You know you like saying the name Dimitar Berbatov. Say it out loud and experience that staccato sing-song quality of Eastern Bloc phonetics. Like his name, the man is deceptively smooth, though his subtlety of movement and quality on the pitch haven’t quite shone through since his transfer from north London side Spurs. The Manchester fans haven’t exactly been the most supportive of his play, but the one man who matters, his manager, has kept the faith and now everyone is feeling the payoff.

The Bulgarian hit-man netted not once, not twice, but thrice in United’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool, scoring three quality goals with his second bound to be in the top goals of the season (a bicycle kick that nestled into the corner of the net as Reina stood and watched).

The game itself was mostly boring until the second half (only because United were so dominant in the first 45 mins), when it did look like Liverpool might walk away with at least a draw. The Reds picked up the pace and Torres seemed to be finding his so-far-missing stride. Play opened up and the game became stretched. It was gripping for a good 30 minutes there. Then Berbatov headed home his third, and set himself up for a standing ovation for scoring the first hat trick in the tie in some 60-odd years.

Berbatov is often described by commentators as laconic. He does indeed create much though seemingly doing very little. He’s an athlete who makes it look easy, the sort of player who seems like he has more time to work with the ball than the other players around him. Sir Alex has described the man as having a “touch of genius“, and it’s nice to see him finally putting all the pieces together in his new home.