Heartless: Tottenham Hotspur 2 - Manchester United 1

photo by Toronja Azul	via PhotoRee

As they have on so many other occasions this season, Manchester United laid an egg at home on New Year's Day, losing to Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 to bring a dour end to the festive season of Premier League football. Although the Reds began the contest on the front foot, they quickly devolved into a disjointed, heartless group for the next hour, coming to life only after going down by a two goal margin. Although Danny Welbeck quickly responded to halve the deficit, it was all too little, too late for a team that played as if they are growing steadily accustomed to their mid-table status.

Once again, it was the center of the park that showed little drive or imagination, as the attack was customarily shunted out to the wings for a cross which never arrived. The defensive effort turned in by the squad should not escape criticism, either, as another day of shambolic defending contributed to the day's woeful outcome. The fact that the match ended with no recognized central midfielder on the pitch showed the extraordinary contortions David Moyes considered necessary to devise a route back into the contest, although the lateness of the manager's substitutions can also be questioned.

Herewith, the individual player ratings in a game that saw the Reds' chances for a top four finish take a major blow:

De Gea: Big early save on Aaron Lennon, but little he could have done on Spurs' two goals. 5.0

Smalling: Barnstorming run to begin the contest and combined well with Valencia, but beaten much too easily in the air for Spurs' goal.  Given an early hook. 3.5

Evans: Displayed decent pace up and down the pitch. 4.5

Vidic (c): Unremarkable performance, but did his best to put the ball in the net late on. 4.5

Evra: Beaten badly by Lennon on too many occasions. 4.0

Valencia: Routinely failed to get a cross past his man. Completely switched off for Spurs' second goal. 4.0

Carrick: A calming presence in midfield. 5.0

Cleverley: Worked diligently in the center but added little invention. Appears completely redundant with Carrick back in the side. 4.0

Donation: Manchester United 2 - Cardiff City 2 -- Game Recap and Player Ratings

Photo by Matthew Burpee on Flickr

David Moyes' side may be unbeaten in ten, but the talk on the ride home from Wales was likely less about extending the streak than it was about donating two points in the 90th minute to a gritty Cardiff City side in a game played at Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday.  Kim Bo-Kyung popped up late to equalize the scoreline at two in a game that never quite got going -- both teams combining for a disjointed, stuttering attack.  While certain of the visitors' problems can be laid at the doorstep of injuries, with medical issues necessitating a number of changes to the lineup in key areas, the Red Devils' Manager will be increasingly worried that the substitutes he recalled to action largely failed to perform.  

United put in an uneven and shaky performance without several marquee names in the lineup, particularly in the contest's second half.  Still, the visitors largely kept the home side at bay in the final frame, and could easily have emerged with all three points intact: Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney both misplaying gilt-edged opportunities late in the action.  Herewith the ratings of the players' individual performances in a loss that will smart at least until next weekend: 

De Gea: Busy early and might have done better on Campbell's goal. Good distribution from the back. 6.0

Smalling: Still looks a fish out of water offensively but was powerful in the air. Can't blame anyone but himself for the 90th minute free kick that led to the loss of two points. 5.5

Ferdinand: Showed his experience and positioned himself well throughout. 6.5

Evans: Beaten for pace by former Red Devil Frazier Campbell on the first half equalizer. 6.5

Evra: Kept the peace and linked up well with Januzaj. Well-taken unmarked header to re-establish the lead just before the half. Disappointingly flat footed on the late equalizer. 6.0

Valencia: Demonstrated great anticipation on the interception that led to his side's opening strike. 6.0

Fellaini: Paid the price for his reputation, as he was repeatedly called for fouls he didn't commit. Sat deep but came forward and should have done better on the corner kicks. Better today, but still little to write home about. 6.0

Cleverley: Was extremely lucky his giveaway didn't relinquish a 2-1 lead, and added a level of feistiness when the game called for calmer heads. 4.5

Hangin' On: Manchester United 1 - Liverpool 0 -- Player Ratings

Manchester United outlasted a determined Liverpool side that gave as good as it got on Wednesday night, hanging on for a slim 1-0 victory in a third round Capitol One Cup match played at Old Trafford. Handed an early second half lead by a superb piece of footwork that saw Javjer Hernandez turn in Wayne Rooney's cross, United bent but ultimately did not break as the game wore on. Although the victory may not have answered all of the questions swirling around the club's new manager, David Moyes, a victory over the Red Devil's greatest historical rival will have relieved some of the immediate pressure which had built up after the Manchester derby. 

Herewith, our ratings of the players' individual performances in a very hard-fought contest:

De Gea: Came out strong to deny Suarez in the first half, but otherwise had precious little work to do before the break.  Superb distribution almost led to a United counterattack near the hour mark, and the Spaniard used every bit of his lightning quick reflexes to deny Victor Moses' second half header. 8.0

Rafael: Added an attacking element on the right flank that the Red Devils have been missing of late, but was forced to focus on defensive duties as Liverpool chased the game in the second half. 7.0

Evans: Trouble dealing with Daniel Sturridge's speed, a misjudged header and getting a couple of clearances caught in his feet showed the toll of accumulated rust.  Not bad, but far from his best. 6.0

Smalling: Very composed performance in his customary role of central defender. But for one giveaway, difficult to find fault. Man of the Match for our money. 8.5

Buttner: Good headed clearance to deny Sturridge in the first half and generally played better defense than given credit for by his critics. Late giveaways showed he's still learning on the job. 6.5

Nani: Showed more creativity in the first ten minutes of the game than United has seen from the wing all season long.  Flubbed a linkup with Kagawa near the hour mark, and appeared to be trying too hard in the second half. A mixed bag. 7.0

Youth is Served: Manchester United 5 - Kitchee FC 2

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With the pitch in diabolical shape after repeated drenchings from torrential rain, Manchester United played five-time Hong Kong League champion Kitchee FC in a game Monday night that was played solely on account of the English Champion's global commercial obligations. Facing the dual task of beating their easily outgunned opponent while trying mightily not to get injured, United used a youthful squad to dominate the proceedings, scoring three goals in just ten minutes of the first half to rip the contest wide open in the early going.

After Anderson fired wide of the post from 18 yards to offer a preview of things to come, Ashley Young hit the post and left Danny Welbeck with a relatively routine rebound to hand his side the lead after only 15 minutes had elapsed from the game clock. Chris Smalling rose highest to head home Tom Cleverley's cross and double the visitor's advantage just seven minutes later, before Fabio took Wilfried Zaha's imaginative feed and bent the ball beyond the outstretched arm of the beleaguered Kitchee goalkeeper to put the outcome beyond doubt.  Only the final margin of victory remained uncertain at the break.

Adnan Januzaj scored less than five minutes after the restart, steering Alexander Buttner's cross into the net and stretching the visitors' advantage to four, but it was at that point in the contest that the home side finally woke up. Kitchee pulled the first goal back with the best effort from either side on the evening, with Lam Ka Wak firing just past the fingertips of a leaping Ben Amos with a strike that brought fans of both sides to their feet.

In Moyes Time: Cerezo Osaka 2 - Manchester United 2

photo by Roby Ferrari	via PhotoRee

 

 

Ten minutes in and there were signs to encourage both sides, the ball zipping around the humidity-slicked surface of Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan like a greased watermelon on the Fourth of July. Although the players ran around the pitch as if intent on circling the track which surrounded it, there was precious little payoff in front of net -- in main part due to the sharp goalkeeping on display at both ends. As the game clock hit a half hour, the contest had comfortably settled into a tit-for-tat affair, with each attack by the visitors equaled impressively by the home side. It was Osaka, though, who finally broke the deadlock, taking advantage of a Chris Smalling mistake to grab a 1-0 lead -- showing that, if nothing else, United had become accustomed to playing from behind in the David Moyes era.

Although the visitors enjoyed a brief flurry of dominant, fluid football as the interval drew near, the second half began with the home side on level footballing terms once again. Ashley Young demonstrated that his diving was already in mid-season form, but the resulting Shinji Kagawa effort from the spot was denied -- rough justice for the hopeful fans in Osaka, perhaps, but justice nonetheless. The crowd favorite make quick amends, however, slotting Ryan Giggs' quick assist through Osaka 'keeper Kim Jin Hyeon's legs from a tight angle to pull his side level less than two minutes later.

Again Again

photo by Josep Ma. Rosell	via PhotoRee

January 4 / Old Trafford / Manchester, England

The EPL's worst unbeaten team was back in action again Tuesday night, extending their streak with an uneasy 2-1 victory over a determined Stoke City side. I speak in jest, of course, as I'm growing tired of the chorus of United haters who refuse to recognize the remarkably resilient nature of this year's Red Devil squad. This year's United almost never make things easy, but they always do enough to get a result, and have shown throughout a gritty fighting quality to overcome whatever obstacles may come their way.



The height and physicality of Stoke's team -- back to front -- have caused multiple problems for other teams in the League this year, but not so United. I thought Chris Smalling showed a maturity beyond his years tonight, exhibiting a calming and controlled presence throughout the game. The more I see him, the more readily I begin to accept the comparisons to the man whose boots he was ably filling, Rio Ferdinand. The Smalling I saw this evening was a far more composed version than the raw product I saw in the pre-season and some earlier League Cup games.



Another standout for me on the defensive side of the ball was Rafael.