Sir Alex Ferguson's successor got the new era off to a
winning start as the Red Devils overcame Championship opposition at Wembley
Van Persie opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a
brilliant header into the bottom corner before sealing the victory in the
second half with a deflected strike.
United were far from convincing against the FA Cup
holders - now playing in the Championship - but Moyes will be relieved to have
successfully won the trophy after leading his side out at Wembley for the first
time.
Sir Alex Ferguson either won or shared the Community
Shield nine times and it would have been a welcome relief for Moyes to focus on
matters on the pitch following an unsettling summer of transfer speculation.
The Scot raised a few eyebrows before kick-off as he said
that Wayne Rooney will feature for England against Scotland on Wednesday but
suggested that the wantaway striker will not play when United start their title
defence against Swansea City.
However, while the spectre of Rooney has dominated
United's pre-season, the new manager knows that he can rely on Van Persie as
the leader of his attack this season, with the Dutchman selected to lead the
attack as winger Wilfried Zaha was handed his debut.
The first official goal of the Moyes era arrived via Van
Persie after just six minutes when last season's Premier League top scorer rose
high just inside the penalty area to meet Patrice Evra's cross and plant a
fantastic header into the bottom corner.
United, though, lacked vibrancy in possession and it was
clear why Moyes has made signing a central midfielder his top priority this
summer as they failed to create clear chances in the first half.
Indeed, Wigan would have been the happier of the two sides
at the break as the Championship side defended stoutly and threatened on
occasions on the break, with Grant Holt poking a volley just wide of the post.
There was little change in the pattern of the game after
the restart until van Persie scored his second goal of the game in the 59th
minute.
The United star worked the ball on to his left foot after
collecting Danny Welbeck's pass before firing towards goal from the edge of the
penalty area. The ball appeared to be heading straight at Wigan goalkeeper Scott
Carson before it struck the boot of James Perch and flew into the corner of the
net.
Moyes's men were content to keep possession and see the
game out after doubling their advantage in hot conditions under the north
London sun before Nemanja Vidic lifted the trophy.
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