Monday, February 6, 2012

Chelsea 3-3 Manchester United

I'm still not really sure whether that was a point gained or two dropped, but i am sure that yesterday was a reminder of why we all love United. And what a fitting day to have poduced that display the day beore we remember the Munich tragedy. It reminder me of the 3-3 at Hillsbrough during the 92-93 season where United despite playing reasonably well found themselves 3-0 down but instead of feeling sorry for themselveskept going for it and eventually thrillingly fought there way back into the game for the 3-3 draw. Of course we have pulled off some spectacular come back's before but probably not against such high profile opposition.
Having said all that it was the least we deserved i thought, how we found ourselves 3-0 down escapes me, we didn't defend brilliantly but there was a huge slice of fortune for two of their three goals. It was important that we have started to get bodies back, and yesterday showed why as all the substitutions proved vital. It was a suprise to see Young in the team and Nani not even on the bench, i'd assumed that Nani was nearer playing than the ex Villa man. Apart from one decent shot in the first half, Young once again failed to deliver really, i don't know if he needs a consistent run in the side or he just isn't really as good as i though he was.
United went 4-4-2 once again against the rent boys and whilst it makes us more threatning when we attack it does sometimes mean we don't dominate games. But i thought United did well enough in the first half and if the foul on Welbeck had been given and Cahill had been sent off the day may have been a lot more comfortable if less spectacular. Their first goal came out of nowehere, Evra should have done better but once he was beateb Chelsea still needed a big slice of lack as De Gea kicked into Evans and into the net. United upped their game and though we went into the break a goal down you felt reasonably confident we would fight our way back into the game in the second half.
So to find ourselves three goals down five minutes into the half was a shock to the system to say the least. Even so you felt if we could get a goal back quickly we would be back in the game. Courtesy of a poor challenge from Stuuridge the chance came via the penalty spot. I have to admit after his recent miss i wanted Rooney to leave it for Hernandez, but all credit to our number ten, he made no mistake smashing it past Cech and sending him the wrong way.
The second penalty was considered dubious according to most pundits, i'm not too sure why, it was soft, but he made contact. Just as City's the day before may have been soft, but was still definitely a penalty. Anyway after the two decisions not given in the first half and the way we have had so many contentious decsions go against us at Stamford bridge ove the last few years, justice was done. The second penalty was eve better as Rooney went the other way, again sending Cech the wrong way. It was all one way traffic now and when Giggs cross was headed home by Hernandez you greedily wondered whether we would go on to snatch all three points. It wasn't to be and to be honest the home team looked more likely to score with De Gea making a fine save near the death. Talking of the Spaniard he had a mixed game, his susceptibility to anything in the air was there for all to see as he punched terribly when he should have caught a cross unchallenged in the first half. On the other hand, he made two superb saves in the second half.
I had been pretty confident before the game with a stronger team and stronger bench and with Chlsea missing their two best defenders in Terry and Cole. But having said that i would have been happy with a point before the game. But if we had defended as well as we attacked it would have been an even better day. You have got to hope that if we are to suffer any more injuries they don't come at that end of the team.

Fergie was unhappy with the officials and proves there is nothing wrong with his memor. It seems obilgatory for all the broadsheets to now have a Monday five things we leaned yesterday column, so here's today's Telegraph's five things column.
Ferdinand thanked Chelski fans for the inspiration they gave him and the lads on his twitter timeline, i wished they had shown Terry's face as our third went in as they did when their third went in, i'll bet that would have been worth seeing.
Carrick admitted that the players were slightly disappointed to have come away with just the point, after the third went in they fancied their chances of getting all three points.

I wonder how embarrassing the Huhne resignation and the court case to come will be for the Lib dems, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Raphael Behr writes a departure widely unmourned, but there is no upside for the Lib dems. Iain Martin claims David Cameron should start preparing for an early election.
Amongst all the talk about Huhne's replacement Ed Davey and future reshuffle's i can't help wondering what happened to the Lib dem left, or the successors to the social democrat tradition. If it has been completely captured by the orange book free market rightit will have lost my future support. Talking of free market right, Mathhew Norman completely demolished David Miliband's attack on social democracy in last week's Independent in another brilliant column.

Larry Elliott names the guilty men, in his column " who to blame for the great recesssion ?", as he says there are so many to choose from. I would have added Blair to the list, he is still an apologist for the free market, and seems to have learned nothing.
Paul Krugman is happy some of his anti Keynesian opponents are grudginly admitting that they were wrong. Jeremy Warner worries whether the great interest rate gamble will pay off.
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard sees the strrings of French socialists leading a latin revolt against a Germany that has badly overplayed its hand over the Eurozone crisis. Maybe, but i'd judge the French socialists by their actions, not by their words, obviously, i hope he is right as the Germans are leading us on the road to nowhere.

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