Man Utd 2-0 Swansea - Valencia And Welbeck Sink Swans

Second half goals from Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck helped Manchester United end their run of three games without victory and return to winning ways at Old Trafford. A loss here would have been United's fourth consecutive defeat for the first time in over 50 years but Valencia's tap in and Welbeck's skillful flick ended the champion's slump under David Moyes. The game started in slow fashion with Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey seeing his fourth-minute speculative shot from the edge of the United box easily saved by David de Gea. A minute later, Shelvey upended Adnan Januzaj and Nemanja Vidic's connection with the resulting free-kick rose over Gerhard Tremmel's goal. United were beginning to show signs of menace and, after Jordi Amat brought Welbeck down on the edge of the box, the scheming Januzaj saw his freekick rebound off the crossbar. United again came close in a first-half of very few chances but Welbeck squandered a glorious opportunity from 12 yards out by slicing wide after some good work down the right from Rafael. The exasperation on both player's faces 10 minutes before half-time summed up an insipid first half that witnessed just one shot on target for either side.

What the opening 45 minutes lacked in action was more than made up for in the second period however as it took United just a minute to finally open the scoring. Januzaj's floating cross from the left found Shinji Kagawa, who headed point-blank at Tremmel, whose parry across the face of goal presented Valencia with a simple tap in. Swansea won at Old Trafford for the first time in their history when the two sides last met in the FA Cup 3rd round last weekend but another shock result never looked on the cards. United continued to press their opponents and, after Shelvey fired high and wide from the left, doubled their advantage on the hour mark.

Patrice Evra shot wildly from the edge of the box but Welbeck tidied up and deftly flicked the ball into the bottom corner of Tremmel's goal to put the game out of the Swans' reach. United could and probably should have made it three 15 minutes before full time but Kagawa saw yet another close-ranged effort foiled by Leon Britton's goal-line clearance. Yet Moyes will be glad to return to winning ways and end his side's three-match losing streak in all competitions, and perhaps inflict a measure of revenge on Swansea in the process.