Manchester United vs. Norwich: Red Devils Back on Track After Disappointing Week

Manchester United endured a mini-slump with back-to-back draws against Stoke City and Basel over the past week. The Red Devils hope today's 2-0 win over Norwich City will get them back on track after a two-week break as players report for international duty.

Wayne Rooney returned from injury and looked a bit rusty before playing a nice ball to Anderson for the game's first goal in the 68th minute. Rooney was red hot before going down and United (and England) fans hope he can quickly regain that elite form.

United dominated the possession battle but weren't able to strike fear into Canaries goalkeeper John Ruddy, due to stout final-third defending by Norwich. Once they netted the first goal, it was all systems go.

Substitute Danny Welbeck scored in the 87th minute to secure the victory.

It was important for Manchester United to pick up the win at Old Trafford before going away for a few weeks. The last thing manager Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to deal with is an out-of-form club coming back with a big three-game week on the horizon.

The Red Devils are tied with crosstown rivals Manchester City through seven games and play them to end that tough stretch on Oct. 23. So getting a win against a Norwich side which has surprised some people with its mid-table performance so far will make Ferguson's job easier in two weeks.

Football, perhaps more than any other sport on the planet, is a game of momentum. No squad had more of it for the first couple weeks of the season than the Red Devils. However, that was destined to change and did against Stoke and Basel.

With a younger lineup being utilized this season, suffering through a couple frustrating draws while resting some injuries isn't always a bad thing. It will teach players like Welbeck and Tom Cleverley that it won't always be easy sailing and that they must bring their "A" game every fixture.

When the season ends fans will look back on an early season win over Norwich and never give it a second thought. But if United comes out strong in two weeks, it will end up being one of the key under-the-radar victories of the season.