The Sir Alex Ferguson mantra that this latest Manchester United vintage are all about the attacking players was illustrated here in a helter-skelter exchange that finished, not without a few scares, with the correct victor.
Before ending the game at a relative trot, United's problem was space, and the amount allowed Stoke when Tony Pulis's side moved forward. After Wayne Rooney's 27th-minute own goal and Charlie Adam's hit of David De Gea's right post, there came an illustration. Stoke stroked a few passes around inside their half before Steven N'Zonzi turned into hectares of grass and accelerated into enemy territory.
As Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick, United's nominated midfield shield, back pedalled they watched as a cross was stood up for Peter Crouch that Rio Ferdinand did just enough with to kill.
The first of the two Rooney goals he scored in the opening half came after Scholes had dropped the lively Michael Kightly near the corner flag. Charlie Adam floated in the ball and with Ryan Shawcross – who Ferguson bemoaned letting go to Stoke four years ago in the match-day programme – lurking, Rooney stole in to head beyond a helpless De Gea.
On the evidence presented here, Stoke's ability to play the creative stuff should from now on be missing the patronising surprise or caveats. One move featured balletic footwork that included a Peter Crouch back-heel inside United's area before Jon Walters's shot forced De Gea to make the save.
Although any suggestion Ferguson's men would become their swashbuckling best was hampered by an infirmity when dispossessed, they were easing into a higher gear.
A sublime Patrice Evra flicked pass with the outside of a boot found Danny Welbeck. He motored 40 yards down the left in a blur before slipping a clever ball to Robin van Persie, whose instant return opened up Asmir Begovic's goal. But Welbeck's effort skidded wide.
Rooney's second of the stanza involved, inevitably, the Dutchman. Playing in the No10 slot behind the Liverpudlian, he peeled left to deliver a curving ball that found Rooney rising to crash home a header even more impressive than his unfortunate opener.
Van Persie also had the final say of the period. Again, from another slick United passage. Evra ambled forward, found Welbeck and, after Rooney received from his England colleague, a so far quiet Antonio Valencia collected on the right: his cross proved a bullet that found the target via Van Persie's boot and that was 2-1 at the break.
Less than a minute of the restart was required to widen the margin. Rooney, who has returned from his month long injury layoff undoubtedly leaner, leant into a delivery from the right that removed the Stoke defence and found Welbeck's head to take the count to 3-1.
Rooney was now dazzling when he had the ball and, on occasion, when without it. A split-second decision to execute a dummy allowed Van Persie to race in at goal and the corner was conceded. When this was taken, the ball eventually broke to the England man, who flipped in a cross that Jonny Evans saw the Stoke keeper claw away.
Stoke's early dominance had appeared to evaporate completely before Kightly ripped United apart by running straight at them. Before this, Rafael Da Silva created the chance that should have given Welbeck a second, and his side a three-goal cushion. But the forward was half a yard too late with the attempted connection.
This allowed Kightly to make the closing half hour interesting until Rooney's third of the afternoon. Picking up the ball near halfway he raced forward. Carrick came over and was in position for the challenge but backed off. This left Ferdinand facing the winger and when the ball unluckily back-heeled off his boot Kightly left him, and Evans, trailing as he finished beyond De Gea.
The Rooney-Van Persie axis were next up again in this topsy-turvy contest.
The Dutchman's corner was missed by a host of Stoke defenders, and when the ball rolled to Rooney a left foot finish could not be stopped by Begovic.
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