It was a day of many great achievements for Manchester United. In what was Sir Alex Ferguson's 50-year anniversary in the professional game, this was one of those afternoon's to remember for the club's most successful boss at Old Trafford.
The man providing the biggest gift for the Scotsman was Cristiano Ronaldo, who broke through the 100-goal barrier at the Theatre of Dreams en route to a 5-0 thrashing over Stoke City. The Potteries may not have been a happy hunting ground for side's travelling there, but the newly-promoted side were still finding their feet away from home - as this particular afternoon went a long way to showing.
As well as seeing Ronaldo continue his prolific form in front of goal, this was also a memorable occasion for one Danny Welbeck. The academy product was thrown on by Ferguson for the final 30 minutes in an attempt to get him up-to-speed with the top flight; a test he would pass with flying colours by sealing the resounding win late on.
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A true day to savour for every United fan in attendance, then, and one that only strengthened the argument of those who had suggested that Ronaldo really was destined to become the greatest player this sport has ever seen. That debate still rumbles on some seven years on, of course, yet on this day in 2008 it was the Portuguese who had the last laugh at those travelling supporters taunting him throughout the 90 minutes.
Ronaldo is not exactly someone who needs extra motivation to succeed, having built a career around his ability to seemingly find the net at will no matter who the opposition. Those Stoke fans camped inside a small section of Old Trafford clearly had not learned from past experiences, though, and their catcalls only seemed to make the 23-year-old forward more determined than ever to find the net.
Find the net he did, taking just three minutes to pick out the target from a free kick that somehow squirmed through the hands of Thomas Sorensen. It was the worst possible start to the game for a Stoke side, under the management of Tony Pulis, who thrived on keeping games tight in order to perhaps steal a point against the big boys.
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The Potters were not simply going to roll over, though, not at this stage at least. A trademark Rory Delap throw, the tool in Stoke's arsenal that had caught out many an experienced Premier League backline, very nearly undone United's positive start only for Edwin van der Sar to claw away John O'Shea's miscued clearance.
While the early momentum had been lost, Ferguson's charges were still on top for large parts and had a cushion of sorts heading into half time thanks to a Michael Carrick bullet. Despite having a few men around him, the midfield maestro found the net from 16 yards to down Stoke spirits.
Then came the Ronaldo show. The Portuguese, who would move to Real Madrid in a record-breaking move at the end of this season, took complete control of the game by pulling opposition defenders one way and then the other, but it was Dimitar Berbatov who effectively sealed the points with his well-taken volley.
The Bulgarian's hold-up play was proving essential, allowing energetic striker Carlos Tevez to fire in a few shots for Sorensen to deal with, but the hosts had to wait more than 30 minutes for goal number four to arrive. That was provided by Welbeck on his Premier League debut, kick-starting a career that it is fair to say has not quite yet hit the heights that many expected upon those early promising performances.
Stoke's misery was not complete there, either, with Ronaldo capping his own stellar display by beating Sorensen for the second time from a set piece, making it 101 not out in a United shirt.
"That is nine for the season now," Ferguson said after the match as the Ronaldo plaudits continued. "I am sure he will be into double figures very soon. Overall, he has scored 101 times in 253 appearances, which is an unbelievable return for a winger. He is back now that's for sure. We have been waiting for him to get a free kick and the power he hit the first one with was very impressive."
This may have been an afternoon of celebration for the Red Devils, and it proved to be a season that would live long in supporters' memories, too, after going all the way to lift the Premier League title for a third time in succession. Ronaldo himself finished with 18 top-flight goals, behind only Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka, before calling time on his Old Trafford career that summer to secure a record-breaking move to fellow European heavyweights Real Madrid.
Manchester United XI: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher (Gibson), Park (Welbeck), Tevez (Manucho), Berbatov
Stoke City XI: Sorensen, Griffin (Wilkinson), Abdoulaye Faye, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Olofinjana (Cresswell), Diao, Amdy Faye, Delap, Fuller (Kitson), Sidibe
Daniel Lewis
