THE INDEPENDENT - UNITED REKINDLED BY RUUD'S REAWAKENING
The world according to Manchester United's stalwarts has not tilted on its axis. The skies have not crackled menacingly before the onset of another great flood. True, the Glazer family representatives, Joel and Bryan, received as many curious looks as the Addams family would have as they took their seats in the directors' box. But whatever the financial ramifications of their father Malcolm's £790 million summer takeover, on-field events at least continue as normal.
Indeed, considerably better. By this stage last year, United were already trailing Jose Mourinho's men, never challenged them, and concluded the season applauding the new champions on to the pitch before losing to them.
Not least of the explanations for the transformation is that Ruud van Nistelrooy, absent at this stage last season, is playing, is fit and is complementing a voracious Wayne Rooney, who has already scored in Europe, the Premiership and for England.
Here yesterday, the Dutchman's 66th-minute winner, after he had appeared at the far post to convert the opportunity when Olof Mellberg deflected Cristiano Ronaldo's cross into his path, increased his United tally for the season to three. Last season, his total in an injury-disrupted Premiership campaign was a mere six.
THE OBSERVER - RONALDO STEPS OFF THE BENCH TO INSPIRE UNITED
With any interest he may have had in Michael Owen apparently over, Sir Alex Ferguson appears to be pinning Manchester United's hopes of a return to form this season squarely on the shoulders of Ruud van Nistelrooy, a challenge to which the Dutchman, for the third time in as many matches, responded impressively.
Van Nistelrooy maintained his 100 per cent strike rate in the 66th minute of a frustrating encounter that United, chronically deficient in the finishing department last season, might well have conspired to draw 12 months ago. Yet it cannot have escaped the relieved manager's attention that it took the introduction of substitute Cristiano Ronaldo, just before the hour, for his team to convert a plethora of chances into three important points in front of new owners Joel and Bryan Glazer.
Before Van Nistelrooy's intervention, it had been an impressive effort by Villa, who were well-organised and industrious, as their injury-depleted team made no secret of the fact that, contrary to their manager's pre-match protestations, a point at Old Trafford would have done very nicely.
By the start of the second half, for example, any pretence otherwise was over and Villa responded to United free-kicks and corners by packing all 11 men into their area. This was, in short, just the sort of early season test that United could have done with after Ferguson's demand for a productive start to the campaign and promising early results in Europe and against Everton.
THE SUNDAY TIMES - UNITED DISCOVER KILLER INSTINCT
Sir Alex Ferguson has been repeating "this season we’ve got to hit the ground running" like a mantra. Not for the first time Manchester United’s players are obeying His Master’s Voice. Indeed, the signs are they are taking Ferguson literally. United won here displaying a willingness to cover distances in the pursuit of glory becoming of Paula Radcliffe.
As Radcliffe often does, Roy Keane and company fought exhaustion in the process. United’s legs looked heavy in the first period — Ferguson blamed the midweek internationals — but their willingness to chase the result could not be denied and after driving themselves to even greater efforts in the second period, they eventually broke stubborn, structured Aston Villa.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s decisive goal was a testament to the combination of lung power and will-power his team brought to their play. The lead-up began when Rio Ferdinand intercepted a pass from Peter Whittingham on the edge of United’s area and drove upfield. Ferdinand spread the ball out to Cristiano Ronaldo, whose appearance as a substitute had invigorated colleagues, and continued running all the way to the Villa six-yard box. Ronaldo bent in the cross and with both Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney encroaching, Olof Mellberg was forced to make a twisting defensive header which succeeded only in lobbing the ball towards the far post. Thomas Sorensen was left stranded and Van Nistelrooy, from three yards, toe-poked the ball in.
Now Ferguson can settle down with a glass of claret in front of Chelsea versus Arsenal. "I’m hoping they both lose," he said.
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH - ROONEY RULES UNITED'S WORLD
The debate rages on about whether Manchester United are wasting the golden talents of Wayne Rooney by asking him to play on the wing or deep in midfield instead of leading the cavalry charge up front. The truth is that Rooney continues to give the impression of fulfilling several roles at once and if you tied him in a sack and rolled him to any random part of the pitch, he would still shine more brightly than anyone else.
It is impossible to reduce his influence on a football field and even if manager Sir Alex Ferguson stuck him in goal he would doubtless find a way to make one of those barrelling runs into the opposition box or thump a 90-yard shot from his own 18-yard line into the top corner at the other end.
The spotlight, as well as the ball, is attracted to Rooney, who is becoming as much the fulcrum of the United team as he is when dressed in the white shirt of England. He is the player who makes things happen, whether toe-ending a cheeky pass to set up a chance for Ruud Van Nistelrooy or putting every ounce of his considerable build behind piledrivers from the edge of the box, Villa's Peter Whittingham putting his health at risk by clearing one off the line.
No wonder his England and United team-mate Gary Neville, when asked in midweek whether he was surprised that Rooney did not score more goals, replied: "That's a crap question, innit?" You do not weigh the genius of Rooney in goals and assists, but in the overall manner in which he can shape a whole match, almost bend it to his will.
The only surprise was that he did not play even an accomplice's role in the winning goal from Van Nistelrooy, just about the only decisive United move that did not bear his personal stamp. That is why he threw his head to the heavens and shrugged his shoulders in frustration when he was substituted for Alan Smith 12 minutes from time.
At least it allowed him to enjoy a curtain call from 67,934 fans inside Old Trafford, which might have been the intention of Ferguson, though he would also have had an eye on protecting him after Rooney picked up a yellow card for a foul on former United player Eric Djemba-Djemba. The latter was one of those signings that made people wonder whether Ferguson was wise to postpone his retirement and he could have found his new Djemba-Djemba in Park Ji-Sung, who fired a gilt-edged chance - provided by Rooney - for a throw in.