Nani scores winner after Whitehead equalises Hernandez strike

Posted Wednesday, January 05, 2011 by skysports.com

Right angles

Letting the ball run behind him, he quickly flicked back his right leg and turned it at right angles, into a goal that Asmir Begovic thought he had covered.

It was Hernandez's ninth goal of the season and his second in four days.

Little wonder Sir Alex Ferguson had enough faith in the striker not to worry too much about the absence of Wayne Rooney, who, having suffered an ankle injury last time, watched on from an executive suite in the company of Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones.

Rio Ferdinand was missing too, rested ahead of Sunday's FA Cup tie with Liverpool, which allowed Chris Smalling to make his first league start for the Red Devils.

Not that the England Under 21 defender had that much to do as United dominated proceedings without carving out too many clear-cut opportunities.

Berbatov had one after Giggs' shot deflected into his path off Shawcross. Although the Bulgarian controlled brilliantly, under pressure from Marc Wilson, he then prodded wide rather than into the same corner Hernandez found shortly afterwards.

The overwhelming feeling at half-time was of the hosts once again scraping by without really exuding any of the class expected.

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