English Premier League: Man Utd 3 – Chelsea 1
Man Utd 3 Chelsea 1 was the final score in this pulsating English Premier League encounter yesterday.
It was end to end stuff with barely a chance to get your breath back before some other moment of drama.
Admittedly, alot of the drama came from both teams throwing caution to the wind and playing all out attack with mistakes littered through out the game.
Alex Ferguson told the BBC in an interview after the match that it was like watching a basketball game and was agony for him to watch.
In truth it could have been 7 or 8 goals for each team.
Rooney missed a penalty when his standing foot went from under him as he attempted to kick the ball. Torres missed an open goal after doing the hard bit and rounding the goalkeeper. A moment that he will be unlikely to forget easily.
It could have been 1-0 to Chelsea inside the first few minutes if it wasn’t for a great save with his foot by Man Utd‘s goalkeeper, David De Gea, from Ramires.
But it was Man Utd that struck first with a header from Chris Smalling after Chelsea rather fell asleep while defending.
Man Utd were then 2-0 up just after the 1/2 hour mark when a lovely cross field ball found Nani on the right side.
Instant control and pace allowed Nani to come infield and head towards the penalty box. When 3 Chelsea players looked like they would close him off, Nani took the initiative to unleash a shot that zoomed into the top corner giving Petr Cech no chance.
Nani increasingly looks like he has the makings of another Christiano Ronaldo when he is on his game. He lost favour last season after a great start and again in his interview, Alex Ferguson hinted at a lack of consistency.
Far be it for me to disagree with Sir Alex Ferguson, but whenever I have seen Nani play he always caused the opposition problems, even last season. I believe that Nani has suffered from a perception of inconsistency rather than a reality. A hangover from his earlier career when perhaps it was true.
Maybe this season is the season that he finally sheds that image. Ronaldo had the same problem at Man Utd for a time and look at the heights that he hit.
Phil Jones has been one of the outstanding newcomers in the Man Utd team this season and he was at the heart of the 3rd goal. Playing give and go, he rampaged into the box and fought for a loose ball with John Terry.
The ball was hit against Nani and conveniently landed at the feet of Rooney in front of the goal, he promptly passed it into the net.
In the second half Anelka came on for Lampard and immediately made an impact with a perfect pass for Torres, he calmly lifted the ball over the Man Utd goalkeeper. With no time to think and working on instinct it seems Torres can still look like a player worth £50 million.
Man Utd then got a penalty when Nani was fouled in the box after following up his own shot, another scorcher that hit the bar and bounced back.
Rooney stepped up but as he was about to strike the ball his standing foot slipped and the ball screwed horribly wide. Rooney landed on his backside to jeers from the Chelsea fans.
Memories of David Beckham in Euro 2004 and John Terry against Man Utd in the Champions League Final both came to mind.
Rooney had another chance to score not long later but he didn’t get a clean strike of the ball and turned Patrice Evra’s cross onto the post.
The follow up saw Ashley Cole lunging at the ball and only succeeding in catching Javier Hernandez full on the shin. The full force of his body weight then twisting the unfortunate strikers leg. Hernandez winced in agony, had to be taken off and Cole got a yellow card.
It would have been a penalty but the referee ruled that the ball had already gone out of play. It looks like Hernandez will now be out for a while and is a blow for Man Utd as his partnership with Rooney is one of the reasons they have been so successful this season and last.
There was still time for Torres to produce his awful miss, perhaps too much thinking time was available and with low confidence, strange things can happen to the best players.
Substitute Berbatov also had a chance at the very end, but had his effort cleared off the line by Cole. A better ball from Rooney and it would have been a certain goal.
In fact it would have been wiser for Rooney to have a go himself, but when you are scoring for fun you don’t mind sharing the opportunities around so much.
Photo: gordonflood.com
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