"Just what Sven-Göran Eriksson needed, another cruel hoax. Sir Alex Ferguson decided to rest David Beckham on the day the new England manager came to Manchester United for the first time, and with Paul Scholes and Gareth Southgate out injured and Wes Brown and Andy Cole on the bench, a fixture that may have yielded an entire England team ended up featuring more possibles than probables.

"One could be positive and argue that Eriksson already knows about Beckham, Scholes et al, whereas he now knows more than he did about the likes of Jonathan Greening and Lee Hendrie, though anyone present at this match could hardly fail to draw a couple of more depressing conclusions about the top of the Premiership. One is that the Theatre of Dreams stages its fair share of humdrum games, of which this was a prime example; another is that Manchester United can look incredibly ordinary without their star turns in midfield. If Beckham is really asking for £160,000 a week, a tape of this match might be all he needs to get United to pay up. And Scholes might soon be thinking of a number and doubling it as well.

"Eriksson said the game had been like the two he saw last week: interesting but not beautiful. He can say that again. To all intents and purposes nothing happened in a featureless first half. Ryan Giggs was United's liveliest attacker without ever managing to deliver the telling final pass, while David James made a sharp early save from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before demonstrating that Dracula jokes are not wholly unfounded - punching his first corner unconvincingly and scrambling a save from Teddy Sheringham after failing to cut out Giggs's cross.

"That was the best chance of the first half until Greening shot over on the stroke of the interval. Villa, apart from one hopeful drive from Paul Merson, hardly bothered Fabien Barthez at all. The visitors gave the promised debut to £9.5 million Colombian Juan Pablo Angel, who predictably looked cold and out of touch despite showing one or two deft touches. Angel will need time, of course, but it is already being unkindly suggested that Villa already have David Ginola performing that function.

"Unsurprisingly, the Frenchman was another absentee at the start. Those who interpreted John Gregory's comments last week as a thinly disguised hint to pack his bags must have been mildly astonished to see Ginola on the bench, although to judge by the kids and reserves keeping him company in the dug-out, Villa's player shortage has not been exaggerated. If Ginola is coming towards the end of his brief Villa career, however, it begs the question of why he was bought in the first place. As Duncan McKenzie said all those years ago: 'I can't understand why managers buy airy-fairy players like me then try to turn them into runners. If they want a runner, why don't they just sign David Bedford?'

"Mercifully, the game showed signs of life after the interval. Perhaps realising United might be there for the taking, Villa came out looking for a goal and almost had one when Angel's dangerous cross caught Dion Dublin in two minds: lay off or shoot? Then a superb ball from Merson played Hendrie behind a square United defence but, while admiring the lightning reactions from Barthez in closing down the youngster, Villa really should have taken the lead. They were unlucky not to in their next attack when Greening had to clear off the line from the impressive Gareth Barry, but there was a certain inevitability about the rest of the game as Villa accepted they were unlikely to get a better opportunity.

"Only James offered resistance, making a commendable triple save from Sheringham, Roy Keane and then Solskjaer, which must have impressed Eriksson. James was much less happy a minute later, unsighted by one of his own defenders as Gary Neville touched Keane's free kick past him at the near post for only the third goal of his career. Also unhappy was Hendrie, who claimed he had merely stood his ground when Keane ran into him for the initial free-kick.

"Unhappiest of all, though, must have been Ginola, who was given just seven minutes to roll his sleeves up, enough time only to give Denis Irwin a glare for a heavy challenge, send a left-wing cross out of play, and watch Sheringham complete a one-two with Andy Cole to set the seal on United's win with his eighteenth goal of the season. An all-English one too, and Eriksson confirmed that in-form thirtysomethings would be considered for his first England squad. 'I'm not surprised, Teddy has been phenomenal this season,' Ferguson said. Although 14 points clear, United are still hungry, and it was a somewhat glum Ferguson who revealed his players had even declined a night out on last week's training break in favour of staying in the hotel and 'focusing'. On the Champions League, presumably. For the rest of the Premiership can be located through the wrong end of a telescope."