Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City

Highlights, Interviews and Analysis!




Best Manchester Derby Ever!

Wow!  And i mean WOW!  What a simply breathtaking, pulsating and electrifying game!  I mean it must've been pure viewing pleasure for the neutrals but as a United fan it was a nightmare!  Watching the match was an emotional roller-coaster from joy to exasperation then delight then disbelief then relief then agony and finally pure ecstasy!  I felt like fainting from the experience after the end of the game!  Definitely one of the games of the season!

Extra Stoppage Time? Wrong!

In case you're wondering about the extended stoppage time, the video explains it quite clearly.  If you're lazy like Berbatov, then here's the equation: 4 minutes of stoppage time + 56 seconds of City's goal celebrations + 30 seconds for United's substitution = 5 minutes and 26 seconds of stoppage time.  Michael Owen scored after 5 minutes and 27 seconds of stoppage time, and how many times have we seen referees extend the time given by a few seconds for a final attack?  Therefore the conclusion is that United's final goal was perfectly legal.  What was that about an explanation, Sparky?

The Drama Unfolds

To sum it up, United went ahead through Wayne Rooney after City's backline were caught napping when United took a quick throw-in.  Evra fed Rooney to squeeze in a shot, and at that moment United fans were hoping for a City thrashing.  Not with Foster in such a charitable mood.  Even after smashing a clearance into Tevez early in the game, Foster hadn't learnt his lesson.  Tevez's persistance led to Big Ben conceding possession.  Gareth Barry had the simplest of tasks to guide the ball into an empty net after Tevez's layoff.  City overall were better than United in the first half with Nigel De Jong proving immense in the centre of midfield, breaking up United's attacks time and again.

Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Sir Alex Ferguson.  All time greats at motivational speeches.  Whatever Ferguson said to his team at half-time must've been so damn powerful, for United came out with a real fire in their bellies.  They exploded off the blocks, and within four minutes they were level; Fletcher outmuscling and outjumping Gareth Barry to head in a superb cross from the evergreen Ryan Giggs.  Yet four minutes later City were level to a piece of genius from little Craig Bellamy, who hit a peach of a shot into the top corner of United's goal leaving Foster with no chance.  United weren't done yet though, and for a period of time they absolutely slaughtered City.  Cross after cross, corner after corner, header after header, shot after shot, I've never seen United playing with such a high tempo and urgency in ages!  City must thank Shay Given for keeping the scores down with several astonishing reflex saves, but everyone knows that nobody can stop the Red tide. 

United's third was remarkably alike their second.  Giggs' free-kick from the left, Fletcher header into the top corner.  Surely United had won it now.  But no!  Ferdinand's impudent attempted lob in the 90th minute failed miserably and Petrov released Bellamy who outpaced the recovering Rio to slot in from the narrowest of angles which Foster should have covered.  Ferdinand had his face in his hands and Sir Alex's face was thunder.  Then came Owen's intervention with a splendid goal from a brilliant through ball by who else but Giggs.  Old Trafford was a scene of pandemonium after that, and the deafening roar at the final whistle signified that everyone knew who the kings of Manchester still were.  Not the dream return for Tevez, probably not the ideal way Fergie would've wanted a win, but would anyone regret watching such a thrilling spectacle?  Welcome to Manchester.

Goal Analysis

I've always believed that a goal is the product of defensive error(s) and attacking ingeniuty, so let's have a recap of the goals.

#Goal 1 - Wayne Rooney (2')
The Good:  Intelligent play by Giggs with a quick throw and the swiftness of Evra to reach the ball and prod it to Rooney in a dangerous area.  The strength of Rooney to shrug off two defenders and composure to beat Given.
The Bad:  Micah Richards fell asleep or rather, was more occupied with arguing with his fellow defenders rather than keep his eyes on the ball and get back in position.  First of many mistakes by the City defence.

#Goal 2 - Gareth Barry (16')
The Good:  Tevez's persistance pays off when he pounces on Foster's hesistancy with a clean challenge and lays off the ball for Barry, who does well to place it into the bottom corner, just out of Vidic's reach.
The Bad:  Inexperience displayed by Ben Foster.  Instead of smashing it into Row Z he decides to take the risk of bringing it into the box despite knowing that Tevez is swiftly closing in.  Poor decision-making.

#Goal 3 - Darren Fletcher (49')
The Good:  Giggs floats in an accurate cross into a dangerous area where Fletcher gets up well and early over a slow Barry to nod it into the net.
The Bad:  Slack marking by City.  Barry realises too late that Fletcher is free and puts up an unsuccessful feeble attempt to put him off.

#Goal 4 - Craig Bellamy (52')
The Good:  Bellamy's quick feet take him away from O'Shea and he hits the ball right on the money to send a screamer into the top corner giving Foster no chance.  Great piece of skill by Bellamy.
The Bad:  O'Shea was slow to react to Bellamy cutting infield and into shooting range.  United's defence was also slow in closing Bellamy down and putting bodies between him and the goal.

#Goal 5* - Darren Fletcher (80')
The Good:  Superb delivery again by Giggs with the free-kick and Fletcher ghosts in with a textbook header into the top corner.
The Bad:  Terrible zonal marking by City. (just like Liverpool)  Fletcher was left unmarked once again.  City really have to work on their set-pieces and crosses if they want to challenge for the title.
The Joke*:  Darren Fletcher may have been blinded with joy but sliding on your knees towards the corner flag in celebration was a pretty stupid thing to do.  Smacked into the flag and fell flat on his back. 

#Goal 6 - Craig Bellamy (90')
The Good:  Petrov and Bellamy with quick thinking and being on the same wavelength the moment Ferdinand gave the ball away.  Nice weighted ball by Petrov to release Bellamy, and credit to Bellamy for waiting for Foster to commit before sliding the ball in from the narrowest of angles.
The Bad:  Every time Ferdinand is praised, he goes on to do something silly or stupid.  It is absolutely unforgiveable to give possession away in that stage of the game, and that flick had complacency written all over it.  Foster has to take some of the blame as well as he didn't cover enough of his near post and committed himself way too early.

#Goal 7 - Michael Owen (90 + 6')
The Good:  United did well to keep their heads up and press for another goal.  They never gave up and their efforts were rewarded when Giggs sent in a delicious through ball to Owen who finished, naturally, with aplomb.
The Bad:  City, expecting the final whistle, completely switched off and left Owen free for a good four or five seconds.  More than enough for the goal-poacher to poke home the winner.  Utterly dreadful defending.

Special Tribute
The Legend that is Ryan Giggs

How United will miss Ryan Giggs' sheer quality and brilliance when he decides one day to bring his glittering career to a glorious end.  Even at 35 years of age he can still bedevil defenders with his nifty footwork, and his dead-ball delivery ranks up there with the best in the world.  What a servant he has been all these years to Manchester United; 18 years and counting, he still has the same passion, desire and hunger to win more trophies and like wine, Giggs seems to get better with age.  Just take this derby game: 3 assists, 2 shots on target, 9 successful crosses and many more dangerous ones.  Absolutely sensational from the Welshman.  With arguably the best and purest left foot in the land, if not the planet, United can always rely on Giggs' genius, leadership and experience to never let them down.

Manchester United Verdict:  United were simply irresistable in the second half and if they play with the same zeal, spirit and enthusiasm as they did in that spell at the start of the half, they should be scoring plenty of goals in the weeks to come.  Not every team has a Shay Given to bail them out.  On the downside, Fergie will be absolutely livid at the way his team gave away two goals to bring City back into the game.  I wouldn't be surprised if Foster is dropped for the next match.  Also, with such an expensive pricetag, Berbatov should be putting away chances more frequently.  With all his headers directed at Given, it was a poor day at the office for the languid Bulgarian.  Maybe sniper Owen should replace Berbatov in the first team?

Manchester City Verdict:  Mark Hughes says he's proud of his team, but the truth is they could've been trashed quite badly had it not been for the heroics of Shay Given combined with United's generosity in giving them a way back into the game.  Sparky definitely has to sort out his defence, as they look especially vulnerable on set pieces and crosses.  Attacking wise they look quite potent, given the fact that they have done this well despite being deprived of the services of Robinho and Santa Cruz.  Gave a good account of themselves at Old Trafford, but we all know who are the kings of Manchester.  That being said, City look good for a top four finish in my opinion.

Matt




Manchester Derby

Heartbreak for City fans, joy for United fans. What a fantastic derby! End-to-end stuff throughout the 90 minutes (or 97 as Mark Hughes would say). Great open play by both teams. United came storming into the match with the lead in just 2 minutes through Wayne Rooney. Great combination by Giggs and Evra to take a quick throw in to set up Wayne Rooney. It was poor defending by City who were caught out of position and even though they had 3 defenders trying to stop Rooney, the boy wonder still managed to put the ball through the legs of Shay Given.

After noticeable improvements in his performances since his howler against Chelsea, Ben Foster had looked set to be the number 1 choice for England and United when Van Der Sar retires. He did himself no favours by trying to deceive Tevez, resulting in him losing the ball and Tevez laying off for Barry to place the ball beyond Vidic's outstretched legs. If anyone thought that would spark a reaction from the United players, they were wrong. Instead, the City players were buoyed by the goal and started dominating possession. United had few opportunities and a Rooney backheel went straight to Toure who set up Tevez, courtesy of a Ireland dummy, but he hit the post. The Argentinian who left United for their city rivals would surely have rubbed salt in United's wounds had he put the ball in the net.

United came out for the second half the way they came out for the first. Fletcher put his head onto Giggs' corner and steered the ball past a stranded Shay Given. United ahead again. But while the United players were still enjoying the goal that put them ahead, former Liverpool player Craig Bellamy smashed a screamer into the top right hand post of Foster. A fantastic shot which no goalkeeper in the world would have been able to stop. City were back on level terms.

This time, United were sparked into life. They controlled possession and bombarded Shay Given's goal. Even though Given had already been beaten twice, United could not find a way past him. Berbatov tried, Rooney tried, but they all found the imposing figure of Given unforgiving. Just as we thought this was going to be another of those games where United would try and try but not score, Darren Fletcher popped up to meet a Giggs cross and again put the ball past Given. Old Trafford ruptured into a mad scene of celebration. That must surely be the winner!

United fans and players thought it was all over. The match was sealed with three points taking them to the top of the table (at least until Chelsea plays). But Ferdinand was the only exception. The clock was ticking down and injury time was within sight. All United had to do was to keep possession. As the last defender, Ferdinand did the worst thing imaginable. He tried a cheeky lob over Petrov but the ball ended up at the feet of Petrov who fed Bellamy through behind Ferdinand. As Bellamy and Ferdinand were racing each other to goal, everyone at Old Trafford had their hearts in their mouths. As Foster came out to challenge Bellamy, we could see that he was never going to make it. Heartache for United fans as Bellamy slotted the ball past Foster from a tight angle. City had equalized for the third time in the match. City fans celebrated while United fans were left wondering what their best defender was thinking when he tried that cheeky lob.

With 4 minutes of added time and already half of that gone, the game had draw written all over it. United, however, never gave up and the referee went past the initial 4 minutes of stoppage time. In the 5th minute of added time, Giggs collected a clearance outside City's penalty box and fed an unmarked Owen with a sublime pass. With only Given to beat, Owen made no mistake and steered the ball past Given for United's winner. City players and fans could not believe it; Mark Hughes was furious at the 4th official that they had played past the supposed 4 minutes. That was definitely the winner. In the 7th minute of added time, the referee blowed his whistle to signal the end of a dramatic derby.

Even though United came out tops, both sides were poor defensively. Still a lot to improve for both sides.

Heroes

- Michael Owen: Came up with the match winner in the 5th minute of added time. Even though he barely touched the ball since coming on for Berbatov, his positional sense to break the offside trap was fantastic. Great calmness to steer the ball past Given.

- Ryan Giggs: The Welsh Wizard does it again. Employed on the left against Micah Richards, Giggs never once lost out to Richards. Provided 3 assists and had a hand in the first goal too. Deserved a goal at least. My Man-of-the-Match.

- Darren Fletcher: Nobody would have expected Fletcher to contribute with two crucial goals in this match. He was seen as the destroyer to stop the creative talents of Ireland and Barry. Not only did he do that, but he popped up at the other end to put two headers past Given. Fantastic performance by the Scotsman.

- Craig Bellamy: Even though his side lost, he scored two great goals that would certainly add to his credentials for a place in the first team. Robinho and Co. must be wondering if they still have a place in the side.

- Shay Given: Beaten 4 times but made some great saves that kept City in the game. If not for Given, City would have been beaten a lot more comfortably.

Zeroes

- Ben Foster: England's and Manchester United's goalkeeping future put in an embarrassing performance. There is no doubting his quality but his decision making and command of his area is still very much lacking. A lot more to learn from Van Der Sar.

- Rio Ferdinand: United were sweating over the fitness of Rio before the match and had Michael Owen not scored the winning goal, Ferguson would've be wondering if he should have played Evans.

- Anderson: Chosen ahead of Carrick but did not prove he was up to it. Constantly giving the ball away and committing fouls, Anderson was weak in the United midfield and offered no contribution.

- Park Ji Sung: Anonymous throughout the match, Park was only seen running around but not having the ball. And when he did have the ball, his crosses were not effective.

- Dimitar Berbatov: The Bulgarian international must now be wondering if he still has a first team place. Ineffective throughout the match, he put his best chances straight at Given and constantly lost possession when under pressure by City defenders. Hasn't proved his worth.

- Micah Richards: Once thought of as England's answer to Gary Neville at right back, he has fallen behind the pecking order and we can see why in this performance. At fault for the first and fourth goal, Giggs made Richards look like a clown.

- Kolo Toure/Joleon Lescott: In the second half, everytime United attacked, the City defence were in sixes and sevens. For a team that has only conceded two goals before the game, they were made to look amateur here. Toure and Lescott still need time to gel.

- Martin Atkinson: The 4th official's board stated 4 minutes of added time. City's celebration took 1 minute, but 7 minutes of time were added on. There may have been Carrick's substitution to add to it too, but 7 minutes was really too long. City fans will remember him for a long time.

Fabian Capello