Malaysia XI 2 United 3
Michael Owen secured a 3-2 victory for the Reds in their opening Asia Tour match on Saturday, coming off the bench to fire the winner on his debut against a hard-working Malaysian XI.-star menMichael Owen
A firm fans' favourite in Malaysia, Owen was introduced on the hour mark and ended up netting the winner. Even before that, he'd displayed a knack for dropping off his marker and finding space. Linked well with Dimitar Berbatov for a clever one-two that almost sent him through on goal. An encouraging start to his United career.
Jonny Evans
Survived an injury scare in the first 10 seconds to deliver an assured performance in the centre of defence. Played the ball-winner role well, leaving Rio Ferdinand to mop up any scraps (of which there were precious few). Cool and composed.
Anderson
Showed a real hunger to get on the ball and dictate play. At times it looked like he was trying to beat Paul Scholes at his own game, spraying cross-field passes out to the wings. One such ball even led to the Reds' opener. Could this be a more assertive and influential Anderson we're glimpsing?
Wayne Rooney
Started brightly, scoring one and going close again inside 10 minutes. He then teed up Nani for United's second. Appeared to relish playing up top and was always on the shoulder of the last defender. Faded somewhat in the second half, but so did most of his team-mates...
Darron Gibson
Like an old-fashioned winger, Gibson hugged the touchline in the first half and always made himself available to receive possession. Looked confident on the ball and played a crucial role in setting up the opener. Tried his luck from distance in the second half but the shot didn't quite reach the heights of his last-day screamer at Hull in May.
Super subs:
Ryan Giggs
Only a 15-minute stint but Giggsy's experience really shone. So did the party pieces: one lofted backheel pass was particularly delightful.
Zoran Tosic
Direct and willing to carry the ball, Tosic darted forward whenever space opened up in front of him. Perhaps quicker delivery from wide areas would have been advisable once or twice, but he showed plenty of promise.http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={3165B97F-681E-4B39-BE53-94EC9521C3DA}&newsid=6636399&page=2&typeReport=67563&team=