VIEW: United vs Fulham. 2-0

1. Rooney who? I can guarantee that, aside from the ridiculousness of the whole Rooney ban, no United fan was genuinely annoyed at losing Wazza for two games. Yes, he's finally hit form and become essential in this run-in...but has that been at the expense of the League's best striker? Rooney and Berbatov haven't started a game together since the Liverpool defeat - hardly a game we'll remember for the great work of our men up-front - and that was the last time Berbs started a game full stop. Since the 4-0 Wigan win in February, Rooney has started all eight games (until the Chelsea game last Wednesday) and has hit an awesome seven goals in the process. Whereas poor Berbatov has only started that one and has managed the one goal, coming off the bench to win it against Bolton a couple of weeks ago. But he has proven this season, even coming off the bench as he has had to in the past few games, to be a truly class act. And thankfully by the looks of things his absence from the starting line-up has left him frustrated and gagging to get back on the scoresheet, notching up number 21.

2. Nani. An unbelievable performance from our, and arguably the Leagues, best player. On Saturday his composure, balance and rapid movement through the Fulham defence - who were completely encapsulating him - created room to link-up with Ando, to then slot it through to Berbatov to open the scoring. For the second, he again found space and took Schwarzer out of the game with his pace, simply crossing it cheekily into the path of Valencia to nod it home. Those two assists pump him further up the top of the chart with 18 in his 28 games this season. If we win number 19 in May, it'll be massively down to this finely nurtured talent.

3. Valencia. Awesome seeing him back to scoring ways and enjoying his first goal since his comeback in the most subtle, modest of ways we love. Jonathon Northcroft wrote a lovely little intro to the match report in yesterday's Sunday Times, stating his impact in recent games and the quality of the player in that he has simply blended back into the side with minimal readjustment...

'Antonio Valencia is noted within the Manchester United dressing room for his shyness. He only ever speaks to journalists when it is to apologise, in a quiet voice, that he cannot be interviewed because of his English, He celebrates his goals modestly and does not wear coloured boots.

'He could not be more contrasting to the player he replaced but there is more than one way to make a difference. Valencia is no Cristiano Ronaldo; yet, just like the Portuguese, he is becoming a United talisman. At the start of March Sir Alex Ferguson and his squad were vulnerable after consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool. They have since won six important games in a row and these coincide with Valencia's return from a six-month absence with a broken ankle. He was introduced at half-time in the first match of that run, the FA Cup win over Arsenal, looked like he had never been away and has grown in impact with every display'.

4. Ticking them off. As Shearer put it on Saturday's MOTD, this was one a performance where United - acting as Champions in waiting - simply did the job they went out to do, ticking off yet another victory on the road to title number 19. This sort of arrogance at such a delicate stage of the season, and with the deficit reduced back to seven points after Arsenal's win over Blackpool, is exactly what Ferguson doesn't want; dismissing the ease of victory (not that he was watching, with What A Friend taking over his attention) instead calling the display 'casual' and 'lackadaisical'. But this was exactly that. A casual, lackadaisical win - win being the only important word. And as long as we are able to do so, in whatever unglamorous manner we chose to do so, the Championship will be ours again.

Player Ratings.

Kuszczak 6; O'Shea 6, Smalling 7, Vidic 7, Evra 7; Valencia 8, Scholes 6, Gibson 6, Anderson 6, Nani 9; Berbatov 7.