While Monday was all about Manchester Citys bright future, on Tuesday Manchester United delivered a timely reminder to their noisy neighbours that they arent going away any time soon. The confirmation that Pep Guardiola - widely considered the best coach in the world - will take charge at the Etihad this summer was seen as a major blow to United on deadline day.The most exciting transfer news in Manchester on the final day of the winter window had City fans dreaming and United fans fretting. On the field, Uniteds two wins from their past 10 Premier League games, their lowest goal-haul in 27 years and the continued uncertainty around Louis van Gaals future offered little suggestion a ray of hope would arrive with the visit of Mark Hughes Stoke.Yet, 24 hours on from Man Citys big moment, the United players seemed inspired into a response. Martial curls in Uniteds second United have been such slow starters this season but from the first whistle they had Stokes injury-hit defence on the back foot.It took Anthony Martial just three minutes to take on and beat Glen Johnson - it wouldnt be the last time the impressive Frenchman got the better of his marker. Three minutes later Wayne Rooney had tested Jack Butland with a curling shot before Martial teed up Juan Mata for a miscued effort in the box.The pressure told. A whipped low cross from birthday boy Cameron Borthwick-Jackson was met by a diving header from Jesse Lingard. It was Uniteds first first-half goal at Old Trafford in 12 matches. The home support showed their appreciation. Man Utds fast start Man Utds two goals in the opening 45 minutes against Stoke doubled their first-half goal tally at Old Trafford in the Premier League this season. More magic from Martial took him past Johnson once more before he thrashed a shot into the side netting. He wasnt to be denied on 22 minutes, though, curling a superb strike into the top corner after smart build-up play from Rooney and Mata.Old Trafford was rocking - this was more like the football the United fans crave. Wayne Rooney celebrates his seventh goal in seven games Mata passed up a headed opportunity and Rooney was unfortunate to see a goal ruled out for a shove on Johnson before the United skipper tucked in a Martial cross to complete the scoring early in the second half. From there on the hosts controlled the remainder of the match. Rooneys 99 not out Wayne Rooneys strike against Stoke was his 99th Premier League goal at Old Trafford. United created more chances from open play (15) against Stoke than they have in any of their other 23 Premier League fixtures this season. Van Gaal was suitably satisfied.It was a great performance, he said. In the first half we created attacks, fantastic goals. We created more chances above that. In the second half we controlled the game and we scored the third goal. It was a very good game, I think.I hope it gives us a lot of motivation to continue. Louis van Gaal says he was pleased with his teams performance in Manchester Uniteds 3-0 win over Stoke. Tottenhams win at Norwich means United remain five points adrift of a Champions League qualifying spot and with a trip to in-form Chelsea on Super Sunday next up, Van Gaals side still have plenty of work to do to ensure they are playing in Europes elite club competition in 2016/17. City fans will also be quick to point out that - even without Guardiola in charge - they remain seven clear of their rivals after their win at Sunderland.But at Old Trafford on Tuesday, United delivered a response to both their critics and their neighbours with a stylish victory.Watch Chelsea v Man Utd live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm on Sunday, or watch without a contract on NOW TV Also See: Van Gaal hails great win United ease past Stoke Pavel Zacha Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Mirco Mueller Devils Jersey .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. http://www.devilssale.com/authentic-blake-coleman-devils-jersey/ . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Miles Wood Jersey . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. New Jersey Devils Jerseys . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. After 162 regular-season games and a bunch more in the postseason, it has come down to the Indians and the Cubs -- one legendarily cursed Midwestern franchise against another. While everyone else crunches the statistical metrics, your friendly uniform columnist is here with 10 uni-related tidbits to watch for as the Series unfolds:1. Moving from Left to Right. It was 20 years ago, during the 1996 Series, that the Yankees and Braves became the first teams to wear the World Series logo on their caps. The logo has always appeared on the left side of the crown, but this year itll be moving to the right side, because the New Era logo is now occupying the left side.2. C Section. Most MLB teams use a standard vinyl decal for their helmet logos, but the Cubs use an adhesive-backed embroidered patch. It provides a nice sense of depth, but it also has a tendency to peel off or end up in some unlikely places.3. Hail to the Chief. The Indians have said that theyre de-emphasizing their Chief Wahoo logo, which is a source of ongoing controversy among fans who think the design is a disparaging caricature of Native Americans. In 2014, the team demoted Wahoo to secondary logo status and designated its block-C logo its primary mark. But Wahoo has been ascendant during the postseason: The Indians wore their Wahoo cap for all three games against the Red Sox in the American League Division Series, and then for all five games against the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series. Given how superstitious teams can be, it wouldnt be surprising to see the Indians keep wearing it in the Series.4. In the Navy. Clevelands navy alternate jersey has been almost as much of a postseason fixture as the Wahoo cap. The team wore white for Game 1 of the ALDS against Boston but went with the navy tops for its seven remaining playoff games. (One of those was Game 3 of the ALCS in Toronto, when starting pitcher Trevor Bauer -- who usually prefers to wear the standard gray uniform for road games -- went with navy to help hide the blood from his injured finger.) Will the Indians stick with navy to open the Series, or will the grand setting of the Fall Classic lead them to wear the more formal home whites?5. Unique Unis. The Cubbies uniforms may seem standard and traditional at first glance, but theyre loaded with quirks and oddities: The home jersey is the only MLB jersey to include a circle-R trademark symbol on the chest logo; the road pants are the only MLB pants to include a team logo on the pants; and the blue alternate jersey is the only MLB jersey to include a league logo patch.6. Single File. Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. wears No.dddddddddddd 6, making him part of the small but growing fraternity of pitchers with single-digit uniform numbers. If he gets into a World Series game, he will become the first single-digitized pitcher to appear in the Fall Classic since 1997, when Cleveland reliever Jeff Juden appeared in two games while wearing No. 7.7. Hosiery Heroes. Shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielders Tyler Naquin and Rajai Davis form the sharpest combo in the majors, at least when it comes to stirrups. It would be nice if Lindor went with pure white sanitaries instead of those spotted Trusox he has been wearing lately, but he has made up for that by wearing Believeland shoes during the postseason.8. Tattoo You. Just in case you didnt know which league you were watching, all MLB players helpfully wear MLBs familiar silhouetted batter logo on the backs of their jerseys, caps, batting helmets, pants and undershirts. But Cubs third baseman Javier Baez takes it a step further: He has a tattoo of the logo on the back of his neck.9. Hold the Cream. The Indians have announced that their cream-toned retro alternate uniform will not be back next season. That uni is usually reserved for Sunday-afternoon home games, but Cleveland isnt scheduled to have any Sunday home dates in this Series (and besides, the World Series hasnt had an afternoon game since 1987), so the creams will presumably remain on the shelf -- the uniform equivalent of the last man on the bench who never gets called upon to pinch hit.10. Nothing Up Their Sleeve. The Cubs wore a very nice Wrigley Field centennial patch this season, but it was removed during the playoffs and replaced by the MLB postseason patch -- an odd move, because team patches and league-wide patches can usually coexist without any problems. Why not wear both?Honorable Mention: Make a Wish. Although the wishbone-C is primarily associated with the Reds these days, lots of teams have worn it over the years, including the Indians and Cubs. That suggests a good metaphor for this years Fall Classic -- two teams tugging on either side of a wishbone, wishing to be delivered from their respective curses.Paul Lukas always roots for the National League team in the World Series. If you like this column, youll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so youll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here. ' ' '