'Steve Wigley walked out of Old Trafford and into an increasingly uncertain future clutching a copy of the match video. As Saints fans debated whether they would prefer Glenn Hoddle or Harry Redknapp as his successor on the Saturday-night radio phone-ins, Wigley was planning to use that tape as the basis for a damning tactical debrief.
Right now it will make painful viewing for Southampton's head coach but, in years to come, that video could become a treasured reminder of Ryan Giggs's extraordinary talent. After side-stepping the by now routine question about his job security, Wigley proved sufficiently generous to spend the next few minutes eulogising Sir Alex Ferguson's renascent ensemble, and their left-winger in particular, who had imperiously dismantled his side.
"There were too many balls coming across our area," said Wigley, "They go for your throat and don't give you second chances."
"There's very little to choose between United, Arsenal and Chelsea but we were up against arguably the best team in the country," he insisted. "United can do anything they want to do. They've been written off many times but they'll be in there at the top by the end of the season. By the end today I was sick of the sight of Ryan Giggs on the ball but Giggs is someone fans pay to see."
Though the contributions of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes to United's fourth successive Premiership win should not be underestimated, Giggs eclipsed all comers. Indeed his performance - a masterclass in dribbling, dummying and crossing - was reminiscent of the days when United were omnipotent and scorn would have been poured on last week's headlines about the Welshman supposedly being poised for a January move to Newcastle.'