Robin van Persie could be decisive factor for Manchester United in title race, admits Allardyce

 
29 November 2012

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce believes Robin van Persie could make the difference in this season's Premier League title battle.

The Dutchman scored his 12th goal of the season just 33 seconds into Manchester United's encounter with the Hammers at Old Trafford tonight.

It proved enough to give the Red Devils a nervy win, which allowed them to consolidate their status as league leaders, with the Manchester derby with City looming at the Etihad Stadium on December 9.

And with the championship already looking like a two-horse race as Chelsea crumble, Allardyce thinks Van Persie could be a decisive factor.

"Manchester United have lots of players who will have good spells and can come up trumps when they need them to," said Allardyce.

"Robin van Persie is a quality player and we have largely kept him quiet.

"But he will score 20 goals for Manchester United, maybe 30. In the end that is normally the difference."

Allardyce could take plenty of positives out of his first visit to Old Trafford as a visiting manager since he presided over a 7-1 defeat for Blackburn two years ago.

When Van Persie struck so early, the Hammers might have feared something similar.

In the end, though, they were the ones who finished stronger, only for Carlton Cole to waste their best chance when it was saved by Anders Lindegaard.

"It is a big problem to concede after 30 seconds," said Allardyce. "But our response was very good.

"We didn't create much but we went looking for the equaliser and the best chance fell to Carlton Cole when he didn't quite catch it.

"Whether Manchester United played to their potential or not doesn't matter does it? They still won. They have a nasty habit of doing that."

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