Man United Goal

Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United

2011-05-29T00:42:00.001+02:00

Barcelona produced a sublime performance to beat Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League final at Wembley.

Goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa punctuated a mesmeric team display as the Catalan side lifted club football's biggest prize for the fourth time.
Wayne Rooney fired a superb first-half equaliser for United, cancelling out Pedro's opener, but the Premier League champions were eventually blown away by superior opponents.
Edwin van der Sar's final game before retirement ended in disappointment, with the Dutchman at fault for letting Messi's low strike scuttle past him early in the second half.
And Sir Alex Ferguson was unable to slow the Spanish team's super-slick passing, suffering a second final defeat to them within three years.
This repeat of the 2009 final, which Barca won 2-0, produced a similarly one-sided outcome and cemented Pep Guardiola's team's place among the great club sides.
Messi took his goal tally to 100 in the last two seasons, and produced yet another demonstration of skill, strength and devastating finishing.
Eric Abidal started at left-back after making a remarkable recovery from surgery on a liver tumour in March - in a wonderful touch, he was handed the captain's armband at the end and allowed to lift the triophy.
However, the Catalans' captain Carles Puyol - struggling with injury - was consigned to the bench with the diminutive Javier Mascherano playing centre-back.
Ferguson fielded the same starting XI that won 2-0 away to Schalke in the semi-final first leg, but sprung a surprise by leaving Dimitar Berbatov out of the squad altogether.
As they did two years ago, United started positively, passing with intent and closing down. Then, just as in Rome, Barca took control of the game.
Xavi completed his first 40 passes before any United player had reached double figures, and the Liga champions' tiki-taka started to tell - especially in conjunction with the remarkable pressing job on the rare occasions Barca gave the ball away.
Rio Ferdinand had to slide in accurately on Villa as he prepared to pull the trigger, while his defensive partner Nemanja Vidic was equally precise when nicking the ball off the brilliant Messi.
Pedro might have opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour, and Villa fired two sighters, but there was no reprieve on 27 minutes when Xavi stabbed a majestic pass to Pedro in space on the right, and the finish was low past Van der Sar.
United were on the ropes, but Rooney responded superbly. After a brilliant one-two with Michael Carrick, he raced inside from the right and exchanged passes with Ryan Giggs - who looked marginally offside - before finishing into the top-left corner.
A brilliant goal from a player sometimes accused of going missing on the big occasions - though they hardly deserved it, United were level.
Barcelona do not get fazed easily, and pressed on undeterred - they might have re-taken the lead just before the break when the sliding Messi just failed to meet a Villa centre.
Messi blasted Barca back in front on 54 minutes with a low shot from the edge of the box. Van der Sar was out of position and will be disappointed to have let through a shot that did not find the corner.
By now, United were under siege, struggling to withstand wave after wave of attacks, with Messi absolutely rampant.
The coup de grace came just over 20 minutes from time, when Messi carried the ball into the box. United seemed to have the situation under control, but when recently introduced substitute Nani miscontrolled, Villa curled a beautiful shot into the top right corner.
Barca are so good at keeping the ball, there was no way back. Rooney continued to toil, but with Giggs and Javier Hernandez particularly quiet, they never looked like making their opponents sweat.
For a Barcelona side packed with players in their early and mi-20s, immortality beckons. On this form, it could be years before anyone knocks them off their perch.

Fulham gets a late equalizer

2010-08-22T19:11:00.000+02:00

Brede Hangeland redeemed an earlier own goal to head in a deserved equaliser as Fulham came from behind twice to take a share of the spoils.

It had looked like the defender had gifted Manchester United all three points as a nasty deflection off his shin had put United in front with just eight minutes remaining.

Both teams started off lively at Craven Cottage, with the majority of possession belonging to Manchester United, with the home side trying to rely mainly on the counter attack.

As United continued to keep the ball and pushed further forward, it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken, and Dimitar Berbatov was unlucky not to see his name on the scoresheet as a brilliant acrobatic volley was tipped over by an even more spectacular save from David Stockdale.

In the end it was only going to be one man to provide the breakthrough and Paul Scholes did just that. A fantastic lay-off from Berbatov allowed Scholes to run onto and drill a low, blistering shot into the bottom left-hand corner of Stockdale’s net from 25 yards out to register his 150th goal in all competitions for United.

Unlike with Wigan Athletic yesterday, Fulham kept their heads up after going down and came close to an immediate response when Bobby Zamora’s flick-on found Simon Davies, who attempted an impressive volley which sailed just over the angle of post and crossbar from 20 yards.

But United kept coming back as Javier Hernandez, who started in favour of Michael Owen, came close to scoring his first goal in the Premier League when he pounced on a Darren Fletcher pass to fire just wide from the edge of the area, followed by a fierce drive from Berbatov which was foiled by a strong hand from Stockdale.

Despite the continued pressure from last season’s runners-up, Fulham suddenly found themselves with a golden opportunity to equaliser and Dickson Etuhu really should have. A neat flick into the box by Clint Dempsey let the Nigerian in, and his first low shot was well saved by the Dutchman in goal and then the rebound was powered into the pitch to pop up for Edwin Van der Sar, who was still on the floor, to grasp out and tip the ball over the bar for a fantastic double save.

Fulham again refused to be demoralised and an entertaining end-to-end game was materialising.

Fulham came out at the beginning of the second half in a new set of strips due to the old set were “sweat-retaining”, and, as with the famous United kit change against Southampton in 1996, it immediately paid dividends as 10 minutes into the second half Fulham were level.

Clever work on the right flank by Damien Duff found Zamora in space in the area, his smart cut-back allowed an onrushing Simon Davies to hammer past Van der Sar for a deserved equaliser.

The Cottagers could have found themselves in front mere minutes later as Nemanja Vidic appeared to pull Moussa Dembele over inside the area, but the referee waved away the strong penalty appeals.

As the game entered the latter stages, both teams were going all out for the win, first Nani whizzed in a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque freekick, that dipped a little too late to really trouble Stockdale, then, down the other end, Paul Konchesky floated in a long free-kick aimed at Zamora, the England international connected with it well but could only watch in vain as it trickled past the far post.

Zamora may have lived to regret that missed chance as just five minutes later, Ryan Giggs whipped in a corner for United and, with no red shirts around him, Brede Hangeland was the victim of a nasty deflection off his knee to send the away team into the lead of the second time.

The drama wasn’t over there either as just one minute later, United were given the chance to put the game to bed as Damien Duff was harshly ruled to have handled the ball inside his own area, but Stockdale, who was fantastic throughout the match, was more than a match for Nani’s penalty attempt.

Fulham would survive to thank Stockdale, as in the 90th minute of normal time, Brede Hangeland redeemed himself for the earlier own goal to jump high and power a header low past Van der Sar in goal to bring the west London side back level for the second time and to give his team a deserved share of the spoils.

Man united stuns Newcastle

2010-08-22T19:07:00.001+02:00

Manchester United kicked off their Premier League campaign with a comfortable victory over newly-promoted Newcastle United at Old Trafford, courtesy of first-half goals by Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher before Ryan Giggs added a late third.

The Red Devils began the game with Berbatov partnering Wayne Rooney up front, with new signings Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling on the bench and no room at all in the squad for former Magpie Michael Owen.

The visitors, meanwhile, started with a five-man midfield, a lone striker in the shape of Andy Carroll whilst also handing a Newcastle debut to new signing James Perch at right back.

Yet Newcastle began the game well and had the best chance of the opening exchanges on the 10 minute mark. A corner in from Joey Barton found Carroll, completely free having lost his marker, but the striker conspired to head wide from six yards.

It was to prove a costly miss for the visitors as after an indifferent start, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men slowly took control of the match and opening the scoring just after the half hour mark.

Antonio Valencia poached the ball from Jonas Guterriez and found Paul Scholes who slid a perfectly weighted ball into the box for Berbatov to smash low, back across goal and beat Steve Harper.

The goal was all the encouragement the home side needed and less than 10 minutes later they doubled their lead thanks to Darren Fletcher.

Some good work down the left found Nani sliding in Patrice Evra who drove a ball across the box; Rooney managed to get a touch but couldn’t control it however the ball fell perfectly to the Scot to slot home from close range.

he second half began in much the same fashion, with the home side content to dictate proceedings and Paul Scholes at the heart of everything for Manchester United.

After picking up a customary booking for a late challenge on Nolan, the midfielder had a claim for a penalty after swapping passes with Berbatov before taking a tumble after contact with Coloccini yet referee Chris Foy waved his appeals away.

Seconds later the 35-year-old was involved again finding Rooney on the edge of the box, who dinked in a ball to Berbatov. The Bulgarian just had Harper to beat but slid his shot just wide of the post with the outside of this boot.

Yet Newcastle held firm, and even though Rooney put the ball in the back of the net on the hour mark, it was ruled out, harshly according to replays, for an offside earlier in the move.

That was to be the English striker’s last contribution of the game with Ferguson opting to change things, replacing him with Hernandez who received a rapturous applause from the Old Trafford faithful for his home debut.

However, the substitution did little to alter the flow of the game with chances continuing to come for Nani and Berbatov, yet it was another substitute, Ryan Giggs who was to add further gloss to the scoreline.

Again Scholes was the creator lofting the ball into the Welshman who volleyed it into the far corner to seal a convincing victory for the home team who travel to Fulham next, a ground on which they have struggled in recent seasons.

Manchester United crushed Fulham 3-0

2010-03-14T20:13:00.001+02:00

Wayne Rooney scored twice as Manchester United crushed Fulham 3-0 at Old Trafford to return to the summit of the Premier League.

All three goals came in the second half as Rooney made his Premier League tally 25 and overall season haul 32 as he chases Cristiano Ronaldo's target of 31 and 42 from 2008-09, while Dimitar Berbatov added a third late on after impressing throughout but failing to find the target.
United move two points clear of Chelsea and Arsenal after the win, while Fulham stay 10th.
The result was a reverse of Fulham's 3-0 victory at Craven Cottage in December but, unlike that game, Roy Hodgson's side were comprehensively outplayed by a United side keen to continue the momentum after their 4-0 thrashing of Milan in the Champions League.
Both sides are renowned for quick, incisive passing and the first half panned out in entertaining fashion, although neither side could break the deadlock.
United, as expected, had more of the ball and created the greater number of chances.
Rooney, who hit his 30th goal of the season against Milan in midweek, mis-kicked his finish on 10 minutes, had a penalty appeal rejected after a challenge from Stephen Kelly 11 minutes later, forced an excellent save from Mark Schwarzer on the half-hour mark, was denied by a Hangeland-Kelly double-block seven minutes later and curled an imaginative effort inches wide just before the break.
His striker partner Berbatov was heavily involved too, and missed one gilt-edged chance when he headed Nani's cross over to cap off a move he started.
Portugal winger showed both sides to his game - impressing with his running and crossing, having a shot deflected over but frustrating when he tried to go it alone with Rooney unmarked in the box.
Fulham had their opportunities too. Bobby Zamora was a touch isolated up front, with Dempsey providing the support and firing just over once and straight at Edwin van der Sar twice.
Zamora should have put Fulham in front on 39 minutes when, after beating Rio Ferdinand to a long ball from Danny Murphy, he opted to finish first-time with his preferred left foot when his right was better placed: the shot skewed well over, with Van der Sar grateful as he was stranded.

Fulham made one change at the break, bringing on the surprisingly benched Damien Duff for Simon Davies, but they were a goal down almost immediately.
After United went forward from kick-off, Rooney turned on the edge of the box to slip the ball wide left to Nani. For some reason Fulham opted not to track Rooney, standing and watching as he waltzed into the middle and diverted the low cross past the helpless Schwarzer.
An old-fashioned goalmouth scramble saw the visitors lucky to survive repeat shots from Rooney and Nani, while Ferdinand hooked an improvised volley just wide after Antonio Valencia's corner.
Berbatov nearly doubled the lead with an audacious bicycle kick from the edge of the box but the effort went wide as United bossed the game with Fulham barely leaving their half.
On one rare foray forward, the Whites should have levelled when, after Zamora was played clean through by a fortuitous deflection, Nemanja Vidic raced back to block a finish that the Cottagers' top scorer should have released earlier.
Park Ji-sung, on for Valencia, laid on a simple headed finish for Berbatov with a delightful scooped cross from the outside of his right boot but the Bulgarian again mis-directed his finish just wide of the far post.
Patrice Evra got forward to fire wide after combining with Park, while Schwarzer had to be at his acrobatic best to tip Darren Fletcher's rising finish over.
They finally got a second when, with six minutes remaining, Berbatov killed Michael Carrick's long pass with a superb first touch before gliding between Nicky Shorey and Chris Baird to hand an easy finish to Rooney.
Fulham were a broken team now, and Berbatov scored a deserved third when he stooped to nod Park's cross into the bottom right.

Manchester United stuns Milan by four

2010-03-10T23:55:00.001+02:00

A brace from Wayne Rooney sealed a 4-0 victory and an emphatic 7-2 aggregate scoreline as Manchester United romped past Milan at Old Trafford to clinch their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Rooney gave United the lead in just the 13th minute with a sublime glancing header, and the England forward netted his 30th goal of the season with a deft finish seconds after half-time to stun the visitors.
David Beckham was confined to the Milan bench from the outset, but the former United midfielder had to wait until his side were 3-0 down before he was introduced after Park Ji-Sung slammed a fierce shot beyond Christian Abbiati just before the hour-mark.
Darren Fletcher capped an imperious display from the English champions with a fourth goal in the 88th minute, and Milan and Beckham were left utterly shell-shocked at the final whistle.
Rooney almost gave the hosts the lead in the fourth minute as he swivelled on the edge of the Milan box to latch on to Antonio Valencia's cut back and fired a low shot which he dragged narrowly wide of Christian Abbiati's near post.
Milan were hardly subdued at the other end, as Andrea Pirlo whipped over a devilish delivery in the eighth minute which Nani inadvertently flicked over to Ronaldinho, but the Brazilian's header drifted narrowly wide.
Two minutes later, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who flanked Marco Borriello along with Ronaldinho, stole in at the back post beyond Patrice Evra to receive Thiago Silva's raking diagonal pass from the back, but his first touch was sloppy as the ball evaded him.
Neville was preferred to Rafael at right-back for United, and Sir Alex Ferguson's decision was vindicated as the skipper picked out Rooney with a pinpoint cross from the right as United stamped their authority on the match in the 13th minute.
Rooney's exquisitely-timed run caught Daniele Bonera napping as the forward climbed above his marker to glance a deft finish beyond a helpless Abbiati and score his third headed goal in the tie.

Milan looked devoid of ideas in attack as they sought to redress the balance of the tie and, as Ronaldinho and Huntelaar were dragged outwide to gain possession, Borriello was left increasingly isolated and stifled for space.
Veteran midfielder Clarence Seedorf was introduced at half-time as the Rossoneri looked to inject some impetus into their midfield, but it was United who began the half in sparkling fashion.
Nani surged down the left wing at blistering pace before the Portugese's precise cut back was dabbed past the onrushing Abbiati by Rooney with the utmost swagger and composure.
Milan were left horribly exposed as their three-pronged attack offered about as much defensively as they did in forward areas, and United capitalised in the 59th minute to kill the tie.
Paul Scholes found Park in behind Marek Jankulovski, and the midfielder's low shot fizzed into the bottom corner to make it three in the 59th minute as the hosts were rampant.
Then ensued a procession of substitutions as both managers recognised that the tie had been effectively decided, and the first to make his entrance was Beckham, to a standing ovation from the Old Trafford crowd.
Rooney was withdrawn to a rapturous reception as the forward was denied a potential second hat-trick, and Paul Scholes and Neville departed swiftly afterwards.
The evening was capped off by Fletcher in the 88th minute as the midfielder capitalised on more shoddy defending by the visitors to turn home Rafael's deep cross and make it four.
United swagger through to the quarter-finals after humbling Milan over the two legs, as Rooney yet again established himself as one of the world's most potent attacking forces.

Manchester United holds the Carling Cup

2010-02-28T18:59:00.002+02:00

Rooney, on as a 42nd minute substitute for Michael Owen, headed home in the 74th minute to ensure last year's winners retained the trophy - the first time United have successfully defended a cup competition.
James Milner gave Villa an early lead from the penalty spot only for Owen, who started the game in place of Rooney, to level things up on 13 minutes with a classic strike.
But inevitably it was Rooney who grabbed the headlines, the England striker continuing his recent electric form with a 12th goal in nine games.
Villa raced out of the blocks at a soggy Wembley and took the lead in just the fourth minute, Milner sending Tomasz Kuszczak the wrong way from the spot after Gabriel Agbonlahor was upended by Nemanja Vidic in the box.
It was not the last time Vidic, who bafflingly got away without further punishment, looked suspect during a shaky first half, particularly when faced with the pace of Agbonlahor and Ashley Young.
But Villa's lead lasted just eight minutes, with Owen restoring parity soon after.
Rooney's appearance on the bench came as a surprise - he was suffering from a slight knee complaint - yet in Owen, Ferguson not only had a natural born finisher to call on, he had a player who was desperate to make an impression in what was a rare start for him.
And what an impact the striker made in front of the watching Fabio Capello. As he has on occasion this season, he rolled back the years with a tremendous finish past Brad Friedel after Richard Dunne's pockets were picked by Dimitar Berbatov.
But, just as it looked like the 'Owen for England' bandwagon was about to be fired up once again, the wheels promptly fell off as he limped off with a pulled hamstring before the end of the first half.
Nevertheless, Owen's goal had served to spark United into life, and the Premier League champions went on to enjoy the better of the opening period, despite sighters from James Milner and Emile Heskey which Kuszczak was forced to deal with.
Park Ji-sung nearly made United's slight superiority count in first half stoppage time, the South Korean's crisp strike pinging back off the upright after Stephen Warnock had slipped on the greasy turf, allowing Antonio Valencia to deliver a cross.
And United emerged for the second half in similarly determined mood, Michael Carrick's effort from the edge of the box matched only by Friedel's excellent save four minutes after the restart.
Valencia in particular was on fire after the break, and it was the Ecuadorian's lofted cross which Rooney met with a looping header over Friedel - similar to his first against Milan in the Champions League - to put United into the lead.
Rooney could have added another four minutes later - again with his head - but his downward effort from a standing position cannoned back off the base of the upright with Friedel beaten all ends up.
Villa briefly threatened to grab a late equaliser as the clock ran down, Kuszczak having to backpeddle furiously to tip a deflected cross over his crossbar on 82 minutes, but United never looked like being beaten for a second time.
So it proved as United held on to finally avenge their defeat by Villa in the 1994 final.

Manchester United came from behind

2010-02-17T00:09:00.001+02:00

Manchester United came from behind to win a thrilling Champions League last-16 first leg 3-2 away to Milan thanks to a Wayne Rooney headed brace.

Milan took an early lead through a deflected Ronaldinho volley only to see a fortunate Paul Scholes strike level matters before half-time.
Rooney finished both headers brilliantly for a 3-1 lead before substitute Clarence Seedorf, who had replaced starter David Beckham, flicked in at the near post to set up a late charge from the hosts.
Michael Carrick was sent off after picking up a second yellow card in injury-time.
The vociferous home fans were given an electric start by their side when Brazilian magician Ronaldinho, in form and always with an eye for the quickest route to goal, watched the ball drop near the corner of the box.
His volley to the near post was covered by Edwin van der Sar but struck Carrick and spun in past the Dutchman's outstretched leg.
The chance had arrived following a Beckham free-kick from near halfway on the right which was almost cleared by the scissor-kicking Patrice Evra. Beckham, facing his boyhood side for the first time, was restricted to angled drives from deep throughout his 72 minutes on the field.
United saw a fair bit of the ball but struggled to create anything in the final third whereas Milan were more incisive on the counter, led by the resurgent Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato.
The former went past Rio Ferdinand on the edge of the box following a couple of stepovers and could have had a free-kick or even penalty as he was blocked off the ball.
At the other end Rooney was becoming frustrated by Nani's inability to deliver an accurate cross. The striker was booked before the break.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar fired wide for Milan after spinning off Ferdinand and on to a Massimo Ambrosini pass and it looked like only one side would be capable of scoring on the night.

United had not scored in four visits to face Milan in the San Siro in Europe, but that was to change on 36 minutes when Scholes angled into the penalty area.
Darren Fletcher, played in by Park Ji-Sung on the right, found his run and the ball came off Scholes's supporting leg after he missed his volley with his right foot.
Ronaldinho tested Van der Sar with a dipping strike after turning away from a double United challenge in midfield and he also went close 16 minutes into the second half, a dipping strike just palmed past the far post.
Before that Andrea Pirlo's perfect strike from 35 yards out was also tipped away by the keeper while Pato headed over from a Giuseppe Favalli cross when left unmarked near the penalty spot.

Manchester United hits Five in Portsmouth

2010-02-06T23:59:00.000+02:00

Manchester United roared back to the summit of the Premier League table with a 5-0 thumping of crisis club Portsmouth at Old Trafford.

It took 40 minutes for the champions to break the deadlock but once Wayne Rooney hit the back of the net with his 21st goal of the season, Pompey's resistance faltered and the floodgates opened.
In-form Nani forced an own-goal out of Anthony Vanden Borre on the stroke of half-time before Michael Carrick's shot took a hefty deflection off Richard Hughes to register a third 14 minutes after the restart.
Dimitar Berbatov added a fourth on 62 minutes before a third own-goal, this time a spectacular effort by the unfortunate Marc Wilson, completed the rout seven minutes later.
The result saw United rise above Chelsea into top spot, where they will stay at least until Sunday's big clash between the Blues and Arsenal.
Pompey, who this week were taken over for a fourth time in 12 months, remain rooted to the bottom of the pile, six points adrift of their nearest rivals.
As expected given the 18-place gap between the two sides going into the game, United were dominant from the outset, easily keeping possession of the ball and barely allowing Pompey out of their own half.
To some extent that was by Pompey's design, as boss Avram Grant opted to play with just Frederic Piquionne up front in the hope of catching the hosts on the break.
It is a situation seen often enough at Old Trafford - sometimes it works for the away team, but more often than not it fails.
This time it worked for a total of 40 minutes as Pompey stood firm in the face of a constant barrage of crosses into the box and United were frustrated in their attempts to find a way through.

Yet, despite their territorial advantage, the champions only managed to create two clear-cut goalscoring chances prior to breaking the deadlock, Jonny Evans floating a header wide on 12 minutes before Berbatov conspired to stab wide from close range 10 minutes before the interval.
Pompey even managed to carve out several chances of their own on the counter, Vanden Borre and Algeria international Nadir Belhadj both bringing early saves out of Edwin van der Sar before the World Cup-bound wide man saw a 34th minute effort hacked off the line by Evans.
That last scare prompted United into action and soon after Berbatov's glaring miss they took the lead through Rooney.
The England striker nodded home from close range following Darren Fletcher's excellent ball into the box, although the watching Ray Clemence, England's goalkeeping coach, will not have been impressed by David James's failure to deal with the cross.
At least Clemence will be able to report back to Fabio Capello that Rooney's robust form is showing no signs of ending. Only three times in Premier League history have United players scored more than Rooney in a season - Ruud van Nistelrooy, twice, and Cristiano Ronaldo. And it is still only February.
United soon doubled their advantage, Nani forcing an own-goal for the second time in a week after some devilish trickery on the left led to his cross taking a cruel deflection off Vanden Borre and beating the wrong-footed James at his near post.
Two-nil up and the writing appeared to be on the wall, but there was still time before the break for Pompey to head down the other end and claim a penalty when the ball appeared to hit Patrice Evra on the arm.
Referee Lee Mason turned down the appeals and with that went any hope Pompey may have harboured of getting back in the game as United came out for the second half and soon killed it off.
Berbatov signalled United's intentions with a delightful flick to put in Antonio Valencia 10 minutes after the restart - the Ecuadorian's effort was on this occasion well-saved by James - before Carrick's effort on goal took a big deflection off Hughes, looped over James and went in off the underside of the bar.
Three minutes later United got a fourth, Berbatov making up for his earlier profligacy with a low shot that beat James after Tal Ben Haim had given him far too much space to turn and pick his spot.
Pompey's misery was completed on 69 minutes when Wilson netted a third own-goal of the day, a spectacular volley into the roof of the net as he tried to clear his lines from a cross.
The moment summed up Pompey's day, and it would have got even worse had substitute Mame Biram Diouf not blazed over from close range in the 81st minute.
The bedraggled club have now won just once in their last eight Premier League matches - and just one of their last 25 away from home in the top division.
Meanwhile United, as is their tradition, appear to be hitting form just at the right time.

Manchester United invade Arsenal by three

2010-01-31T22:53:00.001+02:00

Manchester United dealt Premier League title rivals Arsenal a heavy blow with a resounding 3-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium.

An inspirational first-half performance from United winger Nani produced an own goal from Manuel Almunia and a strike from Wayne Rooney. Park Ji-sung added a third for United soon after half-time before Thomas Vermaelen grabbed a consolation for the Gunners with 10 minutes remaining.
United's reward for completing a league double over Arsenal is to hold on to second place in the table, and they are now one point behind leaders Chelsea, who the Gunners travel to face in their next league match.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was once again without a recognised striker in his starting line-up due to injuries to Eduardo and Robin van Persie, while Danish target man Nicklas Bendtner started on the bench having just returned from a lengthy lay-off.
The early signs were that makeshift frontman Andriy Arshavin could still pose a threat to the champions after the Russian cut into the box and shot wide of the far post.
Arshavin was involved in all of Arsenal's most promising attacks, but his side struggled to trouble United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar too often.
However, after a hotly-contested opening half an hour, it was United winger Nani who stepped up to create the opener.

The Portuguese cut into the Arsenal box after finding a way through two defenders with an audaciously skilful turn and he chipped a ball towards the far post that Almunia turned into his own net with his fingertips.
The Spanish keeper was forced into trying to take action, despite being at full stretch, as Park Ji-sung was lurking unmarked at the far post ready to tap the ball in had it fallen to him.
United were two up five minutes later when they scored a counter-attacking goal reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo's on the same ground in last season's Champions League semi-final.
Wes Brown steered Cesc Fabregas's shot away from goal and Rooney found Nani. The winger galloped upfield with the ball as Rooney continued his run, and the England striker was played in with an inch-perfect pass that was swept home for his 100th Premier League goal.
Any hopes of Arsenal salvaging something from the match were extinguished seven minutes after the restart.
Carrick instigated another United break with a ball over the top for Park. Gael Clichy was the only defender back and Park had Rooney and Nani in support, but the Korean drove forward and fired a low finish that beat Almunia at the near post for his first goal of the season.
The Gunners stepped up a gear as they desperately tried to avoid humiliation and United relaxed into their three-goal lead. Fabregas, Arshavin and Alex Song all fired efforts off target, but the slice of fortune that delivered their consolation only serves to highlight the lack of cutting edge they otherwise possessed.
With 10 minutes left an Arsenal cross was headed clear but only as far as Vermaelen on the edge of the box. The centre-back, who has a keen eye for goal, struck a volley back on goal that Jonny Evans tried to half-heartedly block by sticking his leg out, but he succeeded only it steering the ball past van der Sar.
Arsenal were spurred on by that goal, but they left themselves susceptible on the break as they continued to commit men forward, allowing United to launch several more counter-attacks before the final whistle blew.

Man United in the Carling Cup Final

2010-01-28T10:31:00.000+02:00

A last-gasp goal from Wayne Rooney put Manchester United in the Carling Cup final after a 3-1 semi-final second-leg win over bitter rivals Manchester City gave the hosts a 4-3 aggregate victory.

In the second minute of injury-time, Rooney headed Ryan Giggs's cross past Shay Given for his 21st goal of the season after City thought they had forced extra time through Carlos Tevez's third goal over the two legs against the club he controversially left in the summer.

Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick had earlier put the hosts two up in a game that was soured by a missile incident involving City striker Craig Bellamy, which is sure to have repercussions for United.

Bellamy was hit on the head by a coin and narrowly missed by a bottle in the passage of play before United's opening goal, in an emotionally charged atmosphere not helped by a war of words between Tevez and United defender Gary Neville.

As expected, United started the game looking for an early goal, pressing forward at all opportunities but faced with a wall of Sky Blue as City sat back and looked for the break.

The counter-attack policy seemed more effective: Rio Ferdinand - playing after appealing his FA charge for violent conduct - nudged Tevez off the ball after his mazy dribble put him clean through, while Edwin van der Sar acrobatically saved Tevez's diving header.

Given was barely tested, keeping out Giggs's drive with ease and snuffing out the danger when Dedryck Boyota's slip nearly let Rooney through.

The second half started in reverse fashion, with City coming out all-guns blazing and Micah Richards forcing a save from Van der Sar with a left-foot drive.

Then, on 50 minutes, came the Bellamy incident. The Welshman was ultimately unhurt by the coin and one positive outcome is that the bottle - which contained liquid and could have done serious damage - missed.

From the next move the hosts took the lead in fortuitous circumstances.

A superb ball from Rooney freed Giggs but he was forced wide by Given and had to play the ball back to Nani. The Portuguese winger lost the ball but Carrick, impressive in an advanced midfield role, knocked it back to Scholes, who rifled a low drive that was deflected into the bottom left.

United regained their impetus after that and City did well to survive a couple of slick moves, including a goal-mouth scramble that saw Rooney inadvertently block a Carrick shot and Rooney denied a simple finish by Boyata's sliding challenge.

They made it 2-0 on 71 minutes when, after a quickly-taken throw found its way to Fletcher, Carrick latched on to the loose ball to side-foot into the bottom left from 12 yards.

Rooney, the Premier League's top scorer with 19 goals in 22 matches, missed a sitter when he put Patrice Evra's low cross wide from close range, and it could have been a huge error had he not atoned in injury-time.

Three minutes later, Tevez - who scored both of City's goals in the first leg - pulled one back to level overall with an audacious flick as he spun around Ferdinand to send Bellamy's cross into the bottom left.

With nine minutes left, Carrick missed a great chance to put the tie to bed when he fired wide after the ball broke kindly to him near the penalty spot, while Given seemed to have forced extra-time when he pulled off an incredible save to bat out Fletcher's point-blank header.

But Roberto Mancini's side failed to clear their lines from the poorly-taken short corner that followed, allowing Giggs to pick out Rooney who headed past the Ireland keeper, rooted to his line as the ball nestled in the left-hand side of the goal.

United face Aston Villa in the final at Wembley Stadium on February 28.

Rooney hits four Goals

2010-01-23T23:23:00.002+02:00

Wayne Rooney hit four goals as Manchester United went top of the Premier League with a 4-0 win over Hull City at Old Trafford.

Rooney made his league tally 19 for the season - a career-best total only mid-way through the campaign - with an early opener and three late strikes to put down a brave effort from the Tigers, who stay in the drop zone after the loss.
It was not all sweetness and light for United though as captain Rio Ferdinand, returning to the team after a worrying back injury, could be in trouble with the FA after his elbow on Craig Fagan was missed by the match officials.
United were utterly dominant in the first half but only had Rooney's eighth-minute poacher's goal to show for two-thirds of the possession and almost 20 chances.
Michael Owen was particularly profligate, notching his first miss in the second minute when his finish came off Anthony Gardner and spun wide for a corner after good work by Rooney.
Rooney soon notched his 16th Premier League goal of the season though, poking the ball home from close range after Boaz Myhill could only parry a Paul Scholes distance special.
Myhill arguably could have done better with Scholes's initial effort, but he kept them in the contest afterwards.
Ji-sung Park headed wide five minutes later, off-balance as he met Darren Fletcher's cross, and Ferdinand poked Nani's corner just wide of the near post on his return from a worrying back injury.
The now usual haphazard United defending reared its ugly head soon after though, with consecutive suicidal defensive headers from Scholes and Jonny Evans forcing Edwin van der Sar to save bravely at Nick Barmby's feet, and the Dutch keeper flapping at the resultant corner and only saved by a Ferdinand clearance from Gardner at the far post.
After that though it was business as usual for the Red Devils.
Rooney had a half-volley deflected just over by a last-gasp Paul McShane block, while Nani saw a penalty appeal waved away after a reckless challenge by Geovanni, although the Brazilian seemed to pull out just in time.
United were all over the Tigers, as Owen was denied when Myhill stopped his spectacular volley and Kamil Zayatte blocked him on the rebound, while Rooney sent a superb free-kick inches wide with Myhill rooted to his goal-line.

Rooney then spooned the ball well wide from 12 yards after another swarming attack initiated by the evergreen Scholes, while late in the half Owen fired weakly at Myhill from eight yards out after some great build-up saw him play one-twos with Rooney and Nani.
Somehow it stayed 1-0 into the break, with Hull fortunate not to be long gone as they went down the tunnel.
The second half started slowly as, while United had almost all the possession, they failed to create any clear-cut chances until Myhill spilled Nani's low cross on 57 minutes.
Lone striker Fagan, while not getting any quarter in front of goal, defended from the front for Hull and chased everything and anything put in the United half, while Gardner and McShane in particular impressed at the back.
They gained in confidence, testing Van der Sar with some crosses and winning a corner on the right that bounced dangerously in front of goal before hitting Zayatte and going wide.
United woke up, and Rooney went close with a low drive before Park mis-hit another good low cross from Nani straight at Zayatte.
Owen was responsible for another miss, heading inches wide after getting behind Gardner to meet a perfectly-weighted free-kick won and delivered by Nani.
Hull came agonisingly close to an equaliser when substitute Kamel Ghilas did brilliantly to control McShane's cross before turning and firing a low drive across Van der Sar but just wide of the far post.
Another sub, Darron Gibson, nearly made it 2-0 for the hosts but his lob landed just the wrong side of the crossbar, while there was a moment of controversy in the build-up to that chance, with Ferdinand potentially in hot water after seeming to aim an elbow at Fagan in an off-the-ball-incident missed by referee Steve Bennett.
United got their second soon afterwards though.
On 82 minutes Nani - who would have been man of the match but for Rooney - smashed a free-kick off the bar: with Andy Dawson hurt after colliding with Myhill while clearing the rebound, Hull decided not to put the ball out of play and Nani fed Gibson, who slid Rooney through to smash the ball into the roof of the net.
Hull's resolve was broken and Rooney added a third four minutes later, arriving unmarked to head into the bottom left after yet another great delivery from Nani.
The England striker added a gloss to the victory with a fourth - the first time he has scored that many in one match - when he drilled into the bottom left after sub Dimitar Berbatov's pull down put him in, although Hull's defence backed off him to allow the shot.
United go two points clear of Arsenal and Chelsea, who have one and two games in hand respectively: Hull stay 18th, with a goal difference of -26, the worst in the division.

Manchester City beats Manchester United 2-1

2010-01-20T21:06:00.001+02:00

Tevez, who controversially joined City last year in a move that has heightened the rivalry between the two clubs, wiped out United's early lead when he smashed home a 42nd-minute penalty.
The Argentina forward headed their second goal against the holders after 65 minutes when he was left unmarked in United's six-yard box with only goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar to beat.
United went ahead after 17 minutes when City failed to deal with an Antonio Valencia cross leaving Ryan Giggs with a simple tap-in after City keeper Shay Given blocked a Wayne Rooney shot.
The first semi-final between the two Manchester clubs since 1969 will be decided in the second leg at Old Trafford next Wednesday with the winners meeting Aston Villa or Blackburn Rovers in the final at Wembley Stadium on February 28.
Villa hold a 1-0 lead after the first leg at Blackburn.
United settled first at a sold-out Eastlands and took the lead after Patrice Evra picked out Valencia on the right. His low cross into the box found Wayne Rooney and although Given saved his shot the ball ran to Giggs, a former City youth player, who scored his first derby goal since 1996.

United dominated much of the half after that but City, whose Italian manager Roberto Mancini was experiencing his first Manchester derby, equalised after a controversial call by referee Mike Dean.
United defender Rafael tugged at Craig Bellamy's shirt outside the penalty area and, while the City forward tried to stay on his feet, he fell inside the box.
Dean ruled there was another foul inside the area but TV replays clearly showed there was not.
Tevez ignored the pleas of his former team-mates and the time-delaying tactics of Van der Sar, which earned the keeper a booking, to blast the penalty into the net.
With United personnel claiming in recent days that the club were right to let Tevez leave at the end of last season, the Argentine cupped his ear with his hand to celebrate - and teased the United bench again after his second goal.
That came when he made it 2-1 with his 13th goal in his last 11 games, taking advantage of some slack United defending to head in from close range.
United attacked relentlessly for the equaliser for the remainder of the match with Rooney twice being thwarted by Given and substitute Michael Owen having a shot saved on the line.
Although the visitors failed to find another goal, the tie is still evenly balanced with next week's second leg likely to be just as lively.

Mnachester United grind down Burnley by three

2010-01-16T19:52:00.002+02:00

Manchester United kept up the pressure on leaders Chelsea as they ground down a gutsy Burnley side 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Goals in quick succession from Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney midway through the second-half put United in control before Mame Biram Diouf came off the bench to score his first United goal in stoppage time.
United dominated but Burnley had chances too as new boss Brian Laws refused to put out a team who were just going to sit back.
That led to an entertaining contest but United took control when Berbatov broke the deadlock in the 64th minute and Rooney then clinched the points five minutes later with a close range finish.
Sir Alex Ferguson then had the luxury to take off his two strikers soon after and while Burnley's Steven Thompson did head off the post before the end, United never looked in any danger of surrendering their lead once in front with Diouf's late header adding further gloss at the death.
However, United's fans still used the match as a chance to voice displeasure at the club's current owners with chants of "we want the Glazers out" ringing around the ground in the final moments.
The match was open from the start and United had countless half chances in the opening 45 minutes.
The returning Nani saved their best moment of the half till last as he flicked up Antonio Valencia's cross himself before firing a spectacular bicycle kick towards the corner of the net. Brian Jensen got down well though to push the ball away.

Rooney also had a couple of attempts and Berbatov flapped at another chance from eight yards out after Valencia's check back.
However, the best chance of the first-half actually feel to Burnley after just seven minutes but Steven Fletcher dragged his effort wide after being sent clear by David Nugent.
Fletcher was also forced off in the 36th minute after being on the wrong end of a nasty Valencia challenge with the Ecuadorian lucky to escape without at least a booking.
The second-half followed a similar pattern with Berbatov missing a great chance in the 57th minute when he superbly took a Valencia pass into his path before then scuffing a left foot shot off the post when it looked easier to score.
United nearly paid the price three minutes later when the excellent Chris Eagles, playing against his former club, slid in David Nugent after a superb run forward.
Nugent then outpaced Gary Neville and looked all set to score but he put the guilt-edged chance wide of the target.
Soon after Berbatov scored the opener as Rooney's clever ball allowed him to drop the shoulder on Michael Duff. From a tough angle the Bulgarian then fired on target and helped by a deflection off Duff it then flew past Jensen.
It was a Berbatov shot that led to the second too as Jensen could only push into the path of Rooney. The England striker took his time to find his feet before placing it into the corner of the net.
Diouf and Michael Owen then replaced the United front two and it was the young Senegalese man making just his second appearance that made much the bigger impact.
He sprung the offside trap in the final moments to get his head on the end of Valencia's chipped ball before Jensen, and he celebrated his first goal for United with a spectacular somersault.
The win means United stay just one point behind Chelsea although the Londoners have a game in hand.

Birmingham City 1-1 Manchester United

2010-01-09T23:34:00.005+02:00

manchester united missed out on the chance to pinch top spot from Chelsea after they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City at St Andrews.

The hosts had taken the lead completely against the run of play through Cameron Jerome six minutes before half-time, but a Scott Dann own goal drew manchester united level just after the hour-mark.

Despite creating a host of first half chances, the Reds failed to test Joe Hart after the break. Tomasz Kuszczak, on the other hand, was forced to make a string of fine saves as manchester united struggled to hit top gear.

Sir Alex made seven changes to the side that lost out to Leeds manchester united in the FA Cup – the 100th successive game he’d tinkered with his starting eleven – with Paul Scholes, Rafael, Patrice Evra, Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Ji-sung Park all returning. A niggling knee injury ruled Dimitar Berbatov out of the gane.

The game was one of only two Barclays Premier League clashes that had survived the big freeze – Arsenal’s match with Everton at the Emirates was the other – but both sets of players and fans still had bitterly cold conditions to contend with, indeed the temperature gage read -3 at kick-off.

It was manchester united’s first outing since their shock Cup exit, and with Chelsea’s trip to Hull called off it was a chance to regain control at the top of the table. The Reds set about getting back on track straight away with Darren Fletcher almost giving the visitors the perfect start. Having seen his initial corner cleared, Antonio Valencia weaved his way into the area, and while his attempted cross was blocked, it dropped to Fletcher just inside the box whose fizzing effort was deflected wide by Sebastian Larsson.

It was somewhat scrappy thereafter with manchester united struggling to find that killer pass in the final third. Wayne Rooney almost found it on 24 minutes after capitalising on Stephen Carr’s failure to deal with a long punt forward. But his curling cross towards the far post, where Valencia was waiting, was well cleared by James McFadden who had got back to cover.

60 seconds later the roles were reversed with Valencia dinking a lovely pass towards Rooney which put the striker through on goal. Unfortunately Joe Hart, one of the league’s in-form stoppers, stood tall and cleared with his legs. Rooney headed just wide soon after as manchester united began to turn the screw.

Fletcher released Park on 32 minutes but Carr did enough to put the Korean off balance and the chance was gone.

Carrick saw successive shots well blocked by Birmingham’s resolute defence as the half neared its conclusion, while Hart was on hand to claim the midfielder’s looped effort soon after.

Birmingham, who had seen very little of the ball up that point, made their first venture into the opposition box on 38 minutes as Cameron Jerome was finally afforded some service. The striker cleverly worked space, but Scholes stole in to block his close range effort. From the resulting corner, Birmingham unbelievably took the lead.

McFadden’s ball in eventually fell to Lee Bowyer who headed it back into the danger area. It rebounded back off Jonny Evans and into the path of Jerome who had the simple task of slotting home from three yards out. It was extremely harsh on the Reds who had totally dominated the opening period.

Things almost got worse at the start of the second half when a Birmingham corner was only half-cleared. Christian Benitez chested down the loose ball before turning and striking it goalwards. Thankfully it was straight at Kuszczak who, despite knowing little about it, parried clear.

As the snow began to fall, so too did manchester united’s performance level and concentration. Stray passes increased, while there was a real a lack of penetration in attack for the Reds with Rooney becoming more and more isolated up front.

But just as Birmingham had been hugely fortunate to take the lead, the Reds were afforded a stroke of good fortune just after the hour-mark when Scott Dann turned the ball into his own net.

Following some penalty-box pinball, the ball eventually dropped to Patrice Evra who lashed a low drive goalwards which Dann could only divert past Hart. As the Reds celebrated, the linesman on the right touchline kept his flag raised to signal offside against Wayne Rooney. But thankfully referee Mark Clattenburg overturned the decision after consulting with his assistant and replays showed Rooney was clearly onside as Evra struck his shot.

Having struggled to get going since the break, you hoped the equaliser would spur manchester united into action, but it was Birmingham who almost found the net again. Carr found Benitez in the box who turned brilliantly away from both Evans and Scholes,but his low shot was well saved by Kuszczak.

Mame Biram Diouf entered the fray for his manchester united debut, joining fellow substitute Ryan Giggs in trying to help the Reds turn one point into three. manchester united’s cause was made all the more difficult, however, six minutes from time when Fletcher was harshly given his marching orders after collecting his second yellow card for a tame trip on Jerome.

Birmingham almost nicked it with a powerful shot from Roger Johnson, but Kuszczak yet again blocked well.

Despite six minutes of added time, manchester united couldn’t find a winner. The result edged the Reds a point closer to Chelsea, but it still felt like a missed opportunity.

Manchester United 0-1 Leeds United

2010-01-04T17:41:00.001+02:00

Third-tier Leeds United produced the shock of the third round by knocking record 11-times winners Manchester United out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Fallen giants Leeds, the League One leaders who are 43 places below English champions Manchester United, won thanks to Jermaine Beckford's 19th minute goal and then denied their hosts, second in the Premier League, an equaliser.
It was the first time Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had lost in the third round of the FA Cup, the stage at which teams from England's top two divisions enter the knockout tournament, since he arrived at Old Trafford 24 years ago.
Not since 1984, when beaten by third tier Bournemouth, had Manchester United lost at this stage of the competition.
Victory was also Leeds's first at Old Trafford since 1981.

Their goal came after Jonny Howson's superb 50-yard pass over the head of Wes Brown found striker Beckford and he outpaced the defender before sliding the ball left-footed into the far corner and beyond goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
United did threaten and, after Leeds keeper Casper Ankergren had advanced quickly to block Wayne Rooney's initial shot, Jason Crowe had to clear off the line from the England striker.
Ankergren then produced another good block to deny Danny Welbeck early in the second-half.
Just short of the hour mark, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson made a double substitution with veteran forward Ryan Giggs replacing Gabriel Obertan and striker Antonio Valencia coming on for Danny Welbeck.
But still Leeds denied the home side and, with 20 minutes left, Ferguson sent on Michael Owen, his final substitution, only to see the England striker scuff a shot from inside the box moments later.
Rooney then fired way over the crossbar and, with 12 minutes left, Beckford could have made it 2-0 only for his shot to whistle past the far post.
Leeds substitute Robert Snodgrass then hit the crossbar and, in the five minutes of stoppage time, Ankergren saved from Rooney.

Manchester United 5-0 Wigan Athletic

2009-12-31T01:30:00.002+02:00

Manchester United moved to within two points of Premier League leaders Chelsea with a resounding 5-0 win over Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney set the champions on their way on the half-hour mark, while Michael Carrick and Rafael da Silva extended their lead before half-time.
Wigan suffered a further blow as goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was forced off at half-time with a recurrence of his long-standing back injury. Michael Pollitt replaced the England 'keeper, though was unable to stem the tide as Dimitar Berbatov and the excellent Luis Valencia added further goals in the second half.
Though outplayed, Wigan did have chances in the second half, though Charles N'Zogbia fired wide when through on goal and Hugo Rodallega saw a volley smartly saved by Tomasz Kuszczak.
United are now move to 43 points from 20 games, two points behind Chelsea and two ahead of Arsenal, who have a game in hand. Wigan slip to 16th, just one point clear of the relegation zone.
Roberto Martinez's side have been both excellent and woeful on their travels this season, and after they almost shot themselves in the foot as early in the third minute, one suspected this would not be one of their good days. Hendry Thomas presented the ball straight to Valencia on the right, and was fortunate that the Ecuadorian hit a tame shot straight at Kirkland.
The Wigan defence made a fine fist of repelling United's initial probing attacks, with Titus Bramble in particular distinguishing himself with a fine last-ditch tackle on Berbatov.
United were dominating the midfield battles, however, and after Rooney struck the inside of the post with a magnificent effort from the tightest of angles, it was only a matter of time before Wigan's back four succumbed to the immense pressure.

Rooney had hitherto been the biggest thorn in the visitors' side, and it was he who opened the scoring with a deft volley on the half-hour mark. Valencia sent the overlapping Rafael clear on the right, and Rooney timed his run at the near post to perfection to guide the ball past Kirkland.
United doubled their lead three minutes later. This time Valencia provided a fine pull-back to Carrick on the edge of the area, and the England midfielder coolly side-footed the ball low into the corner.
Thomas then raised a few eyebrows around Old Trafford with an audacious effort from 40 yards that nonetheless had Kuszczak flinging himself across his goal, though United continued to dominate possession, and scored their third just before half-time as Rafael showed excellent persistence to bustle past Bramble's challenge in the area and slot the ball low past Kirkland.
Wigan did almost grab a goal back immediately as Jordi Gomez whistled a shot just past the post, though normal service was resumed after the break as United's onslaught continued.
The fourth goal came five minutes into the second half as Berbatov finally got himself on the scoresheet with neat footwork and a fine finish under pressure in the area.
Rooney then hit the bar with a header, before N'Zogbia and Rodallega both passed up chances to give their supporters something to cheer.
It was left to Wigan old boy Valencia to round off the scoring with 15 minutes to go, though the pass from Rooney that released him was a gem. Valencia sprinted in from the right to run onto Rooney's diagonal ball, and dinked the ball neatly over the onrushing Pollitt.

Manchester United 3-1 Hull City

2009-12-28T06:24:00.002+02:00

Manchester United closed the gap on leaders Chelsea to two points after a 3-1 Premier League win over plucky Hull City at the KC Stadium.
Strikes from Wayne Rooney (pictured) and Dimitar Berbatov sandwiched an Andy Dawson own-goal, with Craig Fagan on target from the spot for the Tigers and Rooney involved in all four goals.
But the scoreline did not tell the full story as United flattered to deceive while Hull failed to get the rub of the green from referee Alan Wiley.
United were given a battle by the hosts but shaded the first half and took the lead deep into injury time when Rooney finished a Darren Fletcher cross after a good spell of pressure from the visitors.
Hull felt aggrieved to go in behind at half-time as, along with matching their guests, they were denied a penalty when Wiley understandably failed to see Wes Brown's foul on Richard Garcia, understandably as it appeared from most angles that the United defender got the ball.
In between there were chances galore for both sides.
On 17 minutes Ryan Giggs curled a free-kick into the side netting, while Bernard Mendy denied Rooney with an excellent block two minutes later.
Midway through the first half came Hull's penalty claim when Stephen Hunt dispossessed Luis Valencia and slid a superb ball into Garcia, who Brown raced across to meet.
It seemed a perfectly-timed tackle, but replays from one angle showed that the ball - which spun away to the left, giving the impression Brown had won it - actually moved due to Garcia's touch, with Brown sliding into his ankle.
Otherwise, Tomasz Kuszczak saved well from George Boateng while Hunt drilled wide of the far post after Seyi Olofinjana put him through on the left.

Boaz Myhill was similarly busy in the home goal, tipping over from Rooney and saving superbly from Rafael Da Silva, while Dimitar Berbatov fired into the side netting after released on the right by Valencia.
Last season's champions turned on the pressure in the closing stages of the half and, as Fletcher kept in a lost cause on the right, his low cross was missed by Ryan Giggs and dropped to Rooney, who made no mistake from close range.
The opening period of the second half was a grind, as Hull worked hard to peg back United.
They got their break just before the hour mark after an uncharacteristic error from Rooney. The England striker's misplaced pass allowed Fagan to race into the box and, forced wide by Kuszczak, the former Derby forward lofted over a far-post cross.
Jozy Altidore flew in to meet it but was shoved in the back by Rafael, who was booked for the challenge: Fagan stepped up and coolly sent the ball to the right of the Polish keeper to level.
Michael Carrick had a low drive tipped away by Myhill, while Garcia headed wide from a Hunt corner.
United edged ahead though, and there was an air of fortune to complement a superb counter attack that culminated in Rooney's driven cross being knocked in by Dawson, who had to make a challenge with Park Ji-Sung free at the far post.
Rooney recovered brilliantly from his error to dominate the late stages of the game and again got an assist as he latched on to Nemanja Vidic's defensive header and, after he drew the Hull defence wide, played a cute ball that the unmarked Berbatov tapped home.
Mendy almost pulled one back for the Tigers but put inches wide after a clever backheel from substitute Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, while Rooney fired just over after latching on to Fletcher's through-ball.
Hull stay second bottom while United return to second, closing in on Chelsea after they were held to a draw by Birmingham City.

Fulham 3-0 Manchester United

2009-12-20T04:59:00.001+02:00

Fulham thrashed a woeful Manchester United side 3-0 at Craven Cottage to inflict the champions' fifth Premier League defeat of the season.
Goals from Danny Murphy (pictured), the excellent Bobby Zamora and Damien Duff gave Roy Hodgson's men victory against a United side that found themselves completely outplayed, both individually and collectively.
Chelsea can go six points clear of United if they beat West Ham on Sunday. Fulham stay ninth but consolidate their position in the top half of the table.
Sir Alex Ferguson may point out that he was missing four fifths of his first choice back five - Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and John O'Shea - while Jonny Evans, Wes Brown, Rafael Da Silva and Owen Hargreaves were also unavailable.
However, only the Scotsman will know why his solution was to organise his side into a 3-5-2 formation with his one senior defender - Patrice Evra - playing wide on the left side of midfield.
A back three of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Ritchie De Laet would hardly be worthy of relegation strugglers, let alone championship contenders, and Fulham naturally set about using Zamora's physical presence up front.
The big striker, who has hit a rich vein of goalscoring form, was a constant menace, and he set up a glorious chance for Zoltan Gera on 17 minutes, knocking the ball down only to see the Hungarian's volley saved brilliantly by Tomasz Kuszczak. But five minutes later Fulham were in front.
Murphy carved out a reputation for scoring against United when he played for Liverpool, and is doing the same in the white of Fulham.

The midfielder found the net in the 2-0 win against United in March, and was similarly deadly when presented with an opportunity by Paul Scholes, who dawdled in possession and was robbed by the Fulham skipper.
Nobody closed Murphy down, and he beat Kuszczak from outside the box with a precise shot that found the bottom-left corner.
With Darron Gibson looking far from the finished article in central midfield, and Michael Owen totally ineffective up front, the visitors created little, and a frustrated Wayne Rooney was reduced to firing speculative long range shots.
Fulham looked the more creative and dangerous side, and might have increased their lead through Zamora just after the half-hour: the striker glanced a header just wide after fine build-up play by Clint Dempsey and Gera.
Alex Ferguson could have been forgiven a half-time blast of the hairdryer, but whatever he said during the break, it is safe to say it did not work.
Within 20 seconds of the restart, Fulham doubled their lead as Duff crossed from the right, Dempsey headed the ball down and an unmarked Zamora lashed his volley powerfully into the net from eight yards - his 10th goal of the season.
The customary second half United surge failed to materialise, and they were arguably even more hopeless going forward than at the back.
Their attacks lacked pace, purpose and invention, while Fulham showed them how to do it with slick passing moves that oozed quality.
The best of the visitors' half-chances fell to Rooney, who hit a diagonal shot that went narrowly wide of the far post and just missed the onrushing Antonio Valencia.
Fulham scored a deserved third on 75 minutes and Zamora, naturally, was at the heart of it. He chested down a Murphy free-kick, flicked it deftly on to Duff and the Irishman buried a low left-foot volley.
The chants of 'Zamora for England' when the striker came off in stoppage time do not seem so fanciful any more - a trip to the World Cup for Fulham's number 25 certainly seems more likely than a successful United title defence if they play as badly as this.

Milan midfielder David Beckham set for return to Manchester United

2009-12-19T01:00:00.000+02:00

David Beckham is in line for a return to face his old club Manchester United after Milan were drawn against the Premier League side in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The England midfielder, who won the Champions League with United in 1999 before joining Real Madrid in 2003, will return to Milan in January for a second loan spell from Los Angeles Galaxy.

Beckham has not yet come up against the club where he made his name.

United's director of communications Phil Townsend was pleased with the draw. "It will be fantastic," he told Sky Sports News. "I think everyone at Old Trafford will be absolutely delighted, it's what the Champions League is all about.

"He (Beckham) will get a fantastic reception, as players coming back usually do at Manchester United. He was a terrific servant for the club and we all hope he will be playing."

Chelsea take on former manager Jose Mourinho after being drawn against his current club Internazionale.

Mourinho was dubbed the 'Special One' when he lead Chelsea to Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 before leaving early in the 2007-2008 season.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay was delighted with the high-profile clash. "It's fantastic, it was the talk when we arrived here this morning and it's happened," he said.

"It's fantastic for the fans and for neutrals and it will be quite spectacular, I'm sure.

"I'm sure Jose will get a fantastic reaction from our fans. But at the end of the day he is the opposition and we'll look to go through over the two games."

Arsenal take on Portuguese side Porto as all three English clubs play the first leg of their ties away from home after winning their groups.

Arsenal secretary David Miles believes manager Arsene Wenger will be satisfied with a two-legged tie against Porto.

"I think he will be relatively pleased," he said. "We have played Porto three times in four seasons so they are a team we know well."

Spanish clubs avoided the big names with reigning champions Barcelona drawn against German side Stuttgart and Real Madrid up against French club Lyon.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas admitted they were facing a tough task against the club of their former striker Karim Benzema.

"It's an extremely difficult draw," Aulas told Eurosport.

"They're a fantastic team and the final will be played in Madrid, we know how that motivates."

Aulas added: "He (Benzema) was a great player for us and it's going to be something special for him to play against his former club."

German giants Bayern Munich meet Serie A club Fiorentina and CSKA Moscow were drawn with Spanish club Sevilla.

Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido admitted that the greatest danger for his side would be the freezing Moscow weather.

"We're satisfied with this draw. I think the biggest handicap for Sevilla will be the cold, we could play in temperatures of minus 18," said del Nido.

"CSKA Moscow is a great team but we're happy that we're not up against Milan, Inter or Bayern Munich," added Sevilla vice-president Jose Castro.

Full draw:

Stuttgart v Barcelona

Olympiacos v Bordeaux

Inter v Chelsea

Bayern v Fiorentina

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla

Lyon v Real Madrid

Porto v Arsenal

Milan v Manchester United

For the first time this year, the fixtures in the last 16 will be held over four weeks with half the ties on 16/17 February and 9/10 March and the others on 23/24 February and 16/17 March.

Manchester United 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

2009-12-16T05:04:00.001+02:00

Manchester United breezed past an under-strength Wolverhampton Wanderers to go joint top of the Premier League with a comfortable 3-0 win at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney opened the scoring from the penalty spot on the half-hour mark before Nemanja Vidic doubled the champions' lead just ahead of the break.
Antonio Valencia added a third on 66 minutes to seal victory and send United level on points with Chelsea at the summit of the Premier League.
Chelsea, who play Portsmouth on Wednesday, remain top by virtue of their superior goal difference.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy decided to make 10 changes for the trip north, with goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann the only survivor from the weekend win at Tottenham. McCarthy clearly had one eye on the weekend's fixture against Burnley - an eminently more winnable fixture than this one.
United were forced into fielding a weakened side themselves, Michael Carrick deputising at centre-back in the absence of the injured-again Wes Brown. Young full-back Ritchie De Laet was handed a rare start, but with Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov leading the line against Wolves' second string, the hosts started the match in confident mood.
Alex Ferguson's side made all the early running and enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges, although the visitors managed to hold firm for the best part of half an hour.
It was a moment of fortune that gifted United the chance to break the deadlock, referee Steve Bennett correctly pointing to the spot after Ronald Zubar's flailing arm inadvertently connected with a cross. Rooney stepped up and made no mistake with a thumping effort from 12 yards.

Rooney had earlier been frustrated in his efforts to open the scoring, and was denied an early chance by Marcus Hahnemann, the Wolves keeper saving with his legs at close range after just four minutes.
Rooney went close again on 25 minutes, controlling Patrice Evra's cross before turning and firing a shot that was deflected wide of the post, while Vidic had a golden opportunity to get on the scoresheet moments later. The Serbia international blazed over from Darron Gibson's neat lay-off - a typical defender's finish.
Vidic was to make amends on 43 minutes as United took a 2-0 lead, his towering header proving too powerful for Hahnemann who got a big hand on it, just not big enough.
There was time for the lively Gabriel Obertan to bring Hahnemann into more action before the first-half was out, the Frenchman linking up well with compatriot Patrice Evra before firing on goal from a narrow angle.
But the opening period was not all United and there was the odd glimmer of hope for Wolves, most notably after 19 minutes when the ball fell kindly at George Friend's feet. His finish will not have made his too many new mates in Wolverhampton though, and the ball sailed high over the bar.
United made short work of wrapping up all three points after the break, Valencia netting the goal of the game on 66 minutes with a fierce first-time strike into the roof of the net. It was a fine finish, but the goal was all about Berbatov's artistry in setting up the chance, the Bulgarian hooking the ball over his shoulder to find the Ecuadorian's run.
At 3-0 up the result was never in doubt - there may even be those who argue it never was, given McCarthy's team selection - and the only question was how many United would score a the clock ran down.
A fourth nearly arrived in the 84th minute when Evra's drive forced Hahnemann into another save, but United settled for three in the end and a result that made some inroads into Chelsea's superior goal difference.
Wolves, meanwhile, slipped into the relegation zone after Bolton's victory at home to West Ham.

Manchester United 0-1 Aston Villa

2009-12-13T13:50:00.002+02:00

Gabriel Agbonlahor's first-half header was the only goal of the game as Aston Villa stunned champions Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Victory for Villa - their first at the Theatre of Dreams since 1983 and their first against United, home or away, for 14 years - propelled Martin O'Neill's increasingly impressive side into third place in the Premier League.
For United, defeat represented a huge missed opportunity to join Chelsea at the top of the table after the Blues had earlier dropped two points in a 3-3 draw at home to Everton.
Alex Ferguson's injury-hit side will now end the weekend three points behind the leaders following what was their first home defeat in the league this season.
The fitness crisis which hit United this week improved prior to kick-off with the return of Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown and Wayne Rooney to full fitness, but Ferguson was still forced into fielding Darren Fletcher at right-back.
Otherwise, it was a strong United side that took to the pitch, although Ferguson will be concerned about a lack of end product that failed to break down an admittedly resolute Villa back line.
Villa took the lead in the 21st minute, Agbonlahor profiting from some excellent service from Ashley Young on the left hand side. The striker held the ball up before playing out to Young, whose eventual delivery to the near post was first rate.
Agbonlahor beat Tomasz Kuszczak to continue his impressive scoring record against United - he has now netted in each of the past four seasons against them.
The goal sparked a spate of chances at both ends before the break that amazingly failed to produce another goal.
Richard Dunne, the former Manchester City player, went closest for Villa when on 27 minutes he powered a header goalwards, only to see it blocked before it reached its intended target.

Three minutes later United had Kuszczak to thank for not going further behind, Edwin van der Sar's understudy reading Ashley Young's intentions perfectly as the Villa winger looked to square to an unmarked Emile Heskey.
At the other end, most of United's attacking promise came through the effervescent Rooney, although the England striker was largely frustrated by a lack of support during the opening period.
That frustration came to the fore in the 25th minute, when Rooney felt the need to take a dive in the Villa penalty area, ostensibly under a challenge from Luke Young. It was blatant and he was duly punished by referee Martin Atkinson with a booking.
Suitably embarrassed by his indiscretion, Rooney then seemed to embark on a personal mission to save face - and find a goal for United.
A clever flick moments later would have ended up in the back of the net had he made more contact with the ball - the lack of a firm touch nearly allowed Antonio Valencia to get to it at the back stick - but his best effort came just after the half-hour mark.
Rooney met Patrice Evra's cross with a deft touch that took him past Carlos Cueller before he hammered a shot that crashed off the underside of the crossbar and away to safety.
Rooney continued his assault after the break, but still to no avail despite the introduction of Michael Owen as a half-time replacement for Ryan Giggs. A shot just after the hour mark was well-blocked while moments later he opted for precision rather than power but Brad Friedel was equal to it.
Dimitar Berbatov was soon introduced as United ramped up their search for an equaliser and the best chance of the game was to fall his way in the 74th minute. But the Bulgarian, usually so adept at volleying, snapped at the cross and his effort from around the penalty spot skewed off target.
United dominated possession in the closing stages as they piled the pressure on Villa: Vidic had a header hacked off the line before Friedel was called into action again to deny Berbatov with just four minutes remaining.
But still they could not find a way through and Villa held on to register a famous win for both the club and their manager - it was the just the second time O'Neill has beaten United as a Premier League boss, after Leicester City's 1-0 win at Old Trafford in January 1998.

A hat-trick from Owen

2009-12-09T01:24:00.001+02:00

A hat-trick from Michael Owen gave injury-ravaged Manchester United a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg at the Volkswagon Arena as they top Champions League Group B.

Owen gave United the lead a minute before half-time with a clinical headed finish from close-range to leave the German champions under the cosh as they battled for second spot in the group.
Bosnian Edin Dzeko hit back for the hosts with an instinctive finish in the 56th minute as his powerful header levelled the match up at 1-1, and the hosts sensed their opportunity.
Armin Veh's side contrived to squander numerous clear-cut opportunities, but it was Owen who showed the required composure as he netted his second with a close-range finish in the 83rd minute.
Wolfsburg midfielder Sascha Riether missed a golden chance to equalise in stoppage time, but United broke at pace through Owen, who coolly dinked his shot over the diving Diego Benaglio to seal his hat-trick.
Having already made the knock-out stages, United's mission in Germany was simply to draw to finish top in their group, but their cause was not helped with 15 players missing.

United were forced to field a makeshift side with Michael Carrick, Ji-Sung Park and Darren Fletcher in defence, but the visitors battled valiantly to frustrate Wolfsburg, with only Dzeko troubling the frantically assembled back-four.
Despite a shoddy surface which was not remotely conducive to passing football, both sides attempted to stroke the ball, with the German champions seeking the valuable points to keep them in the hunt for the group's second spot.
Wolfsburg will feel aggrieved after Carrick brought down Makoto Hasebe in the United box with a clumsy challenge in the 13th minute, but the Dutch referee handed the visitors a reprieve as he awarded a corner.
The German side proceeded to squander two glorious headed opportunities in the first half, as Andrea Barzagli inexplicably headed wide in the 18th minute and, moments later, Misimovic planted his effort wide after meeting Marcel Schafer's cross, unmarked from close range.
It was hard work for the visitors on the turgid surface, but the pacey Danny Welbeck thought he had capped a fine move after a slick exchange from Paul Scholes and Darren Gibson on the half hour as he slotted in smartly, only to look up in dismay to see the offside flag.
With third-placed CSKA Moscow leading at half-time it was crucial the Germans got back into the game and 10 minutes into the second-half that is exactly what they did. United defended stoutly to stifle Dzeko, with the one exception being the Bosnian's free header to level the scores after Schafer picked the striker out in space.
But Owen was on hand to make it two with an opportunist strike after stunning work from substitute Gabriel Obertan, who jinked mesmerically between three Wolfsburg defenders to provide the striker with the simplest of finishes.
Owen's third was an individual effort as he broke down the left, then cut inside and across Ricardo Costa, before a delightful dink over the onrushing Benaglio to clinch victory for United and compound Wolfsburg's frustration.
As a result of the victory, United are now unbeaten in their last 15 Champions League away games and have won the last five, while Wolfsburg are usurped by CSKA Moscow, who clinch second spot.
Ferguson will have been delighted with the application of his players, but will now have to turn his attention to the ensuing selection headache in the lead-up to his side's Premier League clash with Aston Villa at the weekend.

Manchester United 4-0 WestHam

2009-12-06T04:24:00.001+02:00

Manchester United made light of an injury crisis, easing to a 4-0 Premier League win against West Ham at Upton Park.

Paul Scholes opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time with a crisp finish, while Darron Gibson, Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney added second-half flourishes. But the celebrations were tempered by injuries to captain Gary Neville and fellow defender Wes Brown.
United's defensive options were already so depleted they started the game with Neville partnering Brown in central defence and midfielder Darren Fletcher at right-back.
Neville pulled up in the first half, and Michael Carrick had to fill in at the unfamiliar centre-back position. And, when Brown limped off late on to reduce United to 10 men, Patrice Evra was the only recognised defender on the pitch for United.
Further forward, Gibson was surprisingly preferred to Carrick after scoring twice in the Carling Cup in midweek, but failed to produce much quality until his goal after the break. Rooney ploughed a lone furrow up front with Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen both out of favour and on the bench.
For their part, West Ham face four months without their leading striker Carlton Cole and looked toothless without him. Guillermo Franco offered plenty of honest endeavour but little aerial presence, while Zavon Hines limped off at the break - yet another injury headache for the beleaguered Gianfranco Zola.
While the visiting fans sang Christmas carols - notably the Eric Cantona-inspired version of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' - the fare on the pitch early on was less than festive. Neither side showed enough precision or invention, and the first half bumbled along in ragged fashion.

Ryan Giggs has featured prominently on shortlists for end-of-year awards, but an uncharacteristic error of his nearly gifted West ham the opener on nine minutes. Giggs's sloppy pass across the defence fell to the feet of Hines, whose low cross in front of goal narrowly eluded Jack Collison.
Gibson provided one of the few first-half moments that could pass for a highlight, seizing on a Brown knock down at the edge of the box but hitting a volley so wayward it struck the right-hand corner flag on its way out of play.
West Ham attempted to play out the final minutes of the first half with 10 fit players following Hines's knock, but the ploy backfired.
In stoppage time, a headed clearance fell to Scholes, who chested it down and powered a left-foot half-volley into the top left corner from the edge of the box. Goalkeeper Robert Green got a touch but could not keep the ball out.
West Ham actually started the second half the stronger side. Franco slid a perfect through pass for Junior Stanislas who inexplicably hesitated for long enough for Kuszczak to rush out and claim the ball. James Tomkins also had a good chance when escaping his marker on the right side of the box, but he headed straight at Kuszczak.
Just after the hour, Gibson effectively settled it. Giggs came away on the break and slid the ball into the Irishman's path at the edge of the box. One powerful thump of the right boot later, the ball was in the right corner of the net.
United cut loose, and on 71 minutes it was three. Rooney found Anderson on the left side, and the Brazilian slid a low ball to Valencia to finish from close range.
It was a lovely, slick move and within 60 seconds there was more of the same. This time Valencia turned provider, collecting a Berbatov pass and crossing for Rooney, who was in position for an easy tap-in.
To complete Zola's misery, Green went off after United's fourth goal and was replaced by the debutant Peter Kurucz. Green, apparently, was sick - and few inside Upton Park could blame him.

Manchester wins by Gibson

2009-12-02T14:32:00.002+02:00

Darron Gibson scored twice as Manchester United booked their place in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Tottenham.
The Republic of Ireland international put the disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup behind him with two fantastic first-half finishes to end Tottenham's involvement in the competition.
The midfielder fired low past Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes after 16 minutes before doubling their tally with a beautiful curled effort from 25 yards six minutes before the break.
Spurs had chances of their own with Jermain Defoe guilty of wasting a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half.
But despite being second best for much of the encounter United held on comfortably for the win.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, as promised, kept faith with the youngsters who had fallen to defeat in the Champions League just six days earlier against Besiktas and after the early exchanges it looked as if a similar result could be on the cards.
Spurs looked the more composed in possession and threatening on the attack, while United chased shadows in the rain at Old Trafford.
Defoe fired in a rasping drive from outside the area that Tomasz Kuszczak, preferred to Ben Foster, did well to save low to his right, while Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale were causing all sorts of problems for Gary Neville down the Tottenham left.

But while Spurs were unable to deliver the killer blow that their possession merited, United clinically put them to the sword.
Gibson opened the scoring after 16 minutes with a stinging low drive from outside the area that nestled in the bottom left-hand corner with Spurs keeper Gomes well beaten.
At the other end chances came and went. Defoe, the five-goal hero against Wigan in the Premier League, shot straight at United defender Ritchie De Laet from six yards after being picked out by a pin-point cross from Bale, while Robbie Keane was twice tackled by Nemanja Vidic as he looked to pull the trigger.
Park Ji-sung failed to connect with a cross from the left when he was unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box before Gibson doubled United's lead with an exquisite curler.
Gibson received the ball from Danny Welbeck 25 yards from goal before bending it into the top corner.
Spurs continued to pile on the pressure after the break as United struggled to maintain possession.
David Bentley had two chances to drag Spurs back into the game after the re-start, drawing a good save from Kuszczak with a side-footed finish after being picked out in the area by Bale before heading another cross from the Welshman wide of target.
But the Spurs threat gradually waned as United got a grip on the ball in midfield and Tottenham's hunger ebbed away.
The visitors brought on Peter Crouch in an effort to add another dimension to their play, but the striker was given little but scraps and long balls into the box to feed on.
Substitute Federico Macheda found the side netting in stoppage time with a low drive from outside the area as United ended the game in the ascendency.
Ferguson's side join Aston Villa in the semi-finals after Martin O'Neill's men beat Portsmouth 4-2 at Fratton Park.

Rooney gets a hat-trick & Manchester wins 4-1

2009-11-28T19:22:00.004+02:00

A Wayne Rooney hat-trick helped Manchester United to a 4-1 win against Portsmouth in an eventful encounter at soggy Fratton Park.

The England striker converted two disputed penalties and finished off a superb counter-attack, before Ryan Giggs netted his 100th Premier League goal with a late free-kick.
Kevin-Prince Boateng found the net for the home side - also with a controversial spot-kick.
So Avram Grant's career picked up where it left off; losing on penalties to United in the rain.
Eighteen months ago, the Israeli was sacked as Chelsea boss after an epic Champions League final shoot-out defeat in Moscow.
In his first game in charge of the Premier League's bottom side, United again prevailed but needed some questionable decisions from referee Mike Dean to help them.
Tomasz Kuszczak was surprisingly picked in goal for United, with England's Ben Foster on the bench and Edwin van der Sar absent entirely - still suffering the after-effects of a knock to the knee last weekend.
After a nervous start, the Pole excelled himself, making a superb close-range save from Aruna Dindane and an even better one to tip Jamie O'Hara's volley over.
But Dean proved the central figure. First he pointed to the spot when Rooney stumbled past Michael Brown and made the most of minimal contact on 25 minutes.
While not an outright dive, it was a soft penalty and the England man stepped up to place the kick into the right corner past Asmir Begovic, standing in for the injured David James.
If Pompey felt aggrieved, the sentiment did not last long. Just after the half-hour mark, Kuszczak leapt to punch clear a high ball into the net and Dean mystifyingly awarded a spot-kick.
Neither side had any idea what the supposed infringement was, but a forensic examination of replays shows Nemanja Vidic and Frederic Piquionne were indulging in some mild mutual shirt-tugging.
It was still a baffling decision, since Piquionne was just as guilty as Vidic, but Boateng duly converted from 12 yards.

Sir Alex Ferguson watched the game from the stands serving the first match of a touchline ban, for which the fourth official's eardrums must be very grateful.
Both sides poured forward. First Paul Scholes dragged one of many long-range efforts just wide, then Dindane headed wide at the culmination of a rapier-like Portsmouth counter-attack.
The first half ended with a scuffle, as Darren Fletcher and Boateng grappled on the turf after the Scot tackled overzealously.
Within three minutes of the restart, United were back in front after a counter-attack that showed them at their incisive best.
Darren Fletcher lofted a pass down the right channel for Giggs, who squared for Rooney and the striker finished low past Begovic.
Then, on 54 minutes, Rooney grabbed his third. Piquionne half-tripped, half-barged Giggs over just inside the box in an innocuous position. While hardly a stone-waller, it was the clearest of the three penalties. Rooney again found the right corner with minimal fuss.
Grant's Portsmouth put on a spirited display and showed signs they may yet beat the drop.
Boateng was especially lively, and tested Kuszczak again from the edge of the box following a Nemanja Vidic slip, while John Utaka hit the bar with a late volley.
Three minutes from time, Giggs capped an accomplished display with a clever goal, curling a low free-kick around the outside of the wall and into the left corner past the unsighted Begovic.
United rode their luck, but these fixtures are often an exercise in banana skin avoidance, and - without performing at their best - they nimbly dodged a costly slip-up.

Besiktas ends Man united 23 matches unbeaten record

2009-11-26T01:58:00.002+02:00

Besiktas JK may have already been eliminated from this season's UEFA Champions League but they at least made their mark on the tournament after becoming the first away team to win at Old Trafford in the competition since 2005 thanks to Rodrigo Tello's solitary strike.

Famous scalp
Manchester United had gone 23 matches unbeaten here in Europe but after rescuing a two-goal deficit late in their preceding outing against PFC CSKA Moskva, their proud record finally fell as the Turkish champions claimed their first UEFA Champions League away victory in six years. In truth, the hosts were already assured of reaching the last 16, hence Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to make eight changes from his side's last Premier League game, but that is unlikely to dampen the celebrations of those Besiktas fans who had endured an 8-0 thrashing at Liverpool FC on their previous trip to England.

Breakthrough
Bottom-placed Beşiktaş knew only a win would keep alive their faint hopes of taking third place in the section, following PFC CSKA Moskva's early-evening victory. Though penned inside their half for much of the opening phase – when Nemanja Vidić was off target with a header – they gave their noisy supporters something to sing about as Tello fired them in front on 20 minutes. When a United attack broke down outside the Beşiktaş box, Matteo Ferrari sent İsmail Köybaşı away down the left. After passing the halfway line he delivered a crossfield ball to Tello yet there still seemed minimal danger as the Chilean cut infield some 35 metres out. However, with Rafael stepping back, Tello let fly and his shot glanced off the full-back and arced past Ben Foster into the far corner.

Defiant keeper
United responded with Daniel Welbeck and Federico Macheda – the teenage strikers spearheading a much-changed team – combining cleverly to get the latter behind the visiting back line but he failed to get his low cross past Rüştü Recber. The veteran goalkeeper had conceded six on his last visit here with Fenerbahçe SK in 2004 and would have been grateful for Sir Alex Ferguson resting Wayne Rooney. Though United dominated possession they struggled to create chances, with Rustu equal to the best of them, saving Gabriel Obertan's near-post effort after Welbeck had played in the winger.

Opportunities
The hard-working Fabian Ernst was catching the eye in the Beşiktaş midfield and his fellow German Michael Fink nearly doubled the lead four minutes before half-time. The visitors opened up the United rearguard as Tello slipped a ball infield to Bobo and his touch let in Fink, whose side-footed shot went behind off the post. United had fought back in their two preceding home matches and as the second half unfolded, they began to apply pressure, Obertan drawing a fingertip save with a low drive, then nodding on to the roof of the net.

Late scares
On came Michael Owen, Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra but it took until added time for United to seriously threaten an equaliser, Rüştü making a flying stop to tip over Macheda's header, then turning away Wes Brown's header from the resulting corner. United must now wait for their trip to VfL Wolfsburg next month to settle who finishes top of Group B.

Manchester United 3-0 Everton

2009-11-22T03:53:00.002+02:00

With Chelsea winning so convincingly earlier in the day, it was imperative Sir Alex Ferguson's side answered the call. And they did that in style, as goals from Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia capped an impressive performance.
United's victory kept them five points behind Chelsea and the manner of the win as much as the result will have pleased Ferguson, as his players shrugged aside an Everton team who came with the intention of defending for their lives.
Everton deployed Louis Saha in a lone attacking role and the 4-5-1 formation simply invited United on.
And at Old Trafford, or any other ground for that matter, the champions do not need a second invitation to attack and for the first 15 minutes the game resembled a siege.
But a shot that fizzed wide from Wayne Rooney was United's only noteworthy effort as Everton defended with spirit and in numbers.
Everton were rarely seen as an attacking force, although Saha showed his prowess in the penalty area when swivelling and shooting on target from Leighton Baines's cross.
Fletcher has grown in stature over the past 18 months and is an integral player for United. He dominated the midfield in the opening half and it came as no surprise that he fired his side ahead on 35 minutes.

The impressive Patrice Evra delivered a long cross from the left that was nodded to Fletcher on the edge of the box. With the ball bouncing high, Fletcher got his leg over the ball and made sweet contact, sending his shot arrowing into the top corner.
David Moyes threw on Yakubu for Dan Gosling at the interval to provide his side with some added punch and it had an impact.
Sylvain Distin found himself in an advanced position and shrugged off Rafael before teeing-up Saha, but his shot drifted wide, while John Heitinga fired straight at Edwin van der Sar.
Everton opened up United shortly before the hour and Marouane Fellaini tucked the ball home, but he had strayed fractionally offside.
Shortly afterwards Van der Sar had to be alert to race off his line and gather with Tim Cahill closing in as Everton threatened an upset.
Yakubu was the man who played the ball in for Cahill and his impact was impressive. The big Nigerian's presence was an unsettling one for United and he shrugged aside Wes Brown before shooting narrowly wide.
United have the ability to take the wind from opponents' sails and they did that on 67 minutes.
The second goal had a touch of fortune to it as Rooney's shot from a corner was so poor that it went all the way back to Ryan Giggs who had taken the corner. The Welshman looked up and picked out Carrick and he slotted the ball into the corner to nip the Everton resurgence in the bud.
Paul Scholes turned 35 this week and the legs may not have the zip of old, but the mind remains sharp and he fashioned the third for Valencia on 76 minutes with a short burst and neat pass.

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United

2009-11-08T20:00:00.004+02:00

United were excellent at Stamford Bridge, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s near-perfect game-plan only went unrewarded after the Reds conceded a goal from a highly dubious second-half free-kick which led to Chelsea skipper John Terry’s winner.

The Reds had bossed possession for large periods of the game and had looked the stronger, more confident side – with Darren Fletcher and Wayne Rooney both outstanding. United at least deserved a draw, but the residing feeling is one of injustice, made worse that the Reds slip to third and Chelsea now boast a five-point lead at the top of the league.

Chelsea are formidable at Stamford Bridge, boasting a 100 per cent home record under Carlo Ancelotti this season and having conceded only once. United also haven’t won in West London since April 2002, a record Sir Alex was keen to arrest. Not only that, Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday had seen them leapfrog United into second place on goal difference, while leaders Chelsea’s two-point cushion at the top would be far more imposing were it extended to five.

However, the opportunity was also there for United to return to the league’s summit, and though most outsiders predicted the Reds would have no joy at Stamford Bridge, Sir Alex has his men fired up to prove any doubters wrong.

He would have to achieve it without either of his first-choice central defenders, however, as a troublesome calf problems meant Rio Ferdinand was absent and Nemanja Vidic had to settle for a place on the bench. That meant a centre-half pairing of Wes Brown and Jonny Evans up against the pace and power of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.

It was a positive and pacy start from both teams and the Reds looked full of confidence and belief. Chelsea got in behind United’s defence on the right in the first five minutes, with Ivanovic eventually forcing a save from Edwin van der Sar, but other than that the Reds dominated possession and dictated play early on.

The match became far more open than is usual for United-Chelsea games of recent times – and all the more entertaining for it. One example of the game’s openness, and perhaps United’s best chance of the half, came after 29 minutes when Fletcher’s arced pass scythed open the home side’s defence and Giggs. The Welshman struck his shot first-time on the volley, looping the ball just a little too high over Petr Cech, and subsequently the crossbar.

Chelsea finished the first half with a flurry of attacks as United’s passing became a little sloppy. But all in all it was a positive first 45 minutes for the Reds, with Sir Alex’s tactics of pressing Chelsea’s midfield working very well overall.

United began the second half equally as positively as the first, with Rooney stepping it up a gear. Fletcher flashed a shot over after good work from the United front man, then a well-worked move across the area involving Rooney ended with Giggs crossing just too high for Anderson at the far post. Fletcher was denied with another attempt on the hour mark, as Ricardo Carvalho brilliantly raced out to block the Scotsman’s 20-yard effort.

With Fletcher and Carrick pulling the strings in midfield, and Rooney providing the spark up front, this was fast turning into one of United’s finest displays of the season so far.

The Reds’ best effort came in the 67th minute. A quick free-kick from Anderson allowed Rooney to press menacingly on into the final third. He played a clever one-two with Antonio Valencia and then drilled his shot inches wide. A minute later, the outstanding Rooney curled a shot from 25 yards which had Cech scrambling desperately across goal to tip the ball wide for a corner.

But all United’s good work was undone by a shoddy refereeing decision after 76 minutes when Fletcher clearly won the ball in a challenge on Ashley Cole. But Martin Atkinson thought differently. United were angered by the decision, and that soon turned to indignation when John Terry glanced his header home from Frank Lampard’s free-kick delivery on the left. Even then, the goal came under dubious circumstances as Drogba – in an offside position – flicked his foot at the ball and should technically have been adjudged to have interfered with play. To rub salt in the wounds, Rooney was booked for protesting the initial decision.

In the 84th minute Valencia flashed a shot just wide from a good position inside the area, and that was followed by a double substitution for the Reds – Giggs and Anderson being replaced by Gabriel Obertan and Michael Owen as Sir Alex rolled the dice.

It made for a frantic finish and with five minutes of injury time – largely due to, you guessed it, Didier Drogba spending time injured on the floor – the Reds gave it a big push. But there wasn’t enough in the tank to break the home side’s stubborn resistance, and if you were to be critical of this performance, then United's inability to score has to be at the crux of it. It’s far from a title decider, but even at this stage it is advantage Chelsea.

will Manchester United beat the odds

2009-11-08T07:29:00.002+02:00

Check out all the facts and stats ahead of Chelsea's Premier League clash with Manchester United from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are unbeaten at home to Manchester United in the last seven Premier League seasons.
United have scored a total of just two goals in their last six league trips to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea average 1.29 goals per game at home to Manchester United in the Premier League.
United average 1.29 points per game against Chelsea in Premier League history, fewer than against any other side.
United have failed to win 13 times at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era, only at Arsenal have they been as consistently unsuccessful.
Sir Alex Ferguson has won only one and lost three of his four meetings with Carlo Ancelotti.
Paul Scholes is the top scorer in this fixture in the Premier League era with six goals.
Five of Dimitar Berbatov's last six Premier League goals for Manchester United have come between the 51st and 62nd minute.
United have failed to score in the first half of seven of their 11 league games this season.
Didier Drogba has unleashed 55 shots this season, more than any other player in the division.
Drogba has scored nine goals in his last nine appearances (in all competitions).
Chelsea have conceded just three second half goals all season.
Chelsea have come from behind to win nine points this season, more than any other side.

Manchester United 3-3 Cska Moscow

2009-11-04T00:30:00.003+02:00

Manchester United had to come from two goals down to grab a point in a 3-3 draw with CSKA Moscow in the Champions League at Old Trafford.

Antonio Valencia's injury-time leveller was enough to seal United's qualification from Group B after Paul Scholes had pulled a goal back on 84 minutes.
Michael Owen cancelled out Alan Dzagoev's opener but goals by Milos Krasic and Vasily Berezutsky had put the Russian club on course for a famous upset.
United rallied in the closing stages and in the end their never-say-die attitude prevailed, although it was another far from convincing performance from last year's finalists.
Wayne Rooney started on the bench after having become a father earlier in the week, while United were also missing central their first choice defensive partnership Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic through injury.
Wes Brown and Jonny Evans started in their place, with Fabio deputising for Patrice Evra, who started on the bench, at left-back.
CSKA sounded their intent early in an open and entertaining start to the game, with Deividas Semberas firing just wide of the post in the third minute.
But United soon asserted themselves and nearly hit back six minutes later when Valencia made inroads down the right hand side. His cross into the middle found Owen but he could not connect cleanly and a good opportunity to break the deadlock went begging.
Owen was guilty of profligacy in front of goal for a second time on 17 minutes, the summer signing poking a weak shot straight at Igor Akinfeev after having done the hard part by breaking through the visitors' backline.
In between those efforts, Darren Fletcher, returning from injury, saw a fierce drive drift inches wide of the post before Federico Macheda, making his European debut, fizzed a shot inches the wrong side of the upright.
United were on top, as they had been in the game in Moscow a fortnight ago, so it was a shock to their system when Dzagoev opened the scoring with a terrific strike on 25 minutes.
The 19-year-old Russia international lost his marker Wes Brown all too easily before running onto Tomas Necid's chested ball through. He appeared to take it a little too wide, but his shot was angled into the roof of the net and powerful enough leave Edwin Van der Sar rooted to the spot and wondering how he had allowed the ball had beaten him.

Just four minutes later it was third time lucky for Owen as he demonstrated he still has the finishing instinct that once made his name as one of the deadliest strikers in Europe. Valencia's cross was back-heeled by Nani - disappointing again - into Owen's path, via a deflection, and the former Liverpool and Real Madrid man did the rest.
But parity was to last just two minutes as Krasic was allowed to run onto Necid's layoff on the edge of the penalty area, round Van der Sar and slot into an empty net.
United rallied as the half drew to a close, Macheda and Paul Scholes both bringing Akinfeev into further action, but the hosts went in at the break trailing 2-1.
That soon became 3-1 as another bit of lapse defending from the hosts allowed Berezutsky to head home a deep free-kick at the far post on 47 minutes. This time Macheda was the guilty party, the young Italian losing his man as the ball was whipped over.
United should have been given a chance to level for a second time just three minutes later, but referee Olegario Benquerenca waved away strong appeals for a penalty as Fletcher was tripped in the box. Replays showed there to have been contact, but the Portuguese official opted to caution the Scot instead of pointing to the spot.
Alex Ferguson brought on Rooney and Evra just before the hour mark and the introduction of the pair gave United an immediate lift.
Rooney glanced a header wide on 63 minutes before he was denied by Akinfeev, who had just saved another effort from Owen.
United continued to press and Macheda nearly pulled one back with a header than thumped the base of the post before Scholes signalled his own personal intent with a rasping drive that stung Akinfeev's fingers.
The midfielder was not to be denied and he found the back of the net from the resulting corner, heading home from close range amid some shockingly lackadaisical CSKA marking.
Buoyed by the goal and lifted by the now vocal crowd, United pushed in search of a late equaliser and it arrived in the second minute of injury time, as Akinfeev was foxed by a hefty deflection on Valencia's shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Manchester United 2-0 Blackburn Rovers

2009-10-31T22:35:00.003+02:00

Manchester United moved back up to second place in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford.

Dimitar Berbatov scored a sublime goal 10 minutes into the second half before Wayne Rooney struck late on to secure United a win that gives them 25 points, two behind leaders Chelsea and three ahead of Arsenal.
Berbatov's last goal in a United shirt was an excellent bicycle kick in the 2-2 draw with Sunderland, and he followed that acrobatic effort with one that arguably surpasses that strike.
Patrice Evra played the Bulgarian in with his back to goal, and with one touch teed up the ball before swivelling and firing a volley on the turn past Paul Robinson.
Despite having a relatively quiet game, Rooney doubled United's lead in the closing moments when he steered Anderson's near-post cross into the far corner for his eighth of the season.
Results elsewhere on Saturday mean Rovers stay in 17th, one place above the relegation zone, as their terrible away form continues. They have now lost all four of their away league matches this season, shipping 18 goals along the way.
United began the evening with Jonny Evans and Wes Brown at the heart of their defence, as Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were both injured. However, their defence was not unduly tested as Rovers set out to frustrate United and silence the crowd, which they did to good effect for much of the opening period.
Following a rather low key opening half-hour, United finally gave the subdued Old Trafford crowd something to shout about when Berbatov had two chances within a minute.
First the striker received the ball with his back to goal on the penalty spot, but his shot on the turn was blocked by a well-timed tackle from the impressive Gael Givet. Moments later, the club record signing forced Paul Robinson to tip over the bar with a strong header.
Berbatov did have the ball in the back of the net five minutes before half time, only to see it disallowed. The Bulgarian stole in to tap home Wayne Rooney's cross from close range, only to wheel away in celebration and see the linesman's flag up for offside against Rooney.
United boss Alex Ferguson brought on Gabriel Obertan on the hour mark in place of Nani, who once more disappointed as he struggled to deal with the rough treatment dished out to him by Rovers' defenders.
The young Frenchman, who impressed on his debut at Barnsley in the Carling Cup in midweek, failed to mark his Premier League debut with a goal as he fired wide of the target from eight yards out. However, he did have a small part to play in Rooney's goal, as it was he who brought the ball down the left flank before leaving it for Anderson to cross.
Striker Nikola Kalinic replaced lone frontman Franco di Santo for Rovers, and the Croat had the ball in the back of the net in the first of four added minutes at the end of the 90, only to see the linesman's flag incorrectly raised for offside against him.

Michael Owen was another late attacking introduction for United, and his low shot that flashed inches wide of the far post was the last act of a match that United won without ever really impressing and Blackburn lost without ever looking poor.

Rest of games results:
Bolton 0-4 Chelsea
Burnley 2-0 Hull City
Everton 1-1 Aston Villa
Fulham 3-1 Liverpool
Portsmouth 4-0 Wigan Athletic
Stoke City 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sunderland 2-2 West Ham United
Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester United beat Barnsley 2-0

2009-10-28T10:33:00.002+02:00

Danny Welbeck and Michael Owen gave Manchester United a 2-0 victory over Barnsley at Oakwell to go into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.

Welbeck, pictured, scored after six minutes with Owen scoring just before the hour mark on a night that saw Gary Neville sent off for the visitors.
Barnsley had plenty of chances to score but consistently failed to find the target as their cup run came crashing to an end.
It was the visitors who started the match in more aggressive fashion, pushing upfield at every chance with Welbeck on the left and debutant Gabriel Obertan on the right causing problems for the defence.
And it took just six minutes for United to open the scoring, with Anderson's perfectly-struck corner going straight to the completely unmarked Welbeck, who headed powerfully past Luke Steele.
United continued to dominate the early exchanges as they looked completely in control, with Obertan drawing a superb save from Steele on 19 minutes as he looked certain to score on his debut.
But from then on the Tykes seemed to get the measure of their visitors, hanging on to the ball well and beginning to make chances.
On 23 minutes a corner curled in by Adam Hammill found Malta international Daniel Bogdanovic, whose header clattered against the left upright.
And twice in the next 10 minutes Barnsley defender Stephen Foster had two good headers from corners, one that went wide to the right and then the second just over the bar.
The changed pattern of the match seemed to wake up United's dormant midfield, and they once again began to hang on to the ball better and played the half out safely.
Just three minutes after the break Owen had a chance to put the visitors out of sight, being played through by a terrific ball from Anderson and having just the keeper to beat from inside the box.

But fast-charging defender Foster came through in time to put on a bit of pressure, and Owen's atrociously feeble finish dribbled weakly off the pitch.
It was just the sort of finish that would make Fabio Capello's life easier by removing any prospect of Owen going to South Africa next year - but the diminutive striker made amends 10 minutes later with a great bit of control that gave him the second goal.
Anderson put the ball through to Owen from the left, but the goal was made by the striker's deft control and short burst of acceleration that took him past three Barnsley players, giving him the space to fire a perfectly-placed shot into the bottom right corner.
Barnsley refused to give in despite the second goal, and their hope was bolstered when Neville was dismissed three minutes later for keeping his studs up on the follow through of an otherwise well-won challenge against Hammill.
The decision seemed harsh on Neville, but Barnsley nonetheless used it as a springboard to launch a series of raids upfield in the last half-hour.
And the hosts managed to create a series of good openings, with Hammill and Bogdanovic each hitting a pair of great chances just wide of the uprights.
Substitute Jacob Butterfield did even better on 79 minutes with a stunning piece of football, controlling a tricky pass from the left and side-stepping to beat three United defenders, then rifling a brilliant shot back across goal towards the bottom right corner.
But Ben Foster showed the class that has earned him international honours, pulling out an outstanding diving save to his left that prevented a seemingly certain goal.
It was a cruel blow to a side who deserved at least a consolation goal, and with the players' legs fading and the crowd's singing dying down United closed the match out comfortably.
Though the holders were good value for their spot in the next round, Barnsley's players will be lamenting the lack of quality finishing that saw them blow all the chances they had to make a contest of it.
For United, there were two down sides: first, the poor defending at set pieces that should have seen them punished; and second, the injury to the superb Welbeck, which saw the player limp off with just over half an hour to go.

Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United

2009-10-25T18:00:00.004+02:00

Fernando Torres and David Ngog struck as Liverpool downed bitter rivals Manchester United 2-0 at Anfield to give their season a much-needed shot in the arm.
Torres broke the deadlock on 65 minutes before Ngog added a gloss to the scoreline deep into injury time with both teams down to 10 men as Liverpool's run of four straight defeats ended.
Nemanja Vidic was dismissed for a third straight game against the Merseyside club in the final minute while Javier Mascherano also received his marching orders in time added on.
Antonio Valencia had earlier hit the bar as United rallied but Liverpool held on to record a crucial victory that sees them move into fifth place, allowing manager Rafa Benitez to finally celebrate something on his 200th Premier League match in charge.
United stay in second, having lost top spot to Chelsea on Saturday.
Liverpool may have been missing inspirational skipper Steven Gerrard, who was forced to watch on from the stands through injury, but Benitez was boosted by the return of Torres. The Spaniard did not disappoint.
Having failed to have a sniff of goal during the opening 65 minutes, Torres proved his worth to his club when he was played through on goal by a fantastic Yossi Benayoun pass. He held off the challenge of Rio Ferdinand before lashing into the roof of the net, leaving Edwin van der Sar no chance.

As United pressed forward for a late equaliser, they were exposed at the back and Ngog took full advantage in the sixth minute of time added on, the substitute keeping his cool when played clean through on goal to fire home and seal victory.

Liverpool v Manchester United preview

2009-10-25T07:31:00.004+02:00

Check out all the facts and stats ahead of Liverpool's Premier League clash with Manchester United at Anfield.This will be Rafa Benitez's 200th Premier League game in charge of Liverpool.If Liverpool lose this game then it will be the first time they have lost three successive league games under Rafa Benitez.
Liverpool have failed to score in their last two league games. They have not gone three in a row without scoring since March 2005.
Only one of Liverpool's last 21 league games has ended as a draw.
Manchester United have gone 14 Premier League away games without a draw.
The only Premier League home team to score more than once against Manchester United in 2009 are Fulham, back in March.
United have lost only one of their last seven Premier League trips to Anfield.
The last five league meetings between these sides in Liverpool have seen a total of just six goals, three of them in last season's match.
Manchester United have delivered the most crosses this season (232) but Liverpool have played the most successful crosses (55).

CSKA 0-1 Manchester United

2009-10-21T20:24:00.005+02:00

Manchester United maintained their 100 per cent record in Champions League Group B with a well-deserved 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium.
United controlled much of the match, but they left it late to take all three points, Antonio Valencia swooping to confirm their dominance with just four minutes remaining.
The result means Alex Ferguson's side are five points clear at the top of the table, after Wolfsburg had to settle for a goalless draw against Besiktas. United can now seal qualification from the group stage with a point against CSKA back at Old Trafford in a fortnight.
Pre-match talk centred on how the visitors would cope with the Luzhniki's infamous plastic pitch and as expected the ball bounced higher and held up more than usual.
The result was a cagey opening period during which chances were few and far between, but the synthetic turf did not appear to give either side a clear advantage.
United edged possession early on and Paul Scholes went closest to breaking the deadlock after 25 minutes, the veteran midfielder cleverly unleashing a shot from 30 yards out that bounced awkwardly just in front of Igor Akinfeev. The CSKA keeper had to be alert to make an effective, if ungainly, save.
Fabio Da Silva, playing at left-back in the absence of the injured Patrice Evra, impressed with his attacking play, and the Brazilian was keen to support Nani down the left hand side at every opportunity.
Nani, meanwhile, was also busy and United's only other real chance of the first half came from one of the many crosses he put into the CSKA penalty area. This one eventually fell to Gary Neville, who sent a measured side-footer just over the bar on 37 minutes.

At the other end, a Tomas Necid header preceded a cross-shot from the dangerous Milos Krasic and an Alan Dzagoyev free-kick that caused panic in the United box, but otherwise United's back line was not troubled, even though Nemanja Vidic looked uncertain on occasion.
After the break Vidic lost his central defensive partner Rio Ferdinand, who was taken off as a precautionary measure with one eye on Sunday's big clash against Liverpool.
But with United upping their game in the second half, much of the action took place at the other end and Wes Brown, Ferdinand's replacement, was comfortable for the remainder of the evening.
Just once did CSKA threaten to get on the scoresheet, when Sergei Ignashevich nearly prodded home a dangerous free-kick after 64 minutes.
But otherwise, United controlled the game during the second half and the only thing lacking from their play, until the later stages, was a final product, although they came close to finding one on several occasions.
Nani was denied a diving header on the hour mark by an excellent save from Akinfeev before the CSKA skipper raced off his line to smother at the Portuguese's feet seven minutes later.
Michael Owen was introduced with just under 20 minutes remaining in the hope the striker could make a breakthrough, although the striker failed to make a difference, swinging and missing at his best chance with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Valencia fared better and the Ecuadorian rattled the frame of the goal with a superb strike following a neat passing move from United, again involving Nani, on 82 minutes.
Four minutes later, United's pressure eventually told as Valecnia settled the match, lashing past Akinfeev from Dimitar Berbatov's flick on to give United their first victory over Russian opponents in UEFA competitions.

CSKA vs Manchester United FC preview

2009-10-21T13:19:00.002+02:00

PFC CSKA Moskva coach Juande Ramos is relishing the opportunity to pit his wits against Manchester United FC and Sir Alex Ferguson when the three-time UEFA Champions League winners travel to Russia for their third Group B game holding a three-point lead in the standings. Sir Alex has already experienced plenty of euphoria at the Luzhniki Stadium, venue for the 2008 final win against Chelsea FC, but despite the emotions stirred by a return to the Russian capital and the prospect of facing Liverpool FC at the weekend, the United manager is fully focused on the task in hand.

Juande Ramos, CSKA coach
What I like about Russia is that the players are very disciplined, ready to listen and take on new things so training is very positive. Some United players won't feature but I'm sure they will find replacements, just as we will replace the players we are missing. The game will be a kind of barometer for us, showing how close we are to clubs like United. We will be looking to win, to pick up three points and have the chance to do that at home. They have a big match against Liverpool this weekend but [Wednesday's] game, in terms of emotion and the challenge will be comparable to Liverpool. I don't think they will take it easy in any way. Of course, two big matches so close to each other will make their coach shift the workload somehow, but they want to win the group so they need to play for victory.

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager
Obviously I have fantastic memories [of the Moscow final] but these are things of the past. It was wonderful and I won't forget it but we have a more important match tomorrow. We have analysed CSKA quite a lot in the last two weeks. It is an interesting combination: they have more experienced players in the back four and good young players in front in [Miloš] Krasić and [Alan] Dzagoev. They keep the ball down all the time and show good speed. The [Russian] league becomes stronger and can be compared to other good leagues like Germany and France. There are new teams like FC Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Rubin Kazan – it shows there is room for people with ambition. CSKA are now fifth and need to win all the games to qualify for Europe, so that shows the level of the league. It's not an easy league at all. Our advantage is that we have very good players.

Wayne Rooney is among five key Manchester United FC players ruled out of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League fixture at PFC CSKA Moskva.

Hope over duo
Rooney misses out with a calf strain and remained in England along with Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, Ji-Sung Park and Darren Fletcher as the rest of the United squad headed to Russia on Monday afternoon. Giggs and Evra picked up knocks in Saturday's 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers FC, while Park and Fletcher both sat out that match. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson is nonetheless hopeful that striker Dimitar Berbatov and defender Nemanja Vidić will recover from minor complaints as United aim to keep up their perfect record in Group B.

Weekend results
17/10/09 PFC Spartak Nalchik 1-1 CSKA
(Amisulashvili 26; Krasić 2)

• The draw with Spartak Nalchik ended CSKA's run of three successive away defeats in the Premier-Liga, but with leaders FC Rubin Kazan winning they are now seven points off the summit.

17/10/09 Manchester United 2-1 Bolton Wanderers FC
(Knight 5og, Valencia 33; Taylor 75)

• The win took United back to the top of the Premier League as Chelsea lost 2-1 at Aston Villa FC. United have scored 20 goals in their last seven league games.

• Antonio Valencia scored his first goal for United since his summer move from Wigan Athletic FC. It was his first Premier League goal since December 2008, though he has scored twice for Ecuador this season.

Team news
CSKA
Out: Mark González (ankle), Guilherme (thigh)
Doubtful: Vasili Berezutski (cold)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

United
Out: Wayne Rooney (calf), Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, Ji-Sung Park (knee), Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves (knee),
Doubtful: Nemanja Vidić (ankle), Dimitar Berbatov
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Nemanja Vidić

Background
• United are unbeaten in 13 away games in the UEFA Champions League but they are without a win in five matches against Russian clubs.

• Ramos faced United twice while manager of Tottenham Hotspur FC from October 2007 to October 2008, the first a 3-1 FA Cup fourth round defeat at Old Trafford in January 2008 and then a 1-1 league home draw the following month.

• United trio Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney were on the losing side at the Luzhniki Stadium with England in a UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Russia on 17 October 2007. CSKA's Aleksei Berezutski, Vasili Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich were in the Russia team that earned a 2-1 victory, despite Rooney hitting the opening goal.

Manchester United 2 Bolton Wanderers 1

2009-10-18T01:50:00.003+02:00

Manchester United received more last-gasp salvation at Old Trafford - this time from Edwin van der Sar as they scrambled back to the Barclays Premier League summit.

Late goals against Manchester City and Sunderland have kept United afloat at Old Trafford this season. This time the drama was all at the other end.

Two goals up and cruising against Bolton Wanderers thanks to an early Zat Knight own goal and Antonio Valencia's first since a £17m summer move from Wigan Athletic, United looked destined to ease home.

Instead, the whole match changed following a series of superb saves from Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Matt Taylor pulled one back 15 minutes from time. And with almost the final touch, Gary Cahill went agonisingly close to snatching a point with a point-blank header which the returning veteran Van der Sar somehow managed to keep out.

United could have been ahead before Patrice Evra charged forward on the overlap and drove a cross to Michael Owen at the near-post.

With Wayne Rooney missing due to a groin injury, Owen could have done with getting his own name on the scoresheet.

PROMISING START
Instead, his off-target header fell to Knight, who misjudged an intended clearance and instead trundled the ball into his own net.

More should have soon followed. Jonny Evans gave Jussi Jaaskelainen the opportunity to make a fine block when really his far-post header should have been guided in from a Ryan Giggs cross that came at the end of some excellent approach play.

Dimitar Berbatov, celebrating the birth of his first child - Dea - on Thursday, blazed a decent opportunity wide, while Jaaskelainen stood tall in the face of Valencia's long-range effort.

It meant Ferguson's side had to wait until the 33rd minute to double their lead, before which Kevin Davies had wasted a golden chance to equalise.

Valencia has made a promising start in his new surroundings, with the exception of his efforts in front of goal.

The Ecuador star has rarely given the impression of being prolific and there have been many better chances than the one he belted past Jaaskelainen.

However, after collecting Michael Owen's square ball, he raced forward before prodding a pass to Gary Neville, whose return was delivered with precision, inviting what followed.

NARROWLY WIDE
Had Jaaskelainen not managed to beat away an acrobatic Berbatov volley, the Bulgarian would have had a fitting way to celebrate such a momentous week in his life.

The Finn also denied Valencia, whose rasping angled drive was heading for the far corner and the worth of Jaaskelainen's immense contribution was proved 15 minutes from time when Bolton dragged themselves back into the contest.

United failed to heed the warning offered by a disallowed Ivan Klasnic effort, and when Kevin Davies launched a far post cross towards Taylor, the midfielder steered his header into the left corner.

The move highlighted Evra's weakness in the air, which Bolton desperately tried to exploit.

Ivan Klasnic, whose introduction had thrown United's defence into a panic, fired narrowly wide, then Knight was off target before Cahill was presented with his glorious chance.

Ferguson had already placed his trust in Van der Sar to make his first appearance of the season after breaking his fingers in the summer, and the 38-year-old did not let him down.

Manchester United draw 2 - 2 Sunderland in the last minutes

2009-10-04T00:46:00.002+02:00

Manchester United scored another dramatic late goal but still had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Sunderland at Old Trafford.

Patrice Evra's 93rd-minute shot deflected in off the luckless Anton Ferdinand to earn United a point they hardly deserved.
Sunderland were the better side and led twice. First, through a brilliant seventh-minute goal by Darren Bent, then through a header just before the hour from his strike partner Kenwyne Jones.
But a sensational overhead kick from Dimitar Berbatov and Ferdinand's own-goal gave the champions a share of the spoils in a thrilling climax, two weeks after Michael Owen's 96th-minute winner in the derby against Manchester City.
United old-boy Kieran Richardson was sent off for a second bookable offence after kicking the ball away, and 10-man Sunderland failed to hold out.
The point takes Steve Bruce's side to the dizzy heights of sixth in the Premier League, while Chelsea can knock United off top spot with a win at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
Sunderland deserve credit for an organised, combative display built on a central midfield fulcrum of Lee Cattermole and Lorik Cana. Yet United were poor throughout, especially in midfield where Ryan Giggs was sorely missed.
Giggs made a match-winning contribution from the substitutes' bench against Stoke City last weekend, but was mysitfyingly left out of the 18-man squad here.
With his flicks, tricks and tendency to run down cul-de-sacs, Nani is an easy target for critics. But it becomes even simpler to point out his deficiencies when he completes none of his first six crosses and continually makes bad decisions in important situations.
Wayne Rooney left his foot in on Andy Reid in a moment of frustration at his side's dismal performance. A stricter referee might have sent the England striker off, but Alan Wiley chose to give Rooney no more than a talking-to.
Bent's goal was a gem. He received a slick pass from Cattermole, turned sharply and hit an early shot low past Ben Foster into the left corner.
Foster was recalled after being dropped for United's Champions League match against Wolfsburg. It cannot have been part of the goalkeeper's plans to concede within seven minutes.

Berbatov admitted this week that he has been a disappointment since his £30 million arrival from Tottenham Hotspur, but he did plenty to win over his doubters with a magnificent equaliser.
John O'Shea crossed from the right and the Bulgarian met the ball acrobatically, directing it past Gordon into the right corner with a perfect bicycle kick.
Old Trafford fully expected United to do what they have done so many times and go on to win the game, yet they contrived to surrender the initiative again.
Seven minutes later Sunderland were back in front when Andy Reid clipped a hanging cross into the United box and Foster, Jones and the ball all converged at the same time.
A stronger goalkeeper would have have taken out man and ball with authority; Foster allowed Jones to muscle in front and bundle the ball home. Edwin van der Sar's return cannot come soon enough.
Yet United roused themselves for another piece of stoppage time magic. Nemanja Vidic headed across goal and Sunderland cleared to what they thought was safety, but Evra returned the ball with interest and a wicked touch off Ferdinand took the ball into the corner.

Manchester United 2 - 1 Wolfsburg

2009-09-30T22:39:00.004+02:00

Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick were on target as Manchester United came from behind to beat Wolfsburg 2-1 in an entertaining Champions League clash at Old Trafford.

The German champions took the lead after 56 minutes through Edin Dzeko's towering header but evergreen midfielder Giggs fired home a free-kick to pull United back on level terms just three minutes later.
Carrick curled home what proved to be the winner with 12 minutes remaining to give United two wins from two in Group B and inflict Wolfsburg's first defeat in the competition.
The Bundesliga side, making their debut in Europe's premier club competition this season, kicked off their campaign with an impressive 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow a fortnight ago, Brazilian striker Grafite completing a hat-trick with four minutes to go.
And Armin Veh's side continued where they left off in Germany, taking the game to their hosts in a rainy Manchester and making most of the early running.
Grafite and strike partner Dzeko started for the German club, with Obafemi Martins again forced to start on the bench, and early interchanges between the pair helped reinforce their reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
Certainly, United's backline appeared slightly unnerved by Wolfsburg's strong start to the game and both Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra gave the ball away cheaply within the opening 10 minutes.
Vidic's aberration, after just four minutes, allowed Zvjezdan Misimovic, Dzeko's Bosnian compatriot, the chance to shoot on goal and Tomasz Kuszczak, preferred to Ben Foster in United's goal, was forced into making his first save of the night.
As an attacking force, United struggled during the opening stages of the game, and part of the reason became clear when Dimitar Berbatov, who was overlooked in favour of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, started to warm up on the sidelines on the quarter-hour mark.

In front of the watching Fabio Capello, Owen had tweaked his groin and was forced off the pitch with just 20 minutes played. Enter Berbatov, and United's attacking play became noticeably sharper.
His impact was almost immediate, the Bulgarian's backheel finding Antonio Valencia, who wastefully shot wide of the mark on 25 minutes.
Wayne Rooney then found the back of the net from Berbatov's ball across the face of goal but the strike was chalked off for offside. Replays later showed Berbatov to have been onside when he received the ball.
It was not the last time United were to have a goal disallowed on the night - Giggs also had an effort ruled out for offside after the break, and again it was a contentious decision as replays showed the Welshman was played in as the ball pinged off the legs of Misimovic.
With Berbatov pulling the strings, United looked a different proposition and Carrick nearly opened the scoring after having profited from the Bulgarian's clever through pass in the 30th minute.
Berbatov himself then fired over from Giggs's back-post cross before Carrick saw a diving header saved by Benaglio.
But Wolfsburg maintained a threat of their own and Christian Gentner's header over the bar on 34 minutes served as a reminder that at 0-0 this game was still up for grabs.
But it did not stay goalless for long and as Berbatov's influence diminished Wolfsburg broke the deadlock when Dzeko leapt above Evra to direct a header past Kuszczak 11 minutes into the second half.
United hit back almost immediately, Giggs notching his 150th goal for United with a heavily deflected free-kick that wrong-footed Benaglio in the Wolfsburg goal.
The goal gave United a lift and they surged forward in search of a winner. Rooney almost found it with a sumptuous curling effort that flew inches wide of the angle of post and bar before Carrick finally did, the England midfielder sending a shot into the top corner after Berbatov and Giggs conspired to tee him up on the edge of the penalty area.
But still the visitors refused to accept defeat and when Josue lifted his head with six minutes remaining, Old Trafford hearts were firmly in mouths. But his stabbed effort bounced wide and with it went Wolfsburg's hopes of getting anything from the game.
United are now three points clear at the top of Group B with six points. Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow have three apiece while Besiktas are bottom with none after their defeat to the Russians in the day's early game.

Manchester United FC vs Wolfsburg preview

2009-09-30T08:59:00.001+02:00

Led by a front pair of Grafite and Edin Džeko even Sir Alex Ferguson concedes is "incredible", Armin Veh says there is no reason for his VfL Wolfsburg charges to be initimidated by the Old Trafford atmosphere when they take on Manchester United FC. He feels the experience of big Bundesliga crowds will mask the fact this will be the German side's away debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage, even if they are up against three-time European titleholders.

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager
The two Wolfsburg [strikers] scored 71 goals between them last season which is incredible, so we're looking forward to the game. I believe that if the home record is good it gives you a good chance to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League. And over the years our home record has been pretty good. We won our first match away from home which is a very big bonus to us. Germany is a good football nation. It says a lot for Wolfsburg's ambition: the progress they made last year, they did it in a very positive way. Sides from countries like Germany are always capable of winning the Champions League. The last few years it has been dominated by English teams, but there's always the possibility of someone coming in.

Armin Veh, Wolfsburg coach
Despite the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tévez, United are still strong. When you take a look at the table you see that they haven't lost in six matches so I see no significant changes – Manchester United have the same quality. This is a special game. United have played in more than 150 Champions League matches, while for us it's just our second game, but we're not going to sit back. I can't say if the lads will be inspired or scared of playing their first match at Old Trafford, but we'll still play our game, otherwise it'll be tough for us. But if you talking about the atmosphere, nothing beats the Bundesliga where crowds are enormous. There is a chance that Obafemi Martins will be brought into action and we'll play with three strikers, but of course it's not easy for him to win the competition with two strikers like Grafite and Edin Džeko.

Weekend results
26/09/09 Stoke City FC 0-2 United
(Berbatov 62, O'Shea 77)
• The win at Stoke was United's seventh in a row in all competitions. United have won 14 and lost just one of their last 16 Premier League games.

• United have scored 16 goals in their last five league matches. Of the 17 league goals they have scored this season 13 have come in the second half.

26/09/09 Wolfsburg 4-2 Hannover 96
(Misimović 8, Gentner 45, Hasebe 48, Džeko 62; Balitsch 28, Madlung 50og)
• It was Wolfsburg's fourth loss in six matches, their worst sequence since November/December 2007.

• Wolfsburg are yet to draw this season. After ten competitive games, they have won six and lost four, three of those defeats coming in the Bundesliga.

• Zvjezdan Misimović scored his fifth league goal of the season against Hannover, making him joint top scorer in the Bundesliga.

Team news
• United
Out: Owen Hargreaves (knee), Rafael (shoulder), Gabriel Obertan (calf), Edwin van der Sar (broken finger)
Doubtful: Ji-Sung Park (illness)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

• Wolfsburg
Out: none
Doubtful: Josué (knee)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Background
• United have not lost a home game in the UEFA Champions League since a 1-0 defeat by AC Milan in February 2005.

• This is Wolfsburg's maiden trip to England, although they did emerge victorious from their first encounter with an English team last season – beating Portsmouth FC 3-2 in the UEFA Cup group stage with goals from Džeko, Misimović and Christian Gentner.

• United forward Dimitar Berbatov scored twice in eight Bundesliga matches against Wolfsburg during five and a half years with Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

• Wolfsburg striker Martins was on target for Newcastle United FC in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on the opening day of the 2008/09 Premier League season.

Did you know?
Sir Alex has twice claimed European honours against German clubs – his Aberdeen FC side defeated Hamburger SV to land the 1983 UEFA Super Cup and United beat FC Bayern München in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final.

Man United Scores Twice against Stoke City

2009-09-26T18:24:00.002+02:00

Manchester United went top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.

The champions' victory, coupled with Chelsea's 3-1 defeat at Wigan, meant they overtook Carlo Ancelotti's side on goal difference.
Second-half goals from Dimitar Berbatov and John O'Shea secured the points, but it was the introduction from the bench of Ryan Giggs that proved decisive.
The veteran midfielder unlocked a previously solid Stoke defence, setting up both goals and proving his enduring ability.

Sir Alex Ferguson kept faith with under-fire keeper Ben Foster, but the England man could hardly have had an easier time against his former club.
Foster had such an easy afternoon, he could have sat in the United goalmouth with his pipe and slippers and still kept a clean sheet.
United are used to being patient; just four of their 17 Premier League goals this season have come in the first half.
The only clear-cut chance of the first half fell to winger Antonio Valencia, who has made a slow start to life with the Champions.
The Ecuadorean winger raced in from the right flank and bore down on goal, but clipped his shot just past Thomas Sorensen's left-hand post.
Elsewhere it was just half-chances for United; Wayne Rooney hooked an early volley over, Nani was equally wayward and Berbatov saw a shot blocked.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis is an arch-pragmatist, putting results ahead of romance. Their performance in the top flight since summer 2008 shows it is working, and the Potters were happy to defend in numbers in front of their home crowd.
Time and again, there would be 21 players inside the Stoke half but no breakthrough for the champions, who were expertly forced wide from where the delivery of Nani and Valencia lacked quality.
Dave Kitson provided Stoke's main threat, bothering Rio Ferdinand to distraction before a collision with Valencia saw him pick up a shin injury that put him off his game.
Stoke's disciplined display hardly made for great entertainment, but the 28,000 roaring fans inside the Britannia Stadium were clearly prepared to sacrifice that in exchange for a point against the champions.
However, on 54 minutes, Ferguson brought Giggs on for the disappointing Nani and the veteran soon showed what United had been missing.
Just after the hour mark, he received a Darren Fletcher pass in the left channel, then played a clever square ball across the six-yard line to present Berbatov with a tap-in.

It was just the sort of simple, intelligent play United will miss when the 35-year-old eventually ends his glittering career.
Having been geared to protect the stalemate, Stoke struggled to shift into a more attacking gear.
The visitors continued to dominate possession and chance were fleeting and few for Stoke.
James Beattie and Tuncay Sanli came off the bench, but Giggs continued to exert his magisterial influence.
Having claimed three assists in last weekend's derby, the Welshman made it two against Stoke with a pinpoint free-kick that O'Shea glanced inside the far corner.
Giggs might have added a goal of his own when Paul Scholes found him unmarked, but sent the shot high over with the outside of his left boot.

Manchester United held on to defeat Wolves

2009-09-24T04:13:00.003+02:00

Ten-man Manchester United held on to defeat Wolves 1-0 thanks to a Danny Welbeck strike in their third round Carling Cup clash at Old Trafford.

Wolves were unable to take advantage of Fabio's 29th minute dismissal for a professional foul on Michael Kightly and United eased through to round four with the minimum of fuss thanks to Welbeck's composed 66th minute finish.
It was Wolves who had the first opportunity of the match after 12 minutes and the former United striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was the man with the chance.
Ebanks-Blake and Kightly had shared a few neat link-ups prior to this one and this time Kightly fed last season's top scorer in the Championship, who cut inside and hit a shot that had Tomasz Kuszczak at full stretch, but that in the end was just too high.
United, as is customary at Old Trafford, enjoyed the majority of possession, but in part due to Nani's inability to produce a final ball to back up his neat wing play, the hosts hadn't created a chance of note in the opening 28 minutes.
In the 29th minute Wolves broke after a United attack and when the ball broke loose after a challenge by Wes Brown on Stefan Maierhofer, Kightly was away and clear.
Fabio was caught on the wrong side and with Kightly bearing down on goal Fabio slipped and pulled the Wolves winger down with him, giving referee Peter Walton no option but to send the young defender off.
Wolves had a couple of chances to make their numerical advantage tell in the final quarter of an hour of the half, but David Jones, himself a former United youngster, was guilty of missing the best of them.

Goalmouth action was few and far between in the second half and other than a deflected 64th minute effort from Nani that struck Marcus Hahnemann's post and rebounded to safety, chances were at a premium and the match looked to be at a stalemate with Wolves reluctant to go all out for the win.
All that changed two minutes later when Michael Carrick picked out Owen on the edge of the Wolves penalty area and the striker played a perfectly weighted first time pass to Welbeck, who finished confidently past Hahnemann.
Wolves brought on Kevin Doyle for the tiring Ebanks-Blake and the Irish international had the best of the remaining chances in the game, however he found Kuszczak in decent form in goal for United and the visitors were unable to get back into the game.

Man united wins a dramatic derby

2009-09-20T16:33:00.005+02:00

Substitute Michael Owen netted a dramatic injury-time winner as United beat City 4-3 in a pulsating Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

Owen replaced Dimitar Berbatov on 78 minutes and struck with a typically cool finish in the sixth minute of injury time to settle a thrilling match in which City had three times come from behind.
Indeed, Craig Bellamy thought he had snatched all three points at the death when he netted his second of the game in the 90th minute, but Owen ensured he will go down in United folklore with an even later strike.

Wayne Rooney had given United the perfect start with the opener after just two minutes only for City to reply through Gareth Barry soon after. A Darren Fletcher brace in the second half twice restored United's lead with Bellamy maintaining City hope with his first in between.
The result sees United move level on points with Chelsea at the top of the table while City's first defeat of the season saw them remain in fourth - at least until Chelsea meet Spurs in the late kick-off.
That Owen managed to steal the headlines says much for the late drama at Old Trafford, given that the day also marked the return of Carlos Tevez to his former stomping ground.
The Argentine managed to shake off a knee injury to start against his former club but amicable scenes in the tunnel which saw Tevez hugging some of his old team-mates quickly disappeared as he was roundly booed on his entrance into the Old Trafford arena.
His every touch was subsequently jeered by those fans for whom he was an idol not so long ago.
But Tevez, who had said he expected to receive a warm welcome on his return, was not diminished by the reception and, almost inevitably, was heavily involved during an explosive first half.

Not only did his hassling and harrying create the chance for Barry to equalise, he was also booked for a late challenge on Rio Ferdinand before hitting an upright before the half-time whistle sounded.
The day started in the worst possible fashion for City as Rooney capitalised on a shocking lapse of concentration in the visitors' defence in just the second minute, firing past Shay Given after the totally unmarked Patrice Evra was allowed to receive a throw-in and find the England striker in the box.
The goal rocked City and with United not giving an inch early on, the pre-match bluster surrounding a shift of power appeared to be nothing more than hot air.
But Mark Hughes's side are undoubtedly a different animal to the one on show last season and they proved as much when they drew back on level terms 14 minutes later, thanks to a combination of a calamitous blunder by Ben Foster and some typical Tevez tenacity.

The England keeper opted against hitting row Z with a clearance, instead choosing to turn back inside his penalty area so he could pick the ball up. But he did not reckon on Tevez, who stole in and dispossessed him before playing the ball across to Barry. The midfielder still had a lot to do, but he coolly found the corner with a first-time strike.
As the opening period wore on, the game settled, but Tevez ensured the excitement was merely on a backburner and it soon reignited when the Argentine hit the woodwork after a careless Rooney backheel allowed Kolo Toure to advance and feed the former United man.

United burst out of the blocks in the second half in a similar vein to how they had in the first and Fletcher restored their lead just four minutes after the restart, rising highest to head home Ryan Giggs's cross.
Soon after Giggs was denied adding another by the legs of Given as the veteran increasingly became a central figure in the game.
But before United could extend their advantage, Bellamy thundered City level for a second time with a stunning strike on 52 minutes that flew into the top corner, leaving Foster no chance at all.
The goal came against the run of play but United did not allow it to derail their form. Indeed they proceeded to dominate the remainder of the second half as should have wrapped up all three points much earlier than they did.
With Giggs pulling the strings, Berbatov in particular was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. That he did not had much to do with the excellent Shay Given, who twice denied the Bulgarian headers with fine saves.
Given beat a Giggs half-volley behind on 70 minutes, but there was nothing the Irishman could do about Fletcher's second, a near carbon copy of his first, as United took the lead once again.

Still City refused to accept defeat and following an opportunity apiece for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Micah Richards, Bellamy struck with a thunderbolt that stunned the Old Trafford faithful as the visiting support joyfully celebrated.
But those roles were soon reversed as Owen swooped deep into injury time as Hughes was left to bemoan the addition of six minutes of injury time.

Manchester United wins by scholes header

2009-09-16T00:06:00.002+02:00

Paul Scholes popped up to head home the only goal of the game as Manchester United kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win at Besiktas.

Besiktas may not be the force of recent seasons, but Istanbul is an intimidating place and United had to ride out a storm and keep the crowd in check.
That they did in polished style and were rewarded with the winning goal, Scholes' 22nd in the Champions League, at a time when the crowd were roaring on the home side.
A win on the road in Europe is welcome at any time, but Sir Alex Ferguson is sure to be thrilled to have got this potential banana skin out of the way at the advent of the campaign.
United were sharp out of the blocks against a Besiktas side who seemed intent on proving they were no back number following the bitter weekend defeat to Galatasaray.
Scholes, sent off at the weekend, had plenty of life in his legs and a superb tackle fashioned a half-chance for Wayne Rooney but his shot from 25 yards flew wide.
Rooney looked extremely sharp in his solo attacking role, popping up all the way along the front line and he exchanged passes with Nani before teeing up Michael Carrick and his well-struck shot was clasped at full stretch by Hakan Arikan.
Arikan was called into action again on the quarter-hour, tipping the ball away from danger after Antonio Valencia had flicked on a near-post corner.
Valencia had the upper hand against Ibrahim Uzulmez on the flank and he benefited from a fine piece of play from Rooney and delivered a teasing cross into the box, but Ibrahim Kas was on hand to clear after Arikan had fumbled.
Rooney seemed to be at the heart of all United's positive play and he flipped a great cross into the box after popping up on the left, but Valencia could only glance a header wide.
Besiktas kept the crowd on their side by working hard to stifle United and they grew in confidence as the first half developed, but were restricted to shots from distance.
Serder Ozkan looked the most potent attacking threat for Besiktas and he almost grabbed the opening goal, but his shot which deflected off Jonny Evans' boot looped onto the roof of the net.
United could and possibly should have taken the lead at the start of the second half. A teasing cross from Nani forced a drastic defensive clearance from Matteo Ferrari, the ball was returned into the path of Carrick but he was unable to generate any power on his strike from eight yards.
Ferguson shuffled his pack, with Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen brought on for Rooney and Carrick. Rooney had steam coming from his ears as he trudged off and made his feelings known by flinging his boot into the ground.
Owen looked like justifying the substitution when appearing to spring the offside trap but after rounding the keeper, a late flag halted him in his tracks.
Valencia looked like United's most likely source of a goal following Rooney's departure and he flashed a low shot a yard wide after leaving his marker chasing shadows.
United's winner came on 77 minutes and it was somewhat appropriate that Valencia had a hand in it.

The Ecuadorian exchanged passes with Owen before shifting the ball to Nani. The winger made space and shot on goal, Arikan made a fine diving save but Scholes was on hand to nod home the rebound.
The goal calmed the crowd a shade, but the introduction of Nihat with eight minutes remaining raised the decibel level and he crafted a chance with a sweet cross but Mert Nobre was just unable to stretch his neck far enough to reach.
Owen squandered a good chance crafted by Berbatov, but it mattered little as United took a welcome three points.

Besiktas v Man United Match Preview

2009-09-15T15:41:00.001+02:00

Here we are again. Can Manchester United achieve a third successive final in the UEFA Champions League? today’s game against Besiktas will be tough. In fact, the whole of Group B will not be easy. German Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg will be difficult but the major test will be the home and away ties to CSKA Moscow.

But Man Utd are still firm favourites. And despite the difficult opposition in this group, many will expect nothing more than a first place finish. First up, Besiktas. Liverpool did beat them 8-0 at Anfield a few years ago, Ryan Babel hitting a hat-trick but it is unlikely that a similar result will happen in Turkey.

The hostile atmosphere described by former Turkey goalkeeper Rustu Recber, as the “noisiest, most passionate fans” and the veteran believes that it may be “hell” for United.

Man Utd are in great form at the moment, but Besiktas on the other hand are not. One win from five games wasn’t exactly how the Turkish league champions would have liked their title defence to get underway.

Who will United play today?
Ben Foster looks likely to keep his place in goal after a much improved performance against Tottenham Hotspur, while the back four should remain the same. Either Antonio Valencia, Nani or Park should get the two winger spots but who will play in the centre of midfield is unclear. Michael Carrick may get a nod, but who will partner him? Wayne Rooney and possibly Michael Owen could start up front, but we will see if that is the case.

Besiktas have some familiar names. Rustu Recber, of course, and Nihat Kahveci, who played for Spanish outfit Villareal in past seasons, and he will no doubt be the main threat. The side are not short of talent. German Michael Fink is a good player, and Matias Delgado, the Argentinian, along with Brazilian Bobo are also players to watch out for.

Manchester United too strong for Spurs

2009-09-12T20:26:00.004+02:00

Ten-man Manchester United came from a goal down to win 3-1 at White Hart Lane and end Tottenham's 100 per cent Premier League record.

Jermain Defoe opened the scoring with a spectacular overhead kick after just 47 seconds, but thereafter things went downhill for Spurs.
A Ryan Giggs free-kick, Anderson's first United goal and a Wayne Rooney strike turned the match around, and not even Paul Scholes's red card could halt the champions' progress.
After opening the season with four wins, Harry Redknapp's side were knocked off their perch after an afternoon that began so magnificently when Defoe launched himself acrobatically at a dropping ball and powered a picture perfect bicycle kick past Ben Foster.

It was his eighth goal in as many appearances for club and country this season, and the kind of strike that only a man at the top of his game would attempt, let alone execute to perfection.
Tottenham have never been a team to sit on a lead, and within a minute they presented United with a chance to level. Dimitar Berbatov backheeled into the path of Scholes, who dragged his shot disappointingly wide.
Less than four minutes in, United went close again. Darren Fletcher seized on a loose ball on the right side of the box and brought a fine save from Carlo Cudicini with his low shot.
Defoe's early piece of genius seemed to inspire others to attempt the spectacular, and Peter Crouch did just that when he chested down a long clearance and, in one motion, volleyed the ball goalwards from 30 yards but watched it sail off target.
Crouch forced a save out of Foster with another volley, while Tom Huddlestone also tried a volley on his left foot but sent it over.
On 25 minutes, Wilson Palacios went into the book for a two-footed challenge on Berbatov, but a worse punishment was to come.
The presence of Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford meant very little free-kick practice for Giggs, but the Portuguese's departure for Real Madrid has allowed the veteran to dust off his shooting boots.

Rooney helped disguise the Welshman's run-up, and Giggs curled the ball past Cudicini into the top-right corner.
Giggs, nearly 36, is a man who simply oozes statistics. This was his 700th start for United, and he has now scored in each of the last 18 league campaigns.
Anderson, by contrast, had failed to find the net in any of his 77 previous games for United.
His goal drought has always seemed baffling considering his willingness to get forward and have a shot, and is even harder to understand after watching him thump the ball low into the right corner from the edge of the box.
The Brazilian even had a machine-gun celebration prepared - clearly one that had been more than two years in the making.
Spurs started the second half in impressively determined fashion. Robbie Keane had a shot deflected over, Jermaine Jenas forced a brilliant save from Foster and Crouch headed against the bar - simply too tall to convert his towering header.

United, meanwhile, threatened to self-destruct. In the space of eight minutes Scholes executed two of his trademark late, wild tackles that left referee Andre Marriner no option but to send him off.
It was the ninth dismissal of the 34-year-old's career; we can definitively say he will never learn.
Alex Ferguson reacted by replacing Berbatov with Michael Carrick - both ex-Spurs men were heartily booed when the change was made - and United barely noticed any difference.
Rooney went close with a low shot that brought a brilliant save from Cudicini, then made it three on 78 minutes after a counter-attack from a Tottenham free-kick.
With Sebastien Bassong and Ledley King upfield, Rooney cut in from the right, bamboozled Alan Hutton and finished through the legs of Cudicini.

England beats Croatia 5-1 and qualify to WC 2010

2009-09-09T22:58:00.003+02:00

England qualified for next summer's FIFA World Cup finals after an empthatic 5-1 win against Croatia with both Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard scoring twice.

The win maintained England's100 per cent record in Group 6 and went some way to vanquishing the memories of their painful defeat by the same opposition almost two years ago – a result which ended their hopes of competing at UEFA EURO 2008™. Lampard and Gerrard both struck either side of half-time and although Eduardo pulled one back, Wayne Rooney added a fifth with 12 minutes remaining.

The conditions contrasted markedly to those during Croatia's famous 3-2 win at Wembley in 2007 – a balmy late summer's evening as opposed to that sodden November night. Then, it was Croatia who took a two-goal lead, but England were quickest out of the blocks this time. Gerrard had already had a penalty claim turned down before Aaron Lennon burst off his flank and induced Josip Šimunić into an ungainly challenge. Lampard sent his seventh-minute spot-kick low and hard to the goalkeeper's right.

An unsighted Vedran Runje then did well to deny Barry, but England were two goals to the good by the 18th minute. The ball was swept out to Lennon who floated in a far-post cross which Gerrard, arriving late, nodded into the far corner. Lennon and Lampard both went close before Emile Heskey spurned two excellent opportunities just before the break.

Croatia enjoyed their best spell immediately after the restart, but any hope was soon extinguished by Lampard, who headed in Johnson's cut-back. Gerrard then powered in Wayne Rooney's cross before Eduardo side-footed in following a sprawling double save from Robert Green. Rooney then finished the scoring as England qualified for a World Cup with two games to spare for the first time. Croatia, meanwhile, are left to battle it out with Ukraine for the section's play-off place.

Manchester United and Spurs players recalled by England

2009-09-05T13:29:00.003+02:00

Wes Brown and Ben Foster of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur's Peter Crouch and Aaron Lennon were recalled to the England squad Sunday for this month's matches against Slovenia and Croatia.
Coach Fabio Capello recalled Brown for injured United team mate Rio Ferdinand in defence while Foster, who has recovered from injury, replaces Birmingham City's Joe Hart after missing out for the friendly against the Netherlands on August 12.
Crouch and Lennon, who both scored in a 2-1 win over Birmingham Saturday, are back in the party after impressive early season displays for Tottenham who are joint top of the Premier League after winning their opening four matches.
Arsenal's Theo Walcott is omitted while he recovers from a back injury which has kept him sidelined so far this season.
The 24-man party will assemble next week before the friendly against Slovenia on September 5 and the Group Six World Cup qualifier with Croatia at Wembley on Sept 9.
England have won all seven of their World Cup qualifiers so far and will make sure of their place at next year's finals in South Africa if they beat Croatia.
The visitors will be without their main playmaker Luka Modric after he broke a bone in his fibula playing for Spurs against Birmingham Saturday.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Ben Foster (Manchester United), Robert Green (West Ham United), Paul Robinson (Blackburn Rovers)
Defenders: Wes Brown (Manchester United), Wayne Bridge (Manchester City), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Carlton Cole (West Ham United), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

Man United ends Arsenal run

2009-08-30T10:54:00.005+02:00

Manchester United ended Arsenal's perfect start to the season as they came from behind to win 2-1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Wayne Rooney earned and converted a penalty after 59 minutes before Abou Diaby headed through his own net four minutes later.
Andrei Arshavin had given the Gunners a 40th minute lead with a thunderbolt shot but Arsenal have only themselves to blame after gifting the defending champions both goals.
Arshavin, who had not scored in the Premier League since his four goals at Liverpool last season, broke the deadlock with a 25-yard screamer.
Only moments earlier the Russian was claiming a penalty after Darren Fletcher had made a sliding tackle on him but he took out his frustration in the best way possible with a rasping shot than Ben Foster got a hand to but could not prevent from nestling in the roof of the net.
Goal attempts had been limited up to that point with Arshavin coming the closest after Foster flapped at a corner. The former Zenit St Petersburg man opened his body but curled his shot just inches over the top corner.
United had their moments with Fletcher putting an early effort over the top from 12 yards and Rooney, playing on his own up front, curling a free-kick narrowly wide of the post.
Nemanja Vidic had a great chance to level on the stroke of half-time but he scuffed his shot from no more than eight yards.
Arsenal started the second period brightly and Arshavin's cross from the left was met by Robin van Persie but Foster made a superb save with his outstretched left foot to deny the Dutchman.
If Foster was partly culpable for the goal, he certainly made amends with that save and 10 minutes later his side were on level terms.
A long pass down the left channel from Giggs was collected by Rooney who went down under a challenge from the outrushing Almunia. It was a clear penalty and the United striker picked himself up to send the Spanish custodian the wrong way with his spot kick.

Van Persie struck the middle of the crossbar with a swinging free-kick from the right before Diaby gifted the hosts the lead.
Giggs swung in a free-kick from the right and inexplicably the French midfielder headed past Almunia under no real pressure.
Diaby almost made instant amends but after creating an opening with a superb mazy run, he dragged his shot wide of the far post from 14 yards.
The game then became scrappy with nine yellow cards dished out by referee Mike Dean.
Almunia denied Evra before both Nani and substitute Dimitar Berbatov spurned golden chances in added time to seal the victory.
There was still time for van Persie to have a goal disallowed after William Gallas strayed offside.
A frustrated Arsene Wenger was sent to the stands for comments made to the fourth official in the aftermath and he was surrounded by United fans as the final whistle went moments later.

Manchester United v Arsenal preview

2009-08-29T13:14:00.001+02:00

Manchester United host Arsenal in a mouthwatering match at Old Trafford.

These sides met in May when a 0-0 draw was enough for United to claim their third straight title.

MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS
Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar remain United's major absentees for the big showdown.

Sir Alex Ferguson feels Ferdinand may not quite be ready for the trip to Tottenham Hotspur on 12th September but his recovery from a thigh injury will not keep him out for much longer.

Ben Foster will continue in goal, while Michael Carrick and Anderson are hoping for recalls after missing the five-goal rout of Wigan Athletic.

ARSENAL TEAM NEWS
Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been ruled out of Saturday's Barclays Premier League match with Manchester United.

Fabregas has failed to recover from his hamstring injury in time for Old Trafford but the Gunners have no fresh injury concerns following Wednesday night's 3-1 victory over Celtic.

Theo Walcott (back), Lukasz Fabianski (knee), Samir Nasri (broken leg) and Johan Djourou (knee) all continue their rehabilitation.

SQUADS

Manchester United: Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, O'Shea, De Laet, Brown, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Nani, Carrick, Scholes, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Tosic, Valencia, Owen, Rooney, Berbatov, Macheda.

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy, Song, Ramsey, Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, Eduardo, Mannone, Van Persie, Eboue, Arshavin, Wilshere, Gibbs, Silvestre, Merida.

Man united sinks Wigan by Five

2009-08-22T18:09:00.004+02:00

A second-half goal blitz saw Manchester United put their Premier League campaign back on track with a 5-0 win at Wigan Athletic.

Three goals in seven minutes; two from Wayne Rooney, either side of a strike from the excellent Dimitar Berbatov, helped the champions eased to victory at the DW Stadium.
Substitute Michael Owen added some gloss late on, converting his first goal for the club with a typically measured finish, and Nani curled in a stoppage-time free-kick.
Although Sir Alex Ferguson's side coasted to victory, nerves were starting to build after 56 goalless minutes, coming hot on the heels of a 1-0 defeat at Burnley in midweek.
The perpetrators of Wednesday's worst misses, Owen and Michael Carrick, were dropped from the first team - Carrick did not even appear on the bench.
Berbatov replaced Owen and displayed energy and imagination in an encouraging performance.
He backheeled to Paul Scholes in the seventh minute, but the normally deadly midfielder blazed a glorious chance over from the edge of the box.
Wigan had already had one lucky escape by that stage, with Nani's fifth-minute cross finding Darren Fletcher, whose low show was blocked superbly by Titus Bramble.
The visitors continued to make all the running, with Rooney turning his man before shooting at Chris Kirkland, and Berbatov also heading straight to the Wigan goalkeeper.
Jason Koumas responded by bursting past Nemanja Vidic and curling a right-foot shot that Ben Foster did well to claw away for a corner, but United remained on top.
However, they could not get over their impotence in front of goal, which was characterised when Rooney ran on to a sumptuous long through ball, but shot low at Kirkland's legs when clean through.
No sooner had the second half started than another chance went begging as Valencia headed down for Rooney, who miscued his volley.

Just as the familiar arguments were being rehearsed about the impossibility of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo's goals, Rooney struck.
On 56 minutes, Antonio Valencia clipped in a right-sided cross against his former club, and Rooney rose to direct a firm header into the top-left corner.
A minute later Wigan nearly levelled when Rodallega's looping header was saved well by Foster following a fine diagonal cross by Jason Koumas.
Undeterred, United marched down the other end and made it two in breathtaking fashion.
Rooney found Scholes with a first-time ball and Scholes clipped a lob over the top for Berbatov. The Bulgarian lifted the ball over the onrushing Kirkland, met the ball on its way down and finished from a few yards.
By 65 minutes, it was game over, as Berbatov found Rooney on the left, and the England striker found the left corner via Mario Melchiot's shin.
There was still time for substitute Owen to net his first goal for United, running on to a Nani through-ball and clipping a deft left-foot shot in off the far post.
Nani himself scored the fifth, curling a 25-yard free-kick past the statuesque Kirkland.

Burnley stuns Manchester United

2009-08-21T09:47:00.002+02:00

Burnley scored their first points of the new Premier League season with a famous 1-0 victory over champions Manchester United at Turf Moor.

Robbie Blake's stunning first-half volley was enough to hand Burnley their first win in the top flight for 33 years.
United, missing a number of first-choice defenders including Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, were out of sorts but can have only themselves to blame for defeat after Michael Carrick squandered the chance to equalise with a missed penalty just before the break.
But for all United's shortcomings - nervy at the back, far from commanding in midfield and largely toothless up front - the result proved Burnley will be a force to be reckoned with on home turf.
That said, United enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges - although that was hardly a surprise given the different footballing worlds the two sides have occupied in recent times.
Michael Owen was handed his first start in a United shirt, Alex Ferguson asking the striker to play up front alongside Wayne Rooney in a traditional 4-4-2 with Dimitar Berbatov left on the bench.
And it was Owen who nearly broke the deadlock after just two minutes. But his stab at Patrice Evra's near post cross did little to add weight to the clammer for him to return to the England set-up.
Owen did have the ball in the back of the net two minutes later, but his effort at the second time of asking, was disallowed for off-side.
After weathering the early storm, Owen Coyle's side began to come into the game and Blake stunned the champions with a barn-storming 19th minute volley which arrowed into the top right hand corner, leaving Ben Foster no chance at all, after Evra had failed to get enough distance on a clearing header.
It could easily have been their second of the night, as Martin Paterson had gone close just moments earlier, rounding Foster only to see his effort blocked by Edwin van der Sar's stand-in.

United did fashion chances to draw level before the break.
Owen was again guilty of a bad miss, this time with a totally mistimed header from Wes Brown's well-delivered cross, before Carrick was given a great opportunity to draw level with a penalty kick after Evra was upended by Blake in the box.
But Brian Jensen saved Carrick's spot kick, a big hand reaching out to frustrate United, not for the last time on the night.
The Danish keeper, announced as man of the match by the stadium announcer as time ran out, came to Burnley's rescue on several more occasions after the break.
Park Ji-Sung saw a shot pawed away on 67 minutes before Ryan Giggs was denied by the big Dane three minutes later, following a neat one-two with Rooney.
Substitute Antonio Valencia had earlier made a mess of a far post header and the pressure on Burnley's goal increased as the full-time whistle approached, but United never really looked like getting a later leveller.
Instead, celebrations were left to the home faithful, who were able to enjoy a famous night.

Wayne Rooney gives Man United win

2009-08-17T14:54:00.004+03:00

first-half goal from Wayne Rooney gave Manchester United a 1-0 win over promoted Birmingham in their opening Premier League fixture of the season at Old Trafford.

The England striker finished from close range after his header rebounded off the post on 34 minutes.
United dominated possession but were unable to take their chances while, in the same passage of play with 19 minutes remaining, Dimitar Berbatov had a header cleared off the line by Lee Carsley and a cast-iron penalty turned down after Steven Carr trod on his foot.
But it was not all plain sailing for the hosts, as their makeshift defence looked shaky in the absence of injured duo Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand - the latter ruled out minutes before kick-off with a calf injury picked up in training.
After falling behind Birmingham had their chances to level, with Patrice Evra clearing Franck Queudrue's header off the line and Ben Foster saving well from substitute Cristian Benitez when the Ecuador striker raced clear of the United defence.
United could and should have extended their lead though as, in addition to a poor miss from Darren Fletcher and Berbatov's bad luck, Rooney flicked a header inches wide and had two long-range shots well-saved by Joe Hart while substitute Michael Owen should have marked his Premier League debut for United with an injury-time goal but he was denied by Hart.
Despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, United's teamwork and attacking intent was exceptional with Ronaldo's replacement Antonio Valencia a willing runner and ready to play the early ball when his pace freed him out wide.
Nani also impressed before coming off after suffering a reaction to the dislocated shoulder he picked up in the Community Shield defeat to Chelsea.
United had chance after chance as they bombarded Birmingham with free-flowing attacks from both flanks. Fletcher and Paul Scholes worked to contain a packed Blues midfield and slipped the ball wide as often as possible.
Carr was fortunate not to be dismissed on nine minutes when he brought Berbatov down on the edge of the box after Joe Hart's poor clearance was quickly threaded to the Bulgarian by Valencia.

From the subsequent counter-attack James McFadden put a curling effort wide after he cut inside from the left to leave the otherwise impressive Fabio stranded.
The young Brazilian covered admirably at right-back for his injured twin Rafael, bombing down the win in identical fashion to his brother and working well with Valencia.
Rooney, meanwhile, was relishing his central attacking role and forced an excellent save from Hart with a dipping, 25-yard shot on 12 minutes.
Fabio showed his Cafu-esque attacking ability just after the half hour with a bounding run down the right that culminated in a low drive that Hart did well to parry.
United took the lead soon afterwards with a clinical counter attack started by John O'Shea's long ball.
Rooney flicked it on to Berbatov, who casually nodded the ball down to Nani on the left whose cross was flicked off the far post by Rooney, who had continued his run and was perfectly placed to knock the loose ball past the helpless Hart.
Birmingham were on the rack but they were organised and bright on the counter. They could have levelled four minutes after United went ahead but Queudrue, unmarked, met Sebastian Larsson's excellent corner with a powerful header that Evra was well-positioned to clear.
Fletcher had his injury-time horror miss and United went into the break a goal to the good.
Nani was replaced by Ryan Giggs at half-time but United's stride was not broken in the slightest as they came out hungry for a second.
Rooney forced another good stop by on-loan Manchester City keeper Hart with a chest down and half-volley, while Berbatov was denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity when Queudrue flew across to nick Rooney's perfectly-weighted centre away as the Bulgarian striker waited to complete a simple headed finish.
And so it continued. Camerone Jerome deflected a Giggs free-kick just over the bar, Berbatov thought he had scored when he headed Fabio's deep cross to the top right but Carsley was on hand to clear off the line, Paul Scholes had a low drive deflected just wide after good interplay between Rooney, Owen and Valencia while Rooney looked on in agony as his flicked header from Giggs's precision cross bounced just the wrong side of the far post.
Birmingham had two key chances to level, though, with their attacks rare but relatively incisive, showing boss Alex McLeish that they could have some impact this season.
Midfielder Keith Fahey drilled a low shot inches wide with Foster beaten while, with 12 minutes remaining, the pace of Benitez took him away from United's defence before Foster made a smart stop to deny him a dream start in England.
Owen, signed on a free from Newcastle, looked bright after he came on for the last quarter hour and showed a superb turn of pace to race clear of the Birmingham defence in the 92nd minute.
Unfortunately for the former Liverpool and Real Madrid star, his finish was too straight and Hart made himself big to block for a corner.
It was not to be a fairytale start for Owen but United sealed the win to start their title defence in solid fashion while Birmingham, despite defeat, will take heart after looking competitive against the champions.

Manchester United vs Birmingham City prewiew

2009-08-16T10:03:00.002+03:00

Manchester United host Birmingham on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Birmingham City are yet to score a goal in five Premier League trips to Old Trafford, losing all five matches.
Overall, City have failed to score in eight of their 10 Premier League matches against the champions, gaining just two points.
The last two top-flight games between these sides have ended 1-0 to United.
This will be Birmingham's sixth season in the Premier League and the fifth time they have started the campaign away from home.
Manchester United have won only two of their last five opening weekend Premier League games.
In the 2007-08 Premier League season, Birmingham lost their last five away games in succession, conceding 15 goals in the process.
United have kept only three clean sheets in their last seven league games at Old Trafford.
United picked up 50 points at home last season, more than any other team.
Michael Owen has scored three goals in his last five Premier League games against Birmingham.
Dimitar Berbatov led the Premier League in open play assists last season, with nine.
United's win record with Wayne Rooney (pictured) and Cristiano Ronaldo was 71 per cent. It rises to 74 per cent in games with Rooney but without Ronaldo.
Birmingham are two short of 200 Premier League goals.

Manchester United new away kit

2009-08-13T12:19:00.001+03:00

The current Premiership champions, Manchester United, are in the middle of their pre season tour with the Audi Cup being next on their list of tournaments and fixtures. They have taken some time out of the tour to release the new Manchester United away shirt for the 2009-10 season.
The new away kit will be manufactured by Nike with the logo on the right chest and the club badge on the left.

The new Man Utd away shirt is along the same template as the home shirt with the V on the front only with the main colour being black and the V this time being blue. The design is based on the shirt that Man Utd wore in 1909 when they won their first FA Cup.

EPL Preview: The Big Four are Ready

2009-08-13T12:13:00.000+03:00

Now that the new English Premier League (EPL) season is about to begin, it's time to look at how the Big Four (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United) did in the transfer market, and what that means in terms of their chances of winning the championship. But first, some thoughts on the overall tendencies of the market, and the resulting balance between the EPL and the Spanish Liga...

The major problem for the EPL is that in comparison with this huge flow of talent to Spain, the major English clubs have very little to show in terms of added talent to the competition. An overview of the new faces in the Premier League would tell that the most important newcomers were Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen (from Ajax), Birmingham's Christian Benitez (from Santos Laguna), and Chelsea's Yuri Zhirkov (From CSKA Moscow), clearly not the most famous players in the world.

Arsenal I would say this is a decisive year for Arsene Wenger. Developing young players and being competitive at the same time is always admirable in football, and supporters certainly love it, but there is a limit to that love when not accompanied by silverware, and it has been four years since the Gunners won a trophy (FA Cup against Man Utd). The off-season has been quite calm (once again); with the exception of the above-mentioned Vermaelen, there was no major new signing at the Emirates Stadium.A healty Eduardo could be Arsenal's best 'newcomer,' but it is clear neither how good the Croatian-Brazilian can be nor if it is sufficient to make fans forget about Adebayor departure to newly rich Man City. The club's striking power seems to be thin to cover all the major fronts in which Arsenal will be involved. Unless the midfield is able to cover that gap, the Gunners will end up having another season of good football but no trophies.

Chelsea Despite all the summer frenzy, and excluding the addition of the Russian international Zhirkov, Chelsea will begin the next season with basically the same squad that finished 2008/9. Leading the team will be a new manager, Carlo Ancelotti, that could well be the most important addition in 2009, not only to Chelsea, but to the whole EPL, if he manages to display the same kind of managerial skills he showed in Italy. After a succession of failed managers and temporary care-takers, the Blues might finally settle for the first time since the Special One left.Stability is thus the main goal of this year's Chelsea, and the fact that their squad is composed by a group of players that have been together for quite some time, can only help. The only problem with this team is its expiry date. Terry, Ballack, Carvalho, Deco, Lampard, Drogba, and Anelka are not getting any younger, and even though they are more than capable of defeating any side in Europe, this might be a team near the end of the line.A deep look at the squad will reveal a structure inherited from Mourinho, that is, a structure that is five years old: Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Cole, Essien and Drogba constitute the same back-bone that led Chelsea to seven domestic trophies since then. However, for a club that got used to winning, the fact that their last Premier League trophy was in 2006 is just not good enough. For a major reform (including Abramovich departure?) not to happen in Stamford Bridge, the Blues will have to do more this season, in England... and maybe in Europe.

Liverpool Istanbul's magical night has been guaranteeing Rafa Benitez job for some years now. The question is until when? With Glen Johnson as the only major signing so far, the Spanish manager will be dealing with the same squad that so clearly underachieved last season. Cristiano Ronaldo's departure means, not only that Man Utd is not as threatening as last season, but also that Liverpool was left with arguably the two best players in the country: Gerrard and Torres. This means that Benitez has largely run out of excuses not to bring the first league title to Merseyside since 1990.From the goalkeeper to the striker, Liverpool has a balanced and deep squad that should be able to win on a regular basis. The biggest obstacle to the team's success might actually be outside the pitch, with the battle over the club's ownership about to have new developments. Sorting out this long-lasting soap opera might actually be what determines whether Liverpool will be finally able to go all the way in the EPL.

Manchester United The reigning champion, the best manager in the country (world?), and a clear winning mentality. Another season of success? Unlikely. Even though Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand have already come out in public to defend the quality of the squad, without Ronaldo and Tevez, reality shows they have lost two hugely important players.Replacing Ronaldo will be impossible, but replacing his direct contribution to the team (in terms of goals and assists) is within the capacity of the current Man Utd squad, or at least it seems, judging by how these same players performed last season. The question that needs to be asked is how big was Ronaldo's indirect influence on the team? Discounting his last games for the club, where he showed less then full-commitment, Ronaldo always gave his teammates the feeling of security that comes when you are playing with arguably the best player on the planet.The importance of that feeling will most likely determine whether Man Utd will indeed be able to keep their winning record, or whether the squad needed more changes than the ones Sir Alex Ferguson was willing to make during the summer break.

Other teams might be able to interfere with the big four this season, with Manchester City at the top of the list. However, for as impressive as their signings might be, the huge number of new players will take time to adapt, not only to each other, but to the pressure of having to win. In that sense, I would say fifth place is probably the best City might be able to achieve.But who will be on top come next May? As things stand now, I would say this could be the most balanced Premier League ever, with all the big four being able to compete for the final trophy until the very end. And that might be just what the EPL needs to re-claim its throne as the best league in the world.

Man united trophies

2009-08-13T11:07:00.000+03:00

FA PREMIER LEAGUE:

1908-1911-1952-1956-1957-1965-1967-1993-1994-1996-1997-1999-2000-2001-2003-2007-2008-2009

FA CUP:

1909-1948-1963-1977-1983-1985-1990-1994-1996-1999-2004

FOOTBALL LEAGUE CUP:

1992-2006-2009

FA CHARITY:

1908-1911-1952-1956-1957-1965-1967-1977-1983-1990-1993-1994-1996-1997-2003-2007-2008

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:

1968-1999-2008

EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS' CUP:

1991

UEFA SUPER CUP:

1991

INTERCONTINENTAL CUP:

1999

FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP:

2008

Man united history

2009-08-13T11:05:00.000+03:00

Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at Old Trafford in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and is one of the most popular football clubs in the world. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the exception of the 1974–75 season. Average attendances at the club have been higher than any other team in English football for all but six seasons since 1964–65.

Ferguson - Man Utd`s Most Successful Manager

Manchester United are the reigning English champions and Club World Cup holders, having won the 2008–09 Premier League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. The club is one of the most successful in the history of English football and has won 22 major honours since Alex Ferguson became manager in November 1986. In 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1. They won a second European Cup as part of a Treble in 1999, before winning their third in 2008. The club holds the joint record for the most English league titles with 18 and also holds the record for the most FA Cup wins with 11.
Since the late 1990s, the club has been one of the richest in the world with the highest revenue of any football club, and is currently ranked as the richest and most valuable club in any sport, with an estimated value of £897 million (€1.333 billion / $1.8 billion) as of September 2008. Manchester United was a founding member of the now defunct G-14 group of Europe’s leading football clubs, and its replacement, the European Club Association.
Alex Ferguson has been manager of the club since 6 November 1986, joining from Aberdeen after the departure of Ron Atkinson.