VIEW: United vs Stoke City (a). 2-1

What a difference a week makes.

On Monday 18th October, United reveal that Rooney won’t be signing an extension to his contract that runs out in 18 months. On Tuesday 19th, at a press conference that should be focussed on our Champions League game the day after, Ferguson talks to the worlds press about Rooney wanting to leave the club. ‘Shocked’, ‘bemused’ and ‘disappointed’; his words represent the thoughts of every football fan across the country. On the 20th, he final says his piece. In a statement, Rooney hammered home his desire to leave, stating the clubs lack of ambition and that ‘[David Gill] did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad’. On Friday 22nd October, Rooney signs a new five year deal, doubling his current contract to £180,000 a week, and keeping him at United until 2015.

And two days later, we play Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.

On the pitch there was absolutely no sign of Rooney or the fiasco that was the days preceding the game.  And while the United fans were doing everything to forget - paying homage to previous legends: from Cantona to Ronaldo - the pathetic Stoke fans did their best to remind us: chanting ‘you’re shit and Rooney said you are!’ after they appeared to snatch a late point.

However, we performed our task professionally and competantly; ignoring the obvious distractions and proving to all that - with or without Wayne - we do still posess the resources to win. And as the game drew to its dramtic close, the faithful's version of 'We'll keep the red flag flying high, cos Man United will never die...' replaced the home fans' petty, yet rather pretty imaginative chant.

The game was frantic and rapid from start to finish, but thankfully for us (and for the sake of our ridiculous away record this season), it was United who best kept up with the pace.

I mentioned in my post after the West Brom game that, with Giggs hobbling off injured, we’ll begin to feel the true extent of Valencia’s injury. And to a certain degree we did, as Evra was forced to play on the left.

But the lack of natural wingers in our side was far from what everyone spoke about after the game (although it could have been, as Tuncay’s equaliser caught Evra and makeshift left-back, Jonny O, off guard); for it was Rooney’s replacement on the day that ironically stole the show. Cue all the cunning ‘who needs Roo?’ headlines in Mondays papers.

The level-headed, sensible, hardworking Hernandez – who never drinks, never goes out, had a decent World Cup, and despite his brilliant grasp of the English language you could never imagine him shouting his mouth off about anything – won the game with his consistent determination that deserve with his brace. The first a reverse heading piece of acrobatic genius, and the second? Straight out of Ole’s scrap book.

A win is special. An away win, when you haven’t had won in four attempts, is even better. An away win nicked in the last four minutes is eeeven better…and an away win, nicked in the final four minutes, that draws an end to the sort of tumultuous week we’ve just had is, right now, exactly what the team needed. Now let uss rebuild and get on with winning things. Which is, despite what Rooney, Stretford or anyone else might think, is what United will always do.