There were some reds who thought the missed chance to get City back for the 6-1, with our slipshod second half performance, spoilt the day. Count me out of that, sure i was really looking forward to the second half and as Keano said on the TV there will be more goals, but you couldn't see them coming at our end, but as Keano also said who is in the fourth round.
The day started well with the news that Scholes has come out of retirment for the rest of the season. Again for some reds this is just an embarrassment, showing our lack of financial clout. I don't really go along with that, Fergie hasn't really got him back for games like City away, i'm sure he will be used more in games like Blackburn at home. If he had been available and picked for that game we would not have been dropping those three points. He looked rusty when he came on, unsuprisingly, and the second City goal turned what should have been a nice thirty minute fitness exercise into something altogether different.
It's a fair while since we saw a goal like Rooney's opener away from home in a big game. Up until that moment it had been all City with United getting everybody behind the ball bar Welbeck, i wasn't sure whether this was the plan, to sit deep and then counter attack or whether we just couldn't get hold of the ball. Rooney confirmed in his post match comments that counter attack was indeed the policy. Well it worked to absolute perfection as with United's first foray into City territory, Rooney passed wide to Valencia whose first time cross was met by the head of Rooney who powered home the ball.
Then came the defining moment of the match, Kompany's sending off, I've changed my mind about three times over this. As it happened i thought it was a straight red and the ref had got it right, replays then showed that it may have been a touch harsh. But last night i saw a gif of the incident where you see it over and over again an watching it like that it looked like a straight red again. Anyway the ref sent him off and United took complete control of the rest of the first half.
The second goal saw Danny Welbeck cap a tremendous performance with a stunning finish where the chance seemed to have gone but he showed why it's always nice to have as many Mancunians as possible in a red shirt as he showed the City defence that he wanted it more. You could sense there were more goals there to be had and that United knew that and as importantly were going to go for it. Another fine move saw Welbeck brought down and though the reserve goalie Pantilimon pulled off a great save Rooney made no mistake with the follow up.
Half time arrived just in time for City as United threatened to run riot. City took Silva off at half time as Mancini appeared to conced the tie to United. But instead of more United goals the beginning of the second period saw City pull one back almost straight away with a brilliantly struck free kick from Kolarov. The free kick had been given away due to another dismal lapse from Evra which saw him recieve a yellow card. For all the talk offUnited hanging on at the end, we should remember that whilst it was 3-1 United should have been awarded a second penalty. If that had been given and we had scored, vengance for the 6-1 at Old trafford would have been on again. Scholes came on for the, once again frustratingly inconsistent Nani, but Valencia was doing his stuff on the right. The second City goal saw Scholes and Evra combine poorly to concede the ball that ended with Aguero reacting first to Lindegaard's fumbled save. He didn't seem to receive any criticism for the goal but i thought Lindegaard should have held onto the original shot, it was straight at him. The last five minutes were anxious, but when that whistle went, the feeling was immense.
I don't know why but whilst the draw was being made for the fourth round i just knew we were going to get Liverpool at Anfield and wasn't unhappy that we got them. I can't wait for that, i hope i'm not being over confident.
It seems most commentators such as Alan Hansen think that United and Liverpool have to make peace before the FA cup tie later in the month. But what exactly are United suppose to aplogise for, we haven't done anything wrong. All the turmoil that surrounds the fixture emenate from the actions of Liverpool FC, as most neutrals seem to agree.
Things just seem to be going from bad to worse for the scouse reds don't they, Friday night's second racism row and now Downing, i suppose the only suprise is that it was Downing and not Carroll.
Paul Hayward thinks that Fergie has made his point to Rooney and also that he wasn't happy with United's second half performance. Nicky Butt thought the Scholes move was a brilliant psychological move by Fergie to take the attention away from City's home record. Sam Wallace wrote that Rooney obscures United's flaws, in a pretty fair piece, i would agree that our defence is very wobbly at the moment. One of our problems is not so much that Ferdinand's form is poor, but that he isn't really fit and he is basically hobbling through games. It will be good to get Evans back and hopefully he and Smalling can get a run of games together.
The new edition of United we stand will be worth getting for the cover as much as for what will be in it.
Roger Bootle thinks that the economy will bounce back strongly eventually, we will just have to go through hell first. Heather Stewart writes regulation on unrestricted capital could be on the cards.
Larry Elliott talks about le vice Anglais and how it has become the fetish Europe wide.
The day started well with the news that Scholes has come out of retirment for the rest of the season. Again for some reds this is just an embarrassment, showing our lack of financial clout. I don't really go along with that, Fergie hasn't really got him back for games like City away, i'm sure he will be used more in games like Blackburn at home. If he had been available and picked for that game we would not have been dropping those three points. He looked rusty when he came on, unsuprisingly, and the second City goal turned what should have been a nice thirty minute fitness exercise into something altogether different.
It's a fair while since we saw a goal like Rooney's opener away from home in a big game. Up until that moment it had been all City with United getting everybody behind the ball bar Welbeck, i wasn't sure whether this was the plan, to sit deep and then counter attack or whether we just couldn't get hold of the ball. Rooney confirmed in his post match comments that counter attack was indeed the policy. Well it worked to absolute perfection as with United's first foray into City territory, Rooney passed wide to Valencia whose first time cross was met by the head of Rooney who powered home the ball.
Then came the defining moment of the match, Kompany's sending off, I've changed my mind about three times over this. As it happened i thought it was a straight red and the ref had got it right, replays then showed that it may have been a touch harsh. But last night i saw a gif of the incident where you see it over and over again an watching it like that it looked like a straight red again. Anyway the ref sent him off and United took complete control of the rest of the first half.
The second goal saw Danny Welbeck cap a tremendous performance with a stunning finish where the chance seemed to have gone but he showed why it's always nice to have as many Mancunians as possible in a red shirt as he showed the City defence that he wanted it more. You could sense there were more goals there to be had and that United knew that and as importantly were going to go for it. Another fine move saw Welbeck brought down and though the reserve goalie Pantilimon pulled off a great save Rooney made no mistake with the follow up.
Half time arrived just in time for City as United threatened to run riot. City took Silva off at half time as Mancini appeared to conced the tie to United. But instead of more United goals the beginning of the second period saw City pull one back almost straight away with a brilliantly struck free kick from Kolarov. The free kick had been given away due to another dismal lapse from Evra which saw him recieve a yellow card. For all the talk offUnited hanging on at the end, we should remember that whilst it was 3-1 United should have been awarded a second penalty. If that had been given and we had scored, vengance for the 6-1 at Old trafford would have been on again. Scholes came on for the, once again frustratingly inconsistent Nani, but Valencia was doing his stuff on the right. The second City goal saw Scholes and Evra combine poorly to concede the ball that ended with Aguero reacting first to Lindegaard's fumbled save. He didn't seem to receive any criticism for the goal but i thought Lindegaard should have held onto the original shot, it was straight at him. The last five minutes were anxious, but when that whistle went, the feeling was immense.
I don't know why but whilst the draw was being made for the fourth round i just knew we were going to get Liverpool at Anfield and wasn't unhappy that we got them. I can't wait for that, i hope i'm not being over confident.
It seems most commentators such as Alan Hansen think that United and Liverpool have to make peace before the FA cup tie later in the month. But what exactly are United suppose to aplogise for, we haven't done anything wrong. All the turmoil that surrounds the fixture emenate from the actions of Liverpool FC, as most neutrals seem to agree.
Things just seem to be going from bad to worse for the scouse reds don't they, Friday night's second racism row and now Downing, i suppose the only suprise is that it was Downing and not Carroll.
Paul Hayward thinks that Fergie has made his point to Rooney and also that he wasn't happy with United's second half performance. Nicky Butt thought the Scholes move was a brilliant psychological move by Fergie to take the attention away from City's home record. Sam Wallace wrote that Rooney obscures United's flaws, in a pretty fair piece, i would agree that our defence is very wobbly at the moment. One of our problems is not so much that Ferdinand's form is poor, but that he isn't really fit and he is basically hobbling through games. It will be good to get Evans back and hopefully he and Smalling can get a run of games together.
The new edition of United we stand will be worth getting for the cover as much as for what will be in it.
Roger Bootle thinks that the economy will bounce back strongly eventually, we will just have to go through hell first. Heather Stewart writes regulation on unrestricted capital could be on the cards.
Larry Elliott talks about le vice Anglais and how it has become the fetish Europe wide.
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