A feast for the eyes!

Van Persie scored a brace in a victory which saw United maintain their seven-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City. His latest performance left Ferguson gushing with praise as he reflected upon signing the 29-year-old last summer.

Robin is a completely rounded footballer, his ability to make and take goals is fantastic,Ferguson was quoted as saying in the English press.

His play for his first goal was absolutely magnificent - his turn, his balance, no drawback, just sidefooted it in. It was a really good goal. We knew we were getting a top player, a major player who would make a difference to the team. That's why we went for him.

I knew he would make the difference because of his maturity. I made the point at the time - he has great international experience, he's played for Arsenal for seven years and he came to us at the very peak of his career, which we are delighted about.

Van Persie, though, played down his recent form, and instead praised the structure of the team for his goalscoring feats - which have seen him net 19 times this term.

I have to thank the manager, my team-mates and all the staff at United - everyone has been so helpful and made it very easy for me.

I do feel I'm surrounded by champions. They know how to win and that makes it really easy for me. It was that way again today. For my second goal, Danny Welbeck could have scored but he passed," he said.

soccernet