MX23RW : Monday, November 25 08:47:58| >> :120:42814:42814:

On this day: Manchester United thrash Wigan Athletic

Six years ago today, Manchester United scored four unanswered goals against Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford.

The summer of 2007 was a busy one at Old Trafford in terms of arrivals.

Sir Alex Ferguson had seen his Manchester United side regain the Premier League title from Chelsea during the previous term, but they had fallen short at the semi-final stage of the Champions League to Kaka and AC Milan.

The Scot reacted to that disappointment by recruiting a quintet of players - Carlos Tevez, Nani, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves and Tomasz Kuszczak.

Sir Alex Ferguson unveils Nani and Owen Hargreaves as Manchester United players.© Getty Images

While those arrivals provided United supporters with plenty of optimism, that was on the wane after three games of the new campaign when their side had picked up just one point.

Five wins, against the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, steadied the ship, but question marks were still being asked over the style of performances - that was until Wigan Athletic arrived at Old Trafford six years ago today.

It took until the second half, but United really put Wigan to the sword. Tevez put the hosts in front in the 54th minute when he raced onto Anderson's through-ball, before Cristiano Ronaldo headed in from a corner.

Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo celebrate the latter's goal in October 2007.© Getty Images

The Portugal attacker added his second and United's third of the afternoon 14 minutes from time when he turned in Wayne Rooney's square pass, which in turn put Wigan out of contention.

Rooney then turned scorer in the closing stages when he rose highest inside the penalty area to head in substitute Danny Simpson's cross.

"I was very pleased with the football in the second half. We had 10 players missing but great credit to the players who played today. We speeded the game up in the second half, the flow of the game was much better. It's coming together," said Ferguson after the final whistle.

Sir Alex Ferguson salutes the Manchester United crowd after their win over Wigan Athletic in October 2007.© Getty Images

His opposite number, Chris Hutchings, said: "We had a game plan which worked well in the first half, but as as soon as they scored the first goal they upped the tempo and they could have scored a couple more.

"It's always difficult but while it's 1-0 you have always got a chance. I'm disappointed that we lost our shape."

MAN UNITED: Kuszczak; Pique, Ferdinand, Vidic (Anderson 21), Evra; Ronaldo, O'Shea (Simpson 30), Scholes, Giggs; Rooney, Tevez (Nani 81)

WIGAN: Kirkland; Melchiot (Hall 50), Boyce, Bramble, Kilbane; Scharner, Brown, Skoko, Koumas, Olembe (Valencia 66); Bent

ID:109489: cacheID:109489:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6042:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United celebrates victory after the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg match between FC Porto and Manchester United at the Estadio do Dragao on April 15, 2009
Read Next:
On this day: Man United draw with Villarreal
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!