Just Champion: How Manchester United's untouchables hammered home Curbishley's message

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley was quoted last week as saying: “It would be a travesty if Manchester United didn’t win the title”. And no one would argue if they lifted the trophy next Sunday after a blistering campaign full of goals, excitement and swagger.
 
Chelsea, however, remain hot on their heels after a series of hard-fought victories in recent weeks, and could yet snatch glory from United’s fingertips if they continue their good form against Newcastle and Bolton in their remaining two league fixtures. But if United  beat Wigan at the JJB next weekend, then the Premier League crown will be theirs, after they earned another well-deserved three points against West Ham at a packed Old Trafford.
 
Sir Alex Ferguson spoke to the United faithful after the match on the pitch, and he paid tribute pver the microphone to his players, who had delivered yet another scintillating performance, albeit against a West Ham side looking as though their minds were already set on a relaxing summer holiday in a few weeks time.
 
The home side, playing their final match of the season at The Theatre of Dreams, made a dream start after only two minutes, when golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo’s deflected drive flew past Hammers keeper Rob Green. The next 30 minutes were a procession of creativity, flair and sublime football which the visitors simply could not deal with.
 
George McCartney had already backed off Ronaldo allowing him to score his opener, when youngster James Tomkins carelessly misjudged a looping Owen Hargreaves cross, allowing Ronaldo to thigh the ball in at the unguarded far post to score his 30th league goal of the season – a figure which shows just why he’s the PFA Footballer of the Year and Football Writers Player of the Year.
 
West Ham had only just regained their breath after the world’s current best footballer’s two quick-fire goals, when another of United’s star performers, Carlos Tevez, launched a beautifully-struck long-range shot into the roof of the net. The effort sparked applause from even Hammers supporters sitting behind the goal in which Tevez had planted his stunner.
 
However, rather surprisingly, it was the turn of United fans to applaud an opposition player moments later, when the impressive Dean Ashton performed a fantastic overhead kick into the top corner to re-ignite some hope into Hammers hearts. And they may have gained even more belief when Nani stupidly reacted to Lucas Neill’s provocation with a head butt, forcing referee Mike Riley to brandish him with a straight red card, ruling him out of United’s crucial last game of the season at Wigan.
 
At half-time, you would have expected an attacking display from the Hammers in the second period, but what we actually saw was a performance full of poor quality, defensive-mindedness and a lack of passion. Curbishley’s tactics made no particular sense, especially considering the fact that his side were not playing for anything but pride.

You'd have thought he would have let his players express themselves and try to put on a show against 10-man United, but instead the West Ham boss’s tactics allowed the reigning champions to see out the game with absolute ease.
 
The home side even added a fourth goal when Michael Carrick’s deflected long-range strike wrong-footed Green and rolled into the net.
 
Chelsea boss Avram Grant will certainly not be happy with West Ham’s feeble second-half attempts, but he must now turn his attention to beating Newcastle in a tricky fixture on bank-holiday Monday. His side certainly don’t have the same attacking style and attractiveness as United, but their ability to win games cannot be questioned.
 
But Sir Alex Ferguson knows his team are perilously close to completing a historic double, and if their crop of stars perform to their stunning capabilities in their final games of the season, they will no doubt achieve this.