FA Premiership/ West Brom 1 Manchester United 2: Ruud van Nistelrooy may as well put his feet up on the Manchester United bench. Goals settle all arguments, and at the moment the regularity with which Louis Saha is scoring them presents an unarguable case for keeping him in the United attack at the Dutchman's expense.
Saha scored twice on Saturday as Alex Ferguson's side strengthened their chances of automatic inclusion in next season's Champions League as runners-up to Chelsea with a victory over a fumbling West Bromwich Albion team who were flattered by the scoreline.
The Parisian striker has found the net 13 times in 15 starts, which is presumably what Ferguson had in mind when he signed him from Fulham for £12.8 million two years ago.
Nevertheless, the principal interest will continue to reside in how Van Nistelrooy takes to being dropped. After all, he is one of the game's best finishers and the longer he stays out of the team the more rife will the speculation about his future at Old Trafford become.
Naturally, Ferguson was at pains to play down such rumours. "Ruud has a long-term contract and I'm happy about that," the Manchester United manager declared. "We all know he's a fantastic player and he will get his opportunity again, but at the moment Louis merits his place in the team because of his goals and his performances. It is unfortunate for Ruud, but he just has to be patient, which he has been. He has never complained about the situation."
So that's all right then. Van Nistelrooy is accepting his lot with the good humour and grace for which Dutch footballers are renowned and will be content to bide his time among the substitutes. And any day now Lord Lucan will turn up riding Shergar.
If Wayne Rooney were not around, Van Nistelrooy and Saha might have formed a productive partnership, for Saha's game is about making fast, well-timed runs into the penalty area while Van Nistelrooy is more of a goalmouth predator. Given the amount of ground covered by Rooney during the course of a match, Ferguson could play all three, although on Saturday the main support for Saha came from Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Saha, too, was as busy creating chances as he was taking them. The longer the game progressed the more bewildering became United's quick interchanges of position, a whirl of movement between the penalty areas that warmed the afternoon's bitter chill. In the circumstances, it was all rather wasted on a West Bromwich team who when faced by an attack with any sort of cutting edge are apt to defend like a man meeting a sabre with a chair leg.
Still, at the start of the game the regularity with which the 36-year-old Kevin Campbell was reaching high balls ahead of Nemanja Vidic, United's £7 million transfer-window buy from Spartak Moscow, and the threat of Curtis Davies's heading power at set-pieces promised to alleviate Albion's run of one point from four games. A free-kick from Diomansy Kamara and a header from Davies drew excellent stretching saves from Edwin van der Sar.
So much for optimism. Just past the quarter-hour Giggs took United's first corner, no Albion defender went with Saha as he backed off to meet it and Paul Robinson, on guard at the near post, could not reach a header that looped under the bar.
Effectively that was game over, for with Albion's midfield increasingly giving the ball away United simply had to conjure up different ways to create chances.
Giggs and Ronaldo set up Saha's second goal, which he took sweetly with an assured touch and clinical finish, in the 64th minute.
Bryan Robson replaced Campbell for the second half by Nwankwo Kanu, who is not a central striker but could at least hold the ball up for others. Nathan Ellington accepted a free header with 12 minutes remaining to offer Albion renewed hope of salvation, but it was all an illusion.
A section of the home crowd booed Robson for applauding his old Manchester United supporters, who had been chanting his name at half-time. "What are you supposed to do?" he wondered. "Give them V-signs?"
Since Birmingham City, lying 18th, are three points behind them with the same goal difference and a match in hand, Albion urgently need a few victory Vs of their own.