Name: PA Sport 2013-04-24 13:41
SWEET
for United
MAN UNITED 3
(Robin van Persie 2, 13, 33)
ASTON VILLA 0
ROBIN van Persie bagged a magnificent first-half hat-trick to fire Machester United to Premier League title glory on 23 April 2013.
Regarded as the summer signing that made the difference, van Persie underlined his value by ensuring there was never a chance Aston Villa might prevent their
hosts from collecting the victory required to celebrate championship No. 20 in front of their own fans at Old Tratford.
Van Persie took just 81 seconds to sweep home Ryan Giggs' knock-back.
Twelve minutes from the break, he profited from more unselfishness from the veteran Welshman to complete the second treble of his United career.
In between, he scored one of the best goals of the entire campaign as he followed Wayne Rooney's long ball throughout its 35-metre flight, waited for it to fall
out of the sky, then smashed a first-time left-footed volley into the corner.
It was the kind of jaw-dropping moment United have not delivered that often this season.
But as the signature to reclaiming the crown Manchester City prised from their grasp with viryually the last kick of the previous campaign, it was perfect.
It confirmed Sir Alex Ferguson's 13th title, and Giggs' for that matter, equalling on their own the number Arsenal have won as a club. For Gunners old boy van Persie, at 29, it was title No.1.
Jubilation
And boy did it show at the final whistle as he raised his arms on halfway before joining the celebrations that began almost immediately, even if the trophy presentation has to wait for three weeks.
The Dutchman's contribution took his tally for the season to 24, ahead of major rival Luis Suarez in the hunt for the Golden Boot.
Indeed, it was United as a team who got their teeth into a Villa outfit who were too loose and afforded their opponents too much room until it was far too late to create any kind of a contest.
For Villa did not just have van Persie to look after, they also needed to subdue Wayne Rooney.
And in that task, they failed miserably.
Again slotted into a central midfield station alongside Michael Carrick, Rooney took control, spraying passes around in a manner befitting Paul Scholes.
The first went arrowingto the corner for Antonio Valencia to hunt down after barely a minute.
Valencia held the ball up and rolled it back to Rafael da Silva, whose deep cross found Giggs, and van Persie did the rest.
It was part oi a blistering start from the champions-elect, in which van Persie almost scored again and nearly set up Shinji Kagawa and Rafael smashed against
the post from 20 metres.
Villa simply could not stop United.
On his 400th United appearance, Rooney launched a rocket from inside his own half which van Persie's perfect technique allowed him to belt into the visitors' goal .
before it bounced.
In marvelling at van Persie's contribution, it was easy to overlook Rooney's, the kind of moment that made it possible to believe he does have a future in central midfield.
van Persie completed his second United hat-trick, and his fust since the August visit to Southampton, when Giggs broke through and elected to slip a pass inside rathertharigo for goal himself.
If there were any lingering doubts, that effort killed them, van Persie's touchline joke with fellow Dutchman Alexander Buttrier as he made his way towards the
tunnel at half-time proving the hosts felt their work was done.
It showed in their second-half display too as Villa, acutely aware of the damage to their own relegation battle a heavy defeat could inflict, gamely went hunting a consolation.
RVP's everywhere
Yet even here, van Persie was the prominent figure, heading a goalbound Andreas Weimann effort off the line.
United briefly roused themselves only for Rooney to fire over from 20 metres,
Kagawa also failed to find the target when he had only Brad Guzan to beat after a superb first touch.
Really though, the hosts were counting down to the final whistle, as were their supporters, who spent the second half paying homage to a succession of past players who have contributed to previous success.
Their focus switched when referee Anthony Taylor brought the evening to an end though, and van Persie was the man they owed most thanks to.- PA Sport.
• MAN UNITED: David de Gea, Rafael da Silva, Patrice Evra, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Antonio Valencia, Wayne Rooney (Danny Welbeck 72), Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick,
Shinji Kagawa, Robin van Persie
• ASTON VILLA: Brad Guzan, Ron Vlaar, Joseph Bennett (Ciaran Clark 80), Nathan Baker, Matthew Lowton, Charles N'Zogbia (Karim El Ahmadi 46), Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Westwood, Fabian Delph, Andreas Weimann, Christian Benteke.
for United
MAN UNITED 3
(Robin van Persie 2, 13, 33)
ASTON VILLA 0
ROBIN van Persie bagged a magnificent first-half hat-trick to fire Machester United to Premier League title glory on 23 April 2013.
Regarded as the summer signing that made the difference, van Persie underlined his value by ensuring there was never a chance Aston Villa might prevent their
hosts from collecting the victory required to celebrate championship No. 20 in front of their own fans at Old Tratford.
Van Persie took just 81 seconds to sweep home Ryan Giggs' knock-back.
Twelve minutes from the break, he profited from more unselfishness from the veteran Welshman to complete the second treble of his United career.
In between, he scored one of the best goals of the entire campaign as he followed Wayne Rooney's long ball throughout its 35-metre flight, waited for it to fall
out of the sky, then smashed a first-time left-footed volley into the corner.
It was the kind of jaw-dropping moment United have not delivered that often this season.
But as the signature to reclaiming the crown Manchester City prised from their grasp with viryually the last kick of the previous campaign, it was perfect.
It confirmed Sir Alex Ferguson's 13th title, and Giggs' for that matter, equalling on their own the number Arsenal have won as a club. For Gunners old boy van Persie, at 29, it was title No.1.
Jubilation
And boy did it show at the final whistle as he raised his arms on halfway before joining the celebrations that began almost immediately, even if the trophy presentation has to wait for three weeks.
The Dutchman's contribution took his tally for the season to 24, ahead of major rival Luis Suarez in the hunt for the Golden Boot.
Indeed, it was United as a team who got their teeth into a Villa outfit who were too loose and afforded their opponents too much room until it was far too late to create any kind of a contest.
For Villa did not just have van Persie to look after, they also needed to subdue Wayne Rooney.
And in that task, they failed miserably.
Again slotted into a central midfield station alongside Michael Carrick, Rooney took control, spraying passes around in a manner befitting Paul Scholes.
The first went arrowingto the corner for Antonio Valencia to hunt down after barely a minute.
Valencia held the ball up and rolled it back to Rafael da Silva, whose deep cross found Giggs, and van Persie did the rest.
It was part oi a blistering start from the champions-elect, in which van Persie almost scored again and nearly set up Shinji Kagawa and Rafael smashed against
the post from 20 metres.
Villa simply could not stop United.
On his 400th United appearance, Rooney launched a rocket from inside his own half which van Persie's perfect technique allowed him to belt into the visitors' goal .
before it bounced.
In marvelling at van Persie's contribution, it was easy to overlook Rooney's, the kind of moment that made it possible to believe he does have a future in central midfield.
van Persie completed his second United hat-trick, and his fust since the August visit to Southampton, when Giggs broke through and elected to slip a pass inside rathertharigo for goal himself.
If there were any lingering doubts, that effort killed them, van Persie's touchline joke with fellow Dutchman Alexander Buttrier as he made his way towards the
tunnel at half-time proving the hosts felt their work was done.
It showed in their second-half display too as Villa, acutely aware of the damage to their own relegation battle a heavy defeat could inflict, gamely went hunting a consolation.
RVP's everywhere
Yet even here, van Persie was the prominent figure, heading a goalbound Andreas Weimann effort off the line.
United briefly roused themselves only for Rooney to fire over from 20 metres,
Kagawa also failed to find the target when he had only Brad Guzan to beat after a superb first touch.
Really though, the hosts were counting down to the final whistle, as were their supporters, who spent the second half paying homage to a succession of past players who have contributed to previous success.
Their focus switched when referee Anthony Taylor brought the evening to an end though, and van Persie was the man they owed most thanks to.- PA Sport.
• MAN UNITED: David de Gea, Rafael da Silva, Patrice Evra, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Antonio Valencia, Wayne Rooney (Danny Welbeck 72), Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick,
Shinji Kagawa, Robin van Persie
• ASTON VILLA: Brad Guzan, Ron Vlaar, Joseph Bennett (Ciaran Clark 80), Nathan Baker, Matthew Lowton, Charles N'Zogbia (Karim El Ahmadi 46), Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Westwood, Fabian Delph, Andreas Weimann, Christian Benteke.