United go top with Trotters win

Antonio Valencia's first goal for Man United ensured their return to the top of the league with a 2-1 win over Bolton.

Lacklustre showing doesn't prevent champions from taking three points

Antonio Valencia's first goal for Manchester United proved the difference between the sides as they returned to the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Bolton at Old Trafford. The champions were gifted an early lead as Zat Knight could only divert a tame header from Michael Owen into the back of his own net with just five minutes on the clock. Despite the early goal, it was the away side who piled on the pressure but Bolton were caught on the counter-attack as Valencia slammed home from inside the area on 33 minutes after a neat one-two with Gary Neville. The hosts failed to set the second half alight, despite fine individual showings from Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov, and it was the Trotters who grabbed the third goal of the game. Kevin Davies picked out Matt Taylor in the United penalty area and the winger beat Patrice Evra in the air to head Bolton a lifeline with 75 minutes gone. The away side bombarded the United defence for the final fifteen minutes with the hosts rattled and fortunate not to concede a second. However, Sir Alex Ferguson's men rode out the pressure and return to the top of the Barclays Premier League after Chelsea's afternoon defeat to Aston Villa. Given his much-publicised attack on Alan Wiley a fortnight ago and memories of being despatched to the stands by today's official Mark Clattenburg when these two sides met at the Reebok Stadium a fortnight ago, Ferguson needed a quiet day. Apart from a brief period just before Valencia broke his United duck, Bolton were totally overrun until the late salvo.

Opener

United could have been ahead before Evra charged forward on the overlap and drove a cross to Owen at the near-post. With Wayne Rooney missing due to a groin injury, Owen could have done with getting his own name on the scoresheet. Instead, his off-target header fell to Knight, who made a complete mess of an intended clearance and instead trundled it into his own net. More should have soon followed. Evans gave Jussi Jaaskelainen the opportunity to make a fine block when really his far-post header should have been guided in from a Giggs cross that came at the end of some excellent approach play. Berbatov, celebrating the birth of his first child - Dea - on Thursday, blazed a decent opportunity wide, while Jaaskelainen stood tall in the face of Valencia's long-range effort. It meant Ferguson's side had to wait until the 33rd minute to double their lead, before which Kevin Davies had wasted a golden chance to equalise. Valencia has made a promising start in his new surroundings, with the exception of his efforts in front of goal. The Ecuador star has rarely given the impression of being prolific and there have been many better chances than the one he belted past Jaaskelainen. However, after collecting Owen's square ball, he raced forward before prodding a pass to Gary Neville, whose return was delivered with precision, inviting what followed. It was against Bolton six years ago that Cristiano Ronaldo announced himself to an unsuspecting audience. The odds are against Valencia matching the Portugal superstar's contribution. However, the early signs are that he has been another astute buy.

Chances

Had Jaaskelainen not managed to beat away an acrobatic Berbatov volley, the Bulgarian would have had a fitting way to celebrate such a momentous week in his life. Jaaskelainen's immense contribution was proved 15 minutes from time when Bolton dragged themselves back into the contest. United failed to heed the warning offered by a disallowed Ivan Klasnic effort, and when Kevin Davies launched a far post cross towards Taylor, the midfielder steered his header into the left corner. The move highlighted Evra's weakness in the air, which Bolton desperately tried to exploit. Ivan Klasnic, whose introduction had thrown United's defence into a panic, fired narrowly wide, then Knight was off target before Cahill was presented with his glorious chance. Ferguson had already placed his trust in Van der Sar to make his first appearance of the season after breaking his fingers in the summer, and the 38-year-old did not let him down.

Manchester United	Team Statistics	Bolton Wanderers
2	Goals	1
2	1st Half Goals	0
7	Shots on Target	6
8	Shots off Target	9
0	Blocked Shots	4
13	Corners	1
16	Fouls	10
4	Offsides	1
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
80.1	Passing Success	74.1
13	Tackles	23
76.9	Tackles Success	91.3
60.3	Possession	39.7
53.9	Territorial Advantage	46.1