Norwich 1, Manchester United 2: 6 Things We Learned About United

Manchester United edged a 2-1 victory over Norwich today, thanks to a crucial injury-time goal from Ryan Giggs.

This win keeps them within two points of current league leaders and rivals Manchester City, meaning that the title race is by no means over.

They say that you should never write Manchester United off, and today's win underlined that fact. Scholes put the Champions ahead after seven minutes with a simple header from close range. Grant Holt pegged the hosts back on 83 minutes, before Ryan Giggs spoiled any chance of an upset in added time.

But what have we learned about United from this match? Let me share a few of the things I took away from their performance.

David De Gea Is a Safe Pair of Hands

After months of criticism from fans and pundits alike, David de Gea is finally demonstrating his immense talent.

He made some excellent saves in today's game, including an instinctive save from the boot of Grant Holt in the 35th minute and another awesome save in the 83rd minute.

The goal he conceded was unfortunate and maybe should have been dealt with by the defenders, but Norwich could have scored a lot more had the Spaniard not been on form.

I personally have been on a little bit of a roller coaster with De Gea. Early on in the season I was 110 percent behind him as I knew that he had incredible potential.

A month or so ago I went the other way, my thinking being that United needed to focus on the task in hand rather than making sure De Gea got enough playing time. However, since Lindegaard's injury, I have had no doubt that De Gea should be United's man between the sticks, as he has put in some great performances and made some crucial saves.

When Lindegaard returns, I fully expect De Gea to retain his place in the team.

Javier Hernandez Should Have Started from the Bench

When I got wind of the fact that Wayne Rooney wouldn't be starting due to his throat infection, I thought it might offer Dimitar Berbatov a rare start.

Why not Hernandez? Because Javier Hernandez's impact is always greater from the bench.

Hernandez is one of, if not the fastest player in the EPL. When he comes into a game at 60 minutes or after, he has the ability to be a devastating force. If you think about it, late in the game the opposition defence will be running on tired legs, and Hernandez's speed can be invaluable.

Today, he didn't have a great game. His moment of note was a weak shot early on in the second half which was easily saved by John Ruddy.

You Won't Win Anything with Kids. Pensioners Are a Different Matter.

Midweek, Ferguson took a gamble against Ajax in the Europa League, fielding a very young team—in fact, the average age of the defence was a mere 21 years old. United were punished for this and were almost left very red-faced as a resurgent Ajax fought right to the final whistle.

In a stark contrast, United's saviours today were 38-year-old Ryan Giggs and 37-year-old Paul Scholes—two goals from two of the club's legends.

In an era where managers are spending big on 20- and 21-year-olds who may be big stars in the future, it is fantastic to see the veterans still proving their worth.

Both players demonstrated the importance of intelligence on the field. The first goal saw Paul Scholes play a pass to Nani and then make a great run to meet the winger's cross. Ryan Giggs' run to the far post for the second goal underlined the fact that he is still one of the best players at the club despite his advancing years.

The long term roles of these two players is yet to be seen, but for now they are still vital cogs in the Manchester United machine.

For Those Who Didn't Know, Ryan Giggs Is a Club Legend

OK, the title of this slide may seem a little silly, but the fact is Ryan Giggs ran out for his 900th United appearance today, and he managed to save the day.

Having joined United when he was only 13, Giggs has become one of the biggest players in the club's history. The most decorated player in the EPL still has so much to offer, and players like Ashley Young will have to wait their turn as long as the Welsh Wizard keeps up his current form.

As well as marking the occasion with a goal, Giggs used his incredible vision to assist a superb Danny Welbeck attempt in the 65th minute (which was unfortunately cleared off the line), and he also hit the bar in the 73rd minute.

What will worry United fans now is how will United ever find another player as good as Ryan Giggs.

If you didn't catch it earlier in the week, please take a look at my article on Giggs: Manchester United's Ryan Giggs Reaches 900 Games: How Long Will He Be Around?

Nemanja Vidic Is Very Much Missed

I believe that Norwich's goal could have easily been averted in today's game. Yes, there was a bit of a scramble in the box, but Rio Ferdinand was close enough to Grant Holt to deal with it—even a simple foot in would have blocked the shot.

However, this is an all too familiar story. Just a couple of weeks ago, Ferdinand's error led to Luis Suarez's goal in United's game against Liverpool—a goal which made the last ten minutes of the game very nervy.

Then we move onto Jonny Evans, who is possibly the most inconsistent player in the United squad. He had a fantastic game against Liverpool a couple of weeks ago, yet today he was back to his old ways.

Phil Jones and Chris Smalling showed midweek that they are not quite ready to hold up the centre of defence on their own, although both are still young and learning their trade.

In my opinion, the sooner Vidic is back, the better.

Complacency Kills (Nearly)

When United scored in the seventh minute of the game, I was convinced that the floodgates were about to open up. I was expecting a result of 3-0, 4-0, maybe even 5-0.

Oh, how wrong I was.

United did a lot of "sitting back" after the goal, and there were many occasions when this complacency could have been punished. In fact, had it not been for David de Gea, then United could have been on the receiving end of a very embarrassing scoreline.

Personally, I thought there were times when Nani looked a little lax on the right wing. In the first half in particular, there were times when he was expecting the ball to just fall at his feet, when in fact the ball ended up bouncing over his foot or past him.

Jonny Evans (or Mr. Inconsistency) could have gotten United into trouble a couple of times, including a couple of silly tackles and loss of possession.

Norwich were allowed 13 shots today compared to United's nine—a stat which I believe speaks volumes.

The absence of Wayne Rooney may have been a contributing factor to this complacency, as he is a player who is always hungry for more goals regardless of the scoreline.

The fact is, when the first goal went in, the United side seemed to have already assumed that the win was theirs, when in fact there were another 83 minutes of the game. Complacency like this could cost them the title in the run-in.

A stellar performance from David de Gea and a crucial goal from Ryan Giggs spared the Red Devils' blushes.

For a bit of further reading, take a look at Kyle Diller's article from earlier this week, Manchester United: Complacency Is Our Greatest Enemy, which really hits the nail on the head in terms of United's biggest issue this season.