Veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs turned back the clock with a vintage goal to put Manchester United back on top of the Premier League table with a 1-0 win at West Ham on Sunday, securing their 13th consecutive clean sheet in the process.
Giggs settled a cagey encounter in the 62nd minute with a rare right-footed goal. The 35-year-old had his corner half-cleared but Paul Scholes swiftly spread play back to his team-mate — who then evaded two flying tackles before planting the ball into the bottom corner of the net. The result ended West Ham’s impressive eight-match unbeaten run at Upton Park and edged United closer to their third league title in a row. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side are now two points ahead of Liverpool and five clear of third-placed Aston Villa, with a game in hand on their rivals. Meanwhile, United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar never looked in serious danger of being denied a British record for not conceding a goal that now extends to 1,212 minutes.
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When the 33rd minute ticked by, van der Sar eclipsed the record of former Aberdeen goalkeeper Bobby Clark, who went 1,155 minutes of league action without conceding a goal during the 1970-71 campaign to claim that British record. Ferguson told Sky Sports: “Clean sheets is going to be the main topic at the moment but it doesn’t change the emphasis on our game. “Today we’ve played some fantastic possession football. What the back four are doing is focusing and concentrating on their jobs. “They’ve got pace, they’re quick and, of course, we’ve got a goalkeeper like Edwin van der Sar who is just fantastic. I’m delighted for Edwin. At his age he has achieved everything, but you can see the way he is motivated by the challenge of the clean sheets and it’s an extra edge for him.”
