AUSTRALIA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Manchester United beat Australia's A-League All Stars 5-1 in Sydney to claim their first victory under new manager David Moyes

Record ID: 336489

  • Title: AUSTRALIA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Manchester United beat Australia's A-League All Stars 5-1 in Sydney to claim their first victory under new manager David Moyes
  • Date: 20th July 2013
  • Summary: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (JULY 20, 2013) (REUTERS) MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER DAVID MOYES SITS DOWN AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER, DAVID MOYES, SAYING: "It was a good performance and we could have maybe got a few more goals. We hit the post as well and one or two other incidents but it was a good game for us and we stepped up. I thought we
  • Embargoed: 4th August 2013 13:00
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  • Location: Australia
  • Country: Australia
  • Topics: General,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA2PZZVTXWMM1UB63X4ZIJE148N
  • Story Text: Danny Welbeck and Jesse Lingard both scored twice as English champions Manchester United got their first win of the David Moyes era with a 5-1 victory over an A-League All Stars team at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday (July 20).
    Prolific forward Robin van Persie, who missed the defeat in Thailand which opened United's tour last week, added the fifth in a 28-minute cameo appearance at the end of the match to send the red-clad majority in the 83,127 crowd home happy.
    With Wilfried Zaha also a constant menace down the flanks, Moyes was delighted with how his attack functioned in the absence of unsettled striker Wayne Rooney, who left the tour to receive treatment on a hamstring injury.
    "It was a good performance and we could have maybe got a few more goals," said Moyes who succeeded Alex Ferguson at the end of last season. "We hit the post as well and one or two other incidents but it was a good game for us and we stepped up. I thought we looked a bit fitter and a bit more ready and possibly the temperature suited us tonight a bit more than it had done in Thailand as well."
    The All Stars defended in depth to try to negate the pace in the United attack but also carved out a few chances of their own. Besart Berisha scored their consolation goal early in the second half.
    The first United goal came in the 11th minute and was made by a neat step over the ball from Welbeck which set Lingard through on goal, the 20-year-old calmly placing the ball to the right of Ante Covic for his first goal for United.
    United doubled their lead in the 34th minute when Welbeck was put clear through and the England striker, who scored just two goals for United last season, steered the ball past Covic and into the net.
    "I think it was impressive that Danny got a couple of goals," Moyes said. "You know I said to him in there on another night he might have scored 4 or 5 goals but you've got to keep getting in there to score and he did so."
    Albania striker Berisha scored for the home side in the 52nd minute when he found himself free on the edge of the box and scuffed his shot inside Anders Lindegaard's right-hand post.
    United struck again two minutes later, however, when the impressive Lingard dragged the ball on to his right foot and smashed it into the top right-hand corner of the net.
    "I think especially in the first half they caused us one or two problems early on and Anders had to make a save in the first half," Moyes said. "But I thought once we got the goals we got a chance to control the game a little bit more and but it was a good game for us. More importantly to get 83,000 at the game, and I'd say all Manchester United supporters, is incredible and I thank all of them for coming to the game. It was a great night and a very special night to get my first victory as Manchester United manager."
    Van Persie came on for Ryan Giggs after 62 minutes and eight minutes later swung in the corner from which Welbeck headed in his second goal of the match.
    After a raft of substitutions, the match looked to be fizzling out until Van Persie was played through in the 87th minute.
    The Dutchman made a hash of his first attempt to score but when the ball came to him again on the edge of the box, he made no mistake.
    Moyes said he was looking forward to playing mind games with the likes of his Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho.
    The Scot and his new club have been forced to spend the week reiterating that Wayne Rooney is not for sale after the England striker was left "angered and confused" by comments his manager made last weekend.
    The PR battle was made all the harder when returning Chelsea manager Mourinho made a bid for Rooney, a move which some saw as an inspired piece of troublemaking by the Portuguese who enjoyed many a mental tussle with Moyes's predecessor Alex Ferguson.
    Asked whether he was looking forward to similar tussles with the likes of Mourinho in the season ahead, Moyes said his upbringing predisposed him to it.
    "Sounds like your accent is like mine," he told his Scottish questioner. "If you're from Glasgow you quite enjoy those sort of things. So bring it on."
    United's Asia tour continues in Japan with their next clash against Yokohama F-Marinos on Tuesday 23 July.
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