As Republic of Ireland international John O'Shea reflected on Manchester United's third successive four-goal haul, after a night when Dynamo Kiev's hapless defenders resembled rabbits staring into headlights, it was difficult not to agree with the Waterford man's claim that "some teams are scared of us". Confidence is coursing through Alex Ferguson's side, with the form of their free-scoring forward line fuelling the belief that opponents are gripped by a sense of foreboding.
That was certainly the case in Ukraine where Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs initiated panic whenever they collected possession in Dynamo's final third. Rooney's goal means he has scored in six successive matches, and Ronaldo's header and penalty took his tally to six goals in as many starts. Those were reward for a counter-attacking display which was a throwback to United's heyday under Ferguson.
"It seems every time we attack, with the pace and power of Wayne, Ronaldo, Tevez and Giggsy - who looked like he was 19 at some stages against Kiev - we can score," said O'Shea. "The ball Giggs crossed in for Ronaldo was just a classic. It's just great to see and it's great to be involved in a team that has so much attacking power because, while it was disappointing to have conceded two goals, we know that we are going to score goals.
"I think, without a doubt, you sense that some teams are maybe scared of us," added O'Shea, who filled in at left back against Dynamo. "I think nights like this really make teams aware of what we are capable of. When teams come to Old Trafford they like to play five in midfield and try to play for the draw but with the attack we have they are going to be very wary of just trying to defend against that lot. It's not a case of feeling unbeatable but we know with the players we have we're going to be creating chances."
The return of United's cutting edge could not have been better timed. With Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Gary Neville and Louis Saha injured, Ferguson has been operating with one hand tied behind his back. He may have Hargreaves back for the Premier League fixture at Arsenal on Saturday week but doubt surrounds Paul Scholes's availability, with United expected today to reveal the results of a scan on the midfielder's knee.
The absentee list, to which Patrice Evra may be added after he tweaked a calf during the warm-up in Kiev, would have severely undermined United in recent seasons but the current squad, augmented by the summer arrivals of Tevez, Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson, is more capable of absorbing such blows. Although Hargreaves has barely featured, the other three recruits have shown encouraging signs that they are starting to adapt to their new surroundings.
"There is great strength in depth in this squad - that's without a doubt the difference between this squad and previous ones," said O'Shea, who admitted Ferguson "will have some tough decisions to make" when the treatment room loses a few patients.
