It was if he was never away. Paul Scholes scored on his first start for Manchester United since his comeback in a terribly comfortable home win over Bolton Wanderers.
The goal (see below, skip to about a minute in) was hardly a thing of beauty but it set United on their way with Danny Welbeck and Michael Carrick also netting in a predictable win for the Champions, who could also afford to miss a first half penalty from Wayne Rooney.
It was Wazza’s fourth penalty miss in his last eight attempts, so we’ve a feeling Nani or even Scholes himself might be given the responsibility from here on out.
It was a day of firsts in the Premier League as Irish manager Giovanni Trapattoni decided to actually attend a Premier League game. He was in the stands at Stamford Bridge to watch the man he said won’t be getting in the Euro 2012 squad, James McLean, who unfortunately couldn’t prevent a Sunderland side also containing Kieren Westwood and John O’Shea going down by a goal to Chelsea.
Neither Darron Gibson nor Robbie Keane managed to mark their first start for their respective new clubs with a goal as Everton and Aston Villa couldn’t be separated at Villa Park. Gibson lasted 84 minutes in a very encouraging debut, while Keane was introduced only nine minutes from time, but refreshingly from an Irish perspective, Shane Duffy played a full game at the heart of the Toffees defence.
We ain’t seen much of the Duffer in a Fulham shirt lately, but he marked his return to the starting line-up with Fulham’s only goal against former club Blackburn. Pity for him and for Martin Jol that it was the odd goal in four as ten-man Blackburn overcame the sending off of Yakubu to prevail at Ewood Park.
At the Hawthorns, Shane Long came off the bench to slot away a penalty for West Brom but the Baggies went down 2-1 to Norwich. Elsewhere, Marc Wilson, Glenn Whelan, Rory Delap and Jonathan Walters all helped Stoke hold Liverpool to yet another stalemate at Anfield, while Steven Ward, Kevin Foley and Stephen Hunt featured as Wolves claimed a battling 1-1 draw against Spurs.
Kevin Doyle will be happy that Trap was elsewhere in London, however, as he wasn’t even summoned from the bench by Mick McCarthy due to his recent and very worrying malaise.
Premier League results:
Aston Villa 1-1 Everton
Blackburn 3-1 Fulham
Chelsea 1-0 Sunderland
Liverpool 0-0 Stoke
Man United 3-0 Bolton
Tottenham 1-1 Wolves
West Brom 1-2 Norwich
