Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez came off the bench to clinch United's second league away win of the season and give the Reds the happiest of starts to the New Year.
The Mexican's 75th-minute header, added to a third-minute goal from Wayne Rooney, ensured all three points for the league leaders who survived a major scare when Peter Odemwingie missed a penalty for West Brom just after the hour mark when the score was 1-1. The Baggies had earlier cancelled out Rooney's opener with a stunning long-range strike from midfielder James Morrison.
The only worry for United as the game drew to a close was an apparent injury to Rooney but with Sir Alex having used all three subs, the striker played on to the final whistle. Wayne limped during the final moments but there was nothing wrong with his movement at the opposite end of the match, when he made the breakthrough with the first Barclays Premier League goal of 2011.
It was also Rooney's first goal from open play this season - his last was away to Bayern Munich in March. Two Frenchmen combined to create it for the England striker - Gabriel Obertan, making his first league start away from Old Trafford, drew the attention of two West Brom defenders with some trickery on the left flank and then rolled the ball back for Patrice Evra to whip in a first-time cross. Rooney met it ten yards out and although his downward header lacked power, the ball bounced off the turf and beyond Scott Carson’s despairing dive to United’s surprise
and delight.
West Brom refused to be bowed by this early blow, however, and eleven minutes later their positive approach to the game paid dividends. A long punt from the Baggies’ back line was headed away by Nemanja Vidic but unfortunately for the Reds skipper, the ball dropped kindly for James Morrison to swing his right boot and send an almost unstoppable shot arcing past Tomasz Kusczak into the top left-hand corner. It was just what the home side and their fans needed, to get back on level terms before United could use the early lead to dictate the play.
The first big decision for referee Chris Foy after 25 minutes favoured the visitors and riled the natives as Gary Neville’s effort to catch up with Graham Dorrans resulted in the Scottish international tumbling over in the area. TV replays confirmed the Reds right-back made no contact with the ball, only with the opponent, but appeals from Dorrans and protests from Roberto di Matteo to the fourth official were in vain. As play continued, Chris Brunt tried to exact justice for his side but after seizing possession from Michael Carrick in the centre circle, the midfielder’s decent effort from distance flashed just over Kuszczak’s crossbar.
The equaliser, the penalty not given, and Brunt’s near miss gave the home support plenty to shout about – and Sir Alex plenty to think about in the technical area. From being in a position to quieten the crowd and take control early on, the Reds had become second best to a Baggies
team with their tails up. To match the home side’s industrious midfield five, the boss withdrew Rooney to the left side, brought Fletcher into a central three with Anderson and Carrick and pushed Obertan out to the right.
The Reds' problems were almost compounded at the end of the first half when Dorrans was picked out with a pass through the space between Neville and Rio Ferdinand, only for the Scot to strike the side netting instead of drilling a shot across Kuszczak. An injury-time free-kick from Brunt also went fortunately wide after clipping off the United wall.
The same West Brom midfielder fired the first shot across the Reds' bows when the contest resumed, this time just failing to test Kuszczak with a curling left-footer in open play. Dorrans also remained a lively figure, forcing a left-wing corner from which Paul Scharner found enough room to head marginally off target.
Sir Alex made two changes on the hour mark, replacing Obertan with Darron Gibson on the right side of midfield and perhaps more surprisingly taking off top scorer Dimitar Berbatov to introduce Javier Hernandez. The subs had barely entered the fray when Ferdinand presented West Brom with a golden chance to go 2-1 up, tripping Peter Odemwingie as the striker entered the box. The felled opponent picked himself up to take the penalty but spurned it with a horrible miss, scuffing the ball wide left.
The home fans' worst fears - that United might take full advantage of the reprieve - were almost instantly realised but West Brom keeper Scott Carson was quickly off his line to take the ball off Rooney's toes. Instead, Wayne would be the architect not the executioner when the killer strike eventually came, delivering a perfect left-wing corner that invited Hernandez to steal a yard on his marker inside the six-yard box and glance a header past Carson. United nearly went further ahead, when Rooney headed just over from Fletcher’s cross in the Reds’ next attack. The leaders also had a legitimate penalty appeal ignored when, just before the winning goal, Fabio's cross was illegally cut out by Jerome Thomas' arm.
United's remaining task was to preserve the 2-1 lead and the first test of this came when Thomas cut inside but while his low shot was on target, it was blocked by a defender. The same player drew a yellow-card foul from Fabio, and dinked a shot just wide of the left-hand top corner as the Baggies pressed for a second equaliser. Hernandez, Vidic and Brunt were also booked as the game ended in scrappy fashion – the latter’s crime was a foul that left Rooney worryingly limping through the final moments. However, Wayne and co were smiling when the final whistle blew - now the Reds will look to build on this long-awaited second away win.
Javier Hernandez and Nani set each other up for goals as Manchester United beat Stoke 2-1 to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League on Tuesday.
