Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Although it's hard to go about the performance or the game there were a fair few encouraging aspects to take away from yesterdays game. The way United fought back after conceding an early goal from the visitors was one but the two big pluses to emerge form yesterday were the performances form the two teenagers in the starting line up. I know all about Welbeck having seen him play for the youth team and i have been desperate for him to get a start on the right whilst Ronaldo starts on the left instead of playing up front. Yesterday that is what happened and he took the chance big time, especially in the first half giving a very good performance that he almost capped with a goal after a fine dribble and exchange of passes. His second half performance didn't live up to the first half as he played a lot more conservatively as did the whole team of course. But for me the right wing is where he should be played for the present. Of course he did move to the centre at times as the players rotated positions but his starting position should be on the right. The other exiting prospect to emerge from yesterday was the first appearance of the other Brazilian twin Fabio Da Silva at left back. Wow what a player it looks like we have got ourselves here. I think we were all took a little bit by surprise by just how good his brother Rafael was when he got an early chance in the first team. But if anything it looks like Fabio is going to be even better. He gave an oustanding perfomance yesterday on his debut. To think that we will have him as understudy to Evra, that is some cover for the left back position. When Fergie was going on about this being the best squad he has ever had he was not kidding and the balance of ages is absolutely billiant as well.
As for the game the first half was pretty entertaining as the opening goal brought the best out of United as an attacking outfit with Berbatov and Tevez giving two tremendous performances in totally contrasting ways. In fact they really looked like a very good combination with Tevez giving every ounce of effort and no little skill of course . And Berbatov giving the kind of performance that we used to drool over whilst he was at Spurs, rarely giving the ball away finding space and using it superbly.
The opening goal took us all by surprise as Pavlyuchenko did what not many forwards have done recently and stole a march on Vidic to get in front of the big Serb and touch a fine glancing header that gave Foster no chance. United gave us a fine response as they hit Spurs with attack after attack and chance after chance. First Tevez hit a magnificent effort that struck the top of the bar as it screamed over the goalie. Then the goalie made a great instinctive save to deny the Argentine again. Next it was Ronaldo's turn to hit a screamer again it was just a little too high, but it was superb effort with his left foot and no back lift. Scholes and Berbatov both had efforts go just wide before Welbeck produced one of the moments of the match as his mazy dribble saw him beat man after man but once again the United couldn't beat the man between the sticks. That is until the ginger prince struck after 35 minutes. It wasn't pretty but it was deserved as the shot struck from the edge of the box following a corner saw Tevez let it through his legs to flummox the goalie as it entered the net to bring us level. Two minutes later a great ball from ex Spurs man Carrick found fellow ex Spurs man Berbatov racing through on goal and he made no mistake puttin g us deservedly in front.
The second half was a bit of a none event really as both sides seemed to settle for the result which from our point of view i didn't mind too much with the amount of games we have played and the trip to the Hawthorns on Tuesday. But it was disappointing from their point of view i suppose although with one Wembley trip and Premiership survival utmost on their minds maybe it was understandable.. The one negative of the day was the injuries to both of our young starlets, with the amount of injuries we have got at the moment there is a fair chance they would have both seen some action on Tuesday though i suspect Welbeck would have been on the bench.
So 5th round here we come, and the results of Arsenal and Liverpool won't do our title chances any harm as they both now have to play replays and in the bindippers case a third derby in a couple of weeks.

Giggs to get new contract implies Fergie, i should think so, he has given some vintage performaces this season.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7850068.stm

Not a Guardian journalist i bother reading but it seems the proposterous Garry Cook is not just a joke figure to reds
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jan/22/marina-hyde-kaka-manchester-city-garry-cook

Larry Elliot on the problems facing Obama Barrack
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/19/obama-us-economy

It seems he stole a few lines from one of the great radical figues of British history Tom Paine
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/ben_macintyre/article5562543.ece

Will Hutton's latest Observer column, it must be hard to resist the idea to scream from the rooftops i was right. I read The state we are in when it came out, maybe the government should go back and dig a copy or two out and actually read the thing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/25/economic-policy-gordon-brown

Not before time a big shake up of the top jobs at the RBS
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article5580988.ece

A mojo article asking what happened to the great rock drummer, a good question. When i first got into music it was always guitarists that i listened out for, it's only as i have got older that i realise that almost every group that i really love have had great drummers. And as for John Bonham, well rock drumming just doesn't get any better does it.
http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/01/whatever_happened_to_the_great_1.html

An interview with Elizabeth Moss star one of the stars of returning series mad men. The first series must watch TV so i can't wait for the second series.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jan/25/elisabeth-moss-interview-mad-men

Meanwhile the Times interviews fellow mad men star John Hamn aka John Draper
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5247450.ece