they went on to claim the inaugural Premier League crown.
It will take more than a narrow if deserved victory over the novices from Norfolk to convince the doubters that United have what it takes to mount a sustained challenge for their ninth title in 13 years, but, just as the start was important to Pinsent & Co in Athens, so United’s job in the first month of the campaign is to keep the pace-setters within hailing distance until their own small armada of injured players is fit to return. And, while there was no doubting the contribution of Ferguson’s big-name stars — Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs and Alan Smith, whose sensational goal effectively settled the match — to this victory, it is likely that the manager would have taken most pleasure from the performances of the reserves he has been forced to draft into his side. For Ed Coode, read Eric Djemba-Djemba, David Bellion and Liam Miller.
Djemba-Djemba produced one of his most effective performances in a United shirt, relishing the physical battle with Gary Holt and the impressive Damien Francis in the heart of midfield and preventing Norwich from establishing any real momentum, while Bellion chipped in with the opening goal and Miller compensated for his lightweight physique with some heavy-duty running and perceptive passing. They will be among the first to make way when the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Louis Saha and Rio Ferdinand are available again, but, unlike the expensive, embarrassing flop that was Diego Forlán, their next port of call will be the substitutes’ bench, not Spain.
The prospect of playing Smith behind a front two of Van Nistelrooy and Saha must be making Ferguson’s mouth water. The vitriol and hype that inevitably accompanied Smith’s summer move across the Pennines from Elland Road might have been expected to inhibit the forward, initially at least, but instead he seems to have matured overnight. Despite the close attentions of Craig Fleming and Simon Charlton, the Norwich centre halves, who shackled him effectively during the opening half-hour, Smith put not a boot or an arm out of place and seems to have swapped an habitual snarl for a winning smile, concentrating instead on making the runs that would unhinge Norwich.
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Having already played a crucial role in United’s opener, flicking Giggs’s left-wing cross to the feet of Bellion, Smith capped his first home appearance with a magnificent goal. There have been volleys struck with greater power and from bigger distances, but few hit with such a delicious combination of venom, vision and precision. Having controlled the ball on his chest, Smith, moving away from goal to the left, turned to send in a shot that arced majestically over Robert Green and dipped in off the far post.
“That type of goal deserves to win any game,” Nigel Worthington, the Norwich manager, conceded. Smith, meanwhile, was proving as much diplomat as destroyer. “I enjoyed the goal, but it doesn’t matter who scores as long as we win the match,” he said.
While United turn their attentions to the Champions League — they will reach the group stage with a draw against Dynamo Bucharest at Old Trafford on Wednesday — Norwich were left to contemplate a daunting Premiership baptism. With one point from their first two matches, they now face Newcastle United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Liverpool in successive fixtures. Worthington must fear that by the time they come up against the lesser lights they could be cut adrift.
Willing workers, neat and tidy in possession, they had their moments on Saturday — David Bentley rattled Tim Howard’s crossbar with a memorable 30-yard shot a minute before United took the lead, and Paul McVeigh gave them a glimmer of hope by halving the deficit with 16 minutes left — but are worryingly short of pace at the back and appear wholly reliant on Darren Huckerby’s speed off the mark in attack. At least Worthington knows what is needed by way of improvement. “We need to keep the ball, be ruthless in front of goal and keep clean sheets at the back,” he said. Not much to ask for, then.