Twitter Feed: Manchester United 2 - Reading 1

Noel Hunt after his collision with Nemanja Vidic
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o It's only a minute in and Reading already look in trouble. Have a feeling this is going to be a very different game from the last time these two teams met....

o Alexander Büttner's got some himself some serious tats

o That's better by Reading. They don't really look a side in the relegation zone

o Vida has a small cut on his eyebrow; Noel Hunt looks as if he was in a car crash.

o Welbeck works incredibly hard around the box; that was great work by Danny to win the ball back

o How in the world did Ashley Young not score there?!

o Speaking of tattoos, Hunt's back is veritable sea of ink

o We've gone off the boil since the early pressure. Still unlucky not to have the lead, though

o Phil Jones limping off is a big loss. Hope he's not hurt too badly

o United are basically down to nine men with Jones exiting, because Ando hasn't run anywhere in about 15 minutes

A Narrow Victory: Five Thoughts on Manchester United 1 - West Ham United 0

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Five thoughts on the Reds' victory in the FA Cup replay:

o Ch-ch-ch-changes: Swapping ten of the eleven men that saw off Liverpool over the weekend, Sir Alex saw fit only to hand Rafael a repeat start. As stated, the Gaffer may want to win the FA Cup, but clearly he wants to win the Premier League even more. Fortunately, Sam Allardyce entered the contest in a similar frame of mind, preferring to save his veteran heads for matches in which the Hammers stand a better chance of emerging victorious, and came to Old Trafford with a weakened side that featured neither Joe Cole nor James Collins.

o Wazza-licious: It didn't take Wayne Rooney long to begin making up for lost time, tapping a slick Chicharito pass into an empty net to record his ninth goal of the season inside of the 10 minute mark.  If Rooney can use the three week rest to his advantage -- saving his legs during one of the season's most energy-sapping periods --  and come out firing rather than shooting blanks, look out. Robin Van Persie, Chicharito and Wayne Rooney all hitting form at the same time would be a very scary proposition for the rest of the League.

o Turnabout: For large portions of the match the two sides took turns attacking, with only one club at a time showing they were intent on finding the net.  The other side played largely in a defensive shell, as the two teams appeared to rotate which one would take its foot off the pedal. After United scored the opener, West Ham refused to press forward, dropping deep and ceding acres of space on the middle of the pitch to the home side. In the second half the shoe switched feet: it was Allardyce's men who displayed the attacking intent, and United who lost their way and looked happy just to hold onto their one goal lead.

Men Versus Boys: Chelsea 5 - Manchester United 4

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Q. Ch-ch-ch-changes...?

A. Yes.  Four days on from their latest classic, it was changes galore as Chelsea faced Manchester United in the Capital One Cup at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. Gone were Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie, replaced by Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck. Ryan Giggs made a return to the lineup, joining Darren Fletcher, Anderson and Nani in midfield. Rafael was the sole survivor from the weekend, and he was joined on defense by several other youngsters: Scott Wooton, Alexander Buttner and Michael Keane. Anders Lindeaard took the place of David De Gea in goal. Chelsea's lineup was slightly less changed, with Petr Cech, Jon Obi Mikel, Juan Mata and David Luiz reprising their starting roles from Sunday.

Q. Did the game have the same tense atmosphere as Sunday's affair...?

A. Not quite, although it was serious, at least initially. Until Daniel Sturridge tripped over the ball after he broke clear through on goal. And the United away fans unveiled a banner which read "Chelsea: Standing Up To Racism Since Last Sunday." Those two occurrences brought some much needed levity to the early proceedings.

Q. Who stood out most for you in the first half?

A. Chelsea'a Victor Moses played as if he had a point to prove...which in a way, he did. But it was Ryan Giggs who hit the blow that mattered most early on. Ando robbed Romeu of an ill-conceived Petr Cech kick out, and when the Brazilian poked the ball free to Giggsy it was never going to end any other way but 1-0.

Q. 1-nil into halftime?

A. Not after Victor Moses abused Buttner in the box, the Dutchman scything down the Chelsea player and giving Referee Lee Mason no option but to point to the spot. Sideshow Bob powered the ball past a diving Lindegaard and we were back to level.

Q. So, 1-1 at the half?

A. Not quite yet. Sideshow Bob was once again involved in a score, as he was robbed of the ball after yet another foolish midfield jaunt. When Ando put Chicharito through, 2-1 was all but nailed on; Cech must see Chicharito in his nightmares these days.

Q. With these two teams that lead didn't hold up, did it....?

The Return: Manchester United 2 - Newcastle United 1

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It was a young and inexperienced Manchester United side that welcomed Newcastle to Old Trafford for the Capitol One Cup on Wednesday night, albeit one significantly buttressed by the return of forward and team talisman Wayne Rooney, as well as heavyweight Brazilian midfielder Anderson. For their part, the visitors featured a young side as well, one that included ex-United man Gabriel Obertan among others. On a night featuring several notable returns, however, none was more celebrated than Darren Fletcher's inclusion in the United starting lineup after a ten month absence for health reasons. And so it was in a rather spirited mood that the game's kick off was greeted despite the fair number of empty seats which oversaw the players on the pitch below.

If the game began in spirited style, once the action was underway things quickly became rather more subdued. Anderson had the home side's best opportunity in the contest's opening twenty minutes but somehow contrived to miss his opportunity, as if to remind the Old Trafford crowd that he was still in need of regular games to shake off any rust resulting from his long-term layoff. For their part, the visitors' first half attacking efforts were led by Shola Ameobi, with Alan Pardew's decision to omit both Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse from the starting lineup in advance of the weekend's League contest telling you all you really needed to know about the Magpies' true commitment to the League Cup.

Tom Cleverly should certainly have scored prior to the break after Javier Hernandez single-handedly carved his way through the Newcastle defense with a scything run, but the Englishman's shot fell inches wide of its intended target. If Cleverley's effort was close, Anderson did him one better just a few minutes later, curling his effort In between the Newcastle keeper's outstretched arm and the post to give the home side a deserved 1-nil advantage heading into the break.  Watching from the Directors' Box, Sir Alex would have been pleased not only with his team's lead, but even more so with the tempo control that his midfield trio of Fletcher, Anderson and Cleverley managed to impose on the evening's affair.

Presser

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o Anyone feeling sorry for new Spurs 'keeper Hugo Lloris, who has already asked for crisis talks with Manager Andre Villas-Boas about his role as Brad Friedel's backup...?    Here's a hint: No.  Play a game first, Hugo, before you start crying.  Or at least go to a single freaking practice.  It's the least we should expect from a thoroughly modern footballer.

o How about Nani?  Was he right to take his dissatisfaction with his contract negotiations straight to vox populii, the London tabloid press?  Almost certainly not.  As a matter of fact, we can't imagine a quicker way into the Manager's doghouse, although maybe the Portuguese winger is hoping that Sir Alex missed the whole controversy while he was in the States hanging with Agent 007 and watching Andy Murray's historic win at the US Open.

o Does anyone care what a fat Spanish waiter thinks about the Hicks and Gillette ownership period at Liverpool?  We'll go out on a limb here, but our guess is no.  The whole topic is about as relevant to Liverpool these days as is the Champions League.  Stop living in the past, Rafa, and move on.

o What's the funniest thing to happen on Merseyside the past month or so? Meditation, strangely enough.  And we'll wager you thought we were going to make a crack about Liverpool's record.  Or Manager Brendan Rodgers' predilection for hanging larger-than-life portraits of himself in his own Living Room....  But note that we didn't....

Things Get Sticky As United Defeat Norwich City

Photo by SanFranAnnie on Flickr

It's a sticky situation at Old Trafford Saturday, as David De Gea is left out of the starting lineup, perhaps in retribution for his alleged donut stealing incident at Tesco earlier in the week, and Anders Lindegaard is handed the keys to the United goalmouth. Ashley Young is rested, too, angering hordes of fantasy football managers around the globe, but secretly pleasing owners of Ji-Sung Park, who is preferred in midfield to the former Villan. Despite United fans' pessimism earlier in the week, Wayne Rooney partners Chicharito up front, and the Reds' top striker partnership will be licking their lips in anticipation of goals against the newly promoted Canaries of Norwich City. United loanee Richie De Laet, a stalwart in Norwich's season to date, is ineligible to play, which should theoretcially further ease United's task in the blazing sunshine that greets kickoff.

United begin the contest with a couple of early turnovers, one by Anderson combined with a poor clearance by Lindegaard, leading to some early pressure from the visitors. The Reds' offense is slow to kick into action today, and the first ten minutes are notable only for the lack of any real opportunities for the home side save a tame Wayne Rooney roller toward goal.

Playing against type, Norwich continue to look the more threatening of the two sides, causing problems with their big men up front, and creating chances over the top and through the middle.  Things are not quite so pleasant on the Reds' side of the pitch, as several members of the home crowd begin to show their vocal disapproval of the Reds' continued struggles with sustained possesion after the twenty minute mark is reached.

The home side pick up their attacking intent near the half hour mark, if it's possible to do so without appearing threatening in the least.  It's a particularly toothless attack from the champions today, and the most optimistic fan can only surmise that they are saving their energy for the second half.

The B-Side

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Sir Alex trotted out an alternate side for the Champions League semi-final tonight, electing to keep his ideal first XI on the bench and rest them for the EPL decider against Chelsea taking place in four days' time.  From the pre-match shrieks of protest on Twitter you'd have thought Sir Alex's choices today included Pogba, King, Morrison and Keane (Will, that is, not Roy). Instead, the side featured Dimitar Berbatov, the EPL's leading scorer, Paul Scholes, a veteran of two European winning United sides of the past, and Edwin Van Der Sar in between the sticks. It also included whipping boy Darren Gibson, another Twitter-abuse victim, and the oft-maligned Brazilian midfielder, Oliveira Anderson. All in all, not a bad side, but definitely a side that must have caused a certain Josep "Pep" Guardiola to wonder why he had traveled all the way from Barcelona to watch, as well as a side with something to prove. 

Which they did on 26 minutes, as Darren Gibson offered a perfectly-weighted through ball to Antonio Valencia, steaming in from the right and not having to break even the smallest bit of stride before he banged it past United's nemesis from the prior match, Manuel Neuer.  Gibson may have been awakened from a season-long slumber by a rib-rattling collision with Jefferson Farfan approximately 15 minutes before his pass settled the home crowd's nerves. It was only a mere five minutes later when Gibson hit back at his doubters yet again with a semi-final goal that stunned the home crowd as well as the 'keeper formerly known as the Berlin Wall.  Neuer reduced both his transfer price as well as his team's chance of a miracle three goal comeback when he had a bit of a howler, letting Gibson's soft-ish effort slough off his hands and into the net.

Rolling Downhill

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Another game, another victory as the Red Machine rolls on, picking up speed on the journey. Before the game, I worried United might struggle without Nani, but we didn't seem to miss him too much today. I hope the injury isn’t serious, because with Park heading out of town, Valencia out with a broken leg, and now Nani injured, we're getting a bit thin at the wide position. 

Nor did the two week break affect the players, dismissing another pre-game concern.  Sunderland spent the first 25 minutes of the game on the rack, as United showed incredible fluidity in attack.  The Red Devils’ movement on and off the ball, as well as their passing, were simply excellent today, the type of creativity, vision and execution for which Sir Alex has been looking.

• Today was the United we demand and expect to see, and Sunderland never had a prayer.  They spent much of the first half looking as if they were playing shorthanded, with a man in red seemingly always open on the attack.  In fact, Sunderland’s best defender in the opening 45 was the goal post, which twice denied United, frustrating both Berbatov and Anderson. 

• That would have been Berbatov’s only disappointment today, as he spent much of the day looking virtually unplayable.  His first goal was deceptively easy, Giggs sprinting downfield with the ball at his foot, Berba to his left, and Rooney to the right.  Although Giggs failed to pick out the Bulgarian on the run, Rooney made no mistake when Giggs laid the ball off to him, finding Berabtov so open it made one wonder where the Sunderland defense was hiding. Berbatov was completely unmarked, and quickly nodded the ball down and into the back of the net. 
  

Ace of Spades

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December 13 / Old Trafford / Manchester, England

Let's call a spade a spade: Machester United's win over Arsenal tonight was a solid if unspectacular match that afforded the type of result the Manager had in mind when he made out the lineup sheet. Benching the team's leading scorer, and replacing him with an effective five man midfield, Sir Alex went with his favored continental approach, a more conservative and controlled offense preferred to the faster and funner, but also looser 4-4-2 formation. In the end, the move paid off in spades with a 1-nil victory that moved United back to top of the EPL table with a game still in hand.  Although not offering much in the way of action to excite the neutral or casual fan, the Red Devils' victory last night over one of their bitterest rivals is sure to bring a smile to the face of any Manchester United supporter.

Herewith the keys to the match, as seen from my seat:

• United packed the midfield with five players on defense, with both Nani and Park working tirelessly off the ball to support Anderson, Carrick and Fletcher in the middle. This tactic, while ostensibly contributing to the stop / start nature  of the game, disrupted the Gunners' usual attacking flow of passes, and never allowed them to get on track. I can't remember a game for either team in which there were so many incomplete passes, the result of the constant, pressured defense both sides featured. By stacking the middle, United also forced Arsenal out wide to attack from the flanks, with the Gunners reduced to offering long crosses in the general direction of an isolated and beleaguered Marouanne Chamakh.

The Carousel of Progress

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Tonight's Champions League game against Valencia is being played solely for placement purposes, as both contestants have already advanced into the knockout phase of the contest.  United need only a draw to advance as the number one seed in Group C, while the Spaniards also have an opportunity to gain the top spot with a win, based on their superior goal differential in the five games to date.

Youth is being served on United's defense tonight, with Ben Amos in goal, bookended by twin Da Silva’s at fullback. On the offensive side of the ball, United go with more experience, starting both Rooney and Berbatov, assisted on the wing by Nani, and I'll settle for two to three goals tonight rather than the seven these guys accounted for last time out. 

United begin with a bang, Nani not far off the mark at the four minute mark, missing just to the left on a swerving shot to open the evening's action. At the other end Rafael shows off his fine defensive skills, breaking up an early Valencia foray into the box. Valencia look adventurous tonight on offense, not content to just sit back and wait for the opportunity to counter-attack.