The Hunt Is On

Queens Park Rangers 0-2 United. This fixture had me a bit concerned going in. United have loads of injuries to deal with, and QPR are tough at home. United trotted out with the same squad that beat Wolves last week, so I knew the chemistry was in place. It was nice to see both Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench and back from injury, as it added some much needed offensive threat from the bench, should the strike pairing of Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck prove unsuccessful. Phil Jones once again assumed a midfield position, a role he is likely to see a lot of, given our missing players and Ferguson's tendency to not spend in January.
 The atmosphere at Loftus Road was boisterous as usual, but the lads in red were up to the challenge. A mere 52 seconds in, Antonio Valencia fired in a cross to Wayne Rooney, who found the back of the net with a less-than-ideal header. Our wing play looked fantastic and we created the lion's share of quality chances, specifically over a 3-4 minute period around the half hour mark. Welbeck had a goal disallowed for being (questionably) offside, Johnny Evans put a header over the bar in front of an open goal, Phil Jones just narrowly put one wide, and Valencia had what seemed a certain goal turned away by Cerny. QPR dug in and kept up the attack, though. They created their own fair share of chances, but the United back four were solid and well-organized enough to keep them out of any real danger.
The second half started fairly evenly, until the 55', when Joey Barton's misfired pass was intercepted by Michael Carrick. The normally unremarkable midfielder made a spectacular solo run and fired in, scoring for the first time in I don't know how long. I know I talk a lot of shit about Carrick, but today he was beyond solid. This is fortunate, because our midfield needs all the fucking help it can get.
The chances kept coming over the next ten-fifteen minutes. Evans and Rooney combined  for a near chance off a corner, Welbeck was denied thanks to another great save from Cerny before being withdrawn for Hernandez, and Phil Jones clanged one off the woodwork. DJ Campbell had a golden opportunity to put QPR right back in the thick of it, but misfired to put his shot high and wide. A myriad of half-chances and serviceable attacks followed, and United closed it out and carried the day at 2-nil. The only other notable event was the substitution of Rooney for Ryan Giggs, who made his 890th appearance for the club. Well done Giggsy.
The win saw United go top of the table for a few hours, but Arsenal were unable to get anything going against City, and summarily lost 1-nil at the Eastlands. So City remain two points clear at the top, but it's a lead that's far from insurmountable. The fact that City were only able to muster the one goal (and a late one, at that) at home gives me hope. The noisy neighbors will quiet down before too long, I'm sure of it.
Coming up, United have a potentially tricky game away to Fulham, followed by a home stand against Wigan on Boxing day, and closing out the year at Old Trafford against Blackburn Rovers. Needless to say, I hope we close out the year by taking full points away from all three fixtures. United turned in a classy, solid performance today. It seems we've found a return to form, and the machine is starting to hum. Forward the Reds, and I'll see you mid-week.