One-nil to The United!

While preparing to blog about United’s success over Bolton, the Talking Heads’ Once in a Lifetime kept running through my mind.

How odd, I thought. At first, it just seemed random:
“And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself – well...how did I get here?”

But later in the song, there’s the refrain:
“Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...”

We’ve seen this storyline before, as United snatch another last-gasp victory to move top of the league while Fergie does his trademarked jig along the touchline. There’s no way to underestimate the importance of this statement-of-intent victory.

But the remarkable thing about this year is the method: seven one-nil victories and 15-plus hours of play without conceding a Premiership goal. If Harold Ramis wanted to shoot Groundhog Day 2 with a twist, he could base it on the life of a current United fan seemingly watching the same game over and over only to discover, in the end, these were distinctly different matches. What?! We’re top of the league?! That’s brilliant, that is!

Reflect back to the start of the campaign and try to comprehend that clean sheets in lieu of goal-scoring would pave United’s route to glory. It seems utterly improbable, with Ronaldo staying and Berbatov in the fold. Who would believe that Jonny Evans would become Rio Ferdinand-in-disguise?! Who would believe that the Red Devils would be justified in singing “One-nil to The United!” from the old Arsenal song-sheet?! And who would believe that United would return from the World Club Championship in better league position than when they left?! All of this while not even reaching top gear.

The improbable has become reality and the eleventh Premiership title just sits there for the taking. Same as it ever was.