On a serious note, once more a Jekyll and Hyde performance, terrific first half then content to sit back and defend, inviting pressure on ourselves once more.

Cahill lead by example and was my MotM. I fear there’s little hope for Coleman. Neville was next to useless, offered Donovan very little, continually hitting long diagonal balls to no one. As a result, we did absolutely nothing down the right side.

Entirely predictable, as a result Sunderland adopted their game to closing us down on the left. Is Moyes ever going to learn?

Would have been nice to see Coleman come on for the last 15 mins, get down the right flank and give us a little bit more pace and help retain a little more possession.

Saha’s early season promise has fizzled out, he was poor tonight as he has been for the last few games. The defence were good, midfield very good, just lacking in the final third, yet won two-nil.

Sunderland were poor, but that was because our midfield did not allow them to play. Thumbs up from me.

I would love to hear people's opinion on Landon Donovan. A couple of games in. Solid start. Positionally lost at the weekend. Redemption: a goal today.

Still seems winded midway through the second half. Would love to hear from people who were at the game what they think about his play, his read of the game, and his attitude.

Also the whole point of having a squad is so that, through form or injury, another capable player can come in; poor Coleman must be wondering what he has to do as Neville has been garbage for a few games now.

And as for not finishing Sunderland off, IF Sunderland had been slightly more composed and IF Howard hadn’t made cracking, match-winning saves from Zenden and Jones, then we would have been talking about 2 more lost points — the story of our season..

I thought we played well in the first half and utter shite in the second resorting to hoofball and although Neville was a major culprit we need him in the side at present as it is no suprise how organised we have looked since he has been back.

Fellaini was again excellent and Distin had a decent game, possibly due to Senderos being on the bench.

Moyes must've felt like a kid in the sweet shop with the subs bench he had, it was the strongest bench I have seen for many a game. We do complain about our small squad, but if we had our full squad fit and healthy besides the 7 subs we had on the bench, we could also add Yakubu, Jagielka, Yobo, Hibbert, Gosling, & Rodwell to that.

I can see Vaughan being shipped out on loan once Yakubu is back and I still hope a deal can be struck to bring in Huntelaar on loan or even pay now for Beckford rather than wait till June and hope someone else doesn’t come in for him.

What gets my back up is people who think Moyes can do no wrong. Sunderland were there for the taking last night and we’ve yet to get into a positive goal difference. I also think the team owe us a fine display after Saturday’s debacle yet it was another damp squib of a performance.

I was dissapointed to see Saha chased down when he looked to be in on goal. He’s not in the best form at the moment... hopefully Yak will come back from Africa with some good form & match fitness.

On a separate note, I’m pretty fed up with Z-Cars... had to wait from number 38 in the queue on the phone to get my Man U tickets this morning! Only half an hour on hold — enough time for the 3 S’s, breakky, and then off to work!

Donovan was virtually frozen out of the game last night except when he nipped inside to collect Cahill’s knockdown. Coleman should at least have had 30 minutes to show what he is good at namely bursting forward and getting good crosses into the box which Pip seldom achieves.

Vaughan only had a short time but didn’t suggest that he is the answer to the problem of striker and although Saha has a great first touch (mostly) his attitude seems rather too nonchalant at times. Fellaini looks the goods at last whilst Osman for all his effort is too easily dispossessed. Still as has already been said we got three points but we will need to increase the effort for those games in February — none of them easy.

We took our foot off the gas; had they scored, I feel we would have gone up the other end and slotted to maintain the two-goal differential. Disagree with the perception that, against a ’more confident’ team (is there one at the moment? — excluding Birmingham!!!), we would not have won — when we played Man City, were they (more) confident? I think they may have been, but they got a lesson from a team that clicked; I think Fran acknowledged this after the statement (about a confident team).

As a season ticket holder between August 1984 as a boy and May 2002 as a man (children have spent my money since!), I shared some great highs (Bayern at home as a scally 15-year-old, taught me what love for something other than your parents was... although I was getting spoilt by our football at that time) and some massive lows (took my then girlfriend, now my wife, to a game against Norwich about 1991, sat in the Paddock in a crowd of around 20,000 and she filed her nails and applied make up such was the interest... I nearly joined her)!

The football we are playing now is exciting me again. I like what Moyes has done and our players are becoming heroes again or so my son says. This is a hard league, look at the Cup game for evidence; there is no divine right to success, but we have got our dignity back (from earlier in the season).

Now, for Wigan. We have to correct last year’s nadir. I have no idea what went wrong then but it was like 1991 all over again. I think (hope) this season will be different. I am hopeful. Please, all take heart.