Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United

I was never bothered about a record points total, and from the evidence of yesterday, neither were the players. We were so bad for that first twenty minutes or so, it was painful and you started to worry that it could become embarrassing. Fergie had picked a pretty strong line up, who looked miles of the pace. In fact i was starting to think he may well have picked some of the kids I'd like to see get a sniff of the first team, we were that bad, they couldn't have done much worse. The celebrations must have been pretty special.
But slowly but surely United got back into the game. In fact as bad as we had been, by the half time whistle, we had probably had the best clear cut chances of the half. Jones had two great heading chances and should have buried at least one of them. Van Persie also had a great chance, at least his header forced the Arsenal keeper into making a save.
Still the way the second half went, if Sagna hadn't have fucked up twice, first in giving the ball needlessly away to Van Persie and then in bringing him down in the area, I'm not sure we would have come away with a point. The intensity we hadn't showed in the first half, never really made an appearance in the Arsenal penalty area as much as United bossed the game for periods of the second half.
I was surprised Nani started, but i suppose his good record at that ground ticked a box in Fergie's memory. His performance didn't really warrant selection, he wasn't poor, but he didn't raise himself to any heights. What possessed Fergie to bring on Anderson, in the second half, completely lost me. Once the Chelski game is out of the way, I'm hoping we'll see Powell and maybe Januzaj get a glimpse of first team action. If Scholes is fit, i presume he will get a run out against Swansea at home for one last time. I'd love us to beat Chelsea next week, but i don't think I'd put any money on it. As for the other two games, i just hope we start to look to the future and not the past of Anderson and Nani.

Manchester United 3-0 Aston Villa

All you could ask for last night, was for United to go all out for it from the word go, no just doing enough, which to be fair has helped us get where we are, champions for a twentieth title. The half time scoreline shows that this is just what they did, so though the second half tailed off a bit, I'm not grumbling.
Fergie picked a strong line up, though Ferdinand and Vidic were rested, Jones and Evans aren't bad back up. I was surprised to see Rooney in the centre of midfield again, I'm not sure if he really is going to drop back or Fergie is just giving him games before a summer sale. Once again Cleverley didn't start, though he hasn't been seen much of late, i thought he might get a game last night. Kagawa started in his best position, in the hole behind Van Persie and continued his recent pick up in form. In fact he should have capped it with a goal, but he missed the best chance of the second half when he blasted the ball over the bar, when he should have at least hit the target.
United started the game as they meant to go on, as the ball found Giggs on the left who crossed for Van Persie to blast the ball home after just a couple of minutes. Of course the game will be remembered for Van Persie's second which is definitely United's goal of the season and must be in with a shout of being the goal of the season. A brilliant Scholesesque cross field ball from Rooney found Van Persie who volleyed home brilliantly as the ball came over his shoulder, it was reminiscent of one he got for Arsenal last season, only better. The third once more came from a Giggs assist, as he was put through by Kagawa, he then unselfishly crossed for Van Persie to claim his hatrick. The barren spell is now well and truly behind him, it looks as if he may end the season as the league's top scorer after all.
The second half fizzled out by comparison as Villa to their credit, kept on coming forward in search of a goal. It's hard to see them going down on the evidence of last night. It looks as if this may be the season where Wigan finally don't manage to avoid the drop.
United still had good chances, Kagawa missed a great chance as mentioned earlier, Rooney missed another cracker as United tried in vain to get a fourth. Final mention goes to Valencia, who had his best game for ages, he wasn't back to his very best, but there was hints that he may yet recapture the form that we and he have yearned to see this season. 
 

It's almost there( 20 that is )

I'll be honest, i could have lived with a City victory yesterday, i would have loved us being able to go the Emirates to try and win the title on Arsenal's home patch, wiping out that awful memory of them lording it at Old trafford in the early noughties. But after City's debacle during yesterday's second half where they went to pieces for the last half an hour, i can see nothing other than three points and a twentieth title celebration tonight. Villa may need the points, but i'll be amazed if United don't do enough tonight.
City showed why they weren't good enough to retain the title at Tottenham, United may not be as good a team as some of us dared to hope, as we entered that champions league tie against Real Madrid. But we haven't delievered perormances as bad as that, when we have been off our game, there has been enough character to ensure we don't fall apart as City did yesterday.
For all the moaning at the state of our midfield, we still have a better balance between defence and attack then any other team in the division. Christ if we'd have had one winger on song for the season, the league would probably already have been sewn up and who knows a trip to Wembley and chance of a fourth double as well a twentieth title might have been on the cards.
I just hope we go out tonight and do justice to the occasion, a party off the pitch and an attacking party on the pitch please. The last thing i want to see tonight is for our team to go out and do just enough, which is bascially the fare we have had to get used to since christmas. Lets see our players cut loose.

Crystal castles - 3: The third album from the Canadian indie/electronica trio continues the excellence of the first pair of albums. Don't expect anything new, it follows the same path as its predecessors, but the sonds are as good, if not better.
Guano Padano - 2: Another slice of the very listenable blend of spaghetti western, psychedelia and everything else they throw into the kitchen sink from the Italian. A superb instrumental only group.

Herbie Hancock - Miaden Voyage: Classic mid 60's jazz, as befits it's era, it's bop as opposed to his later excursions into funk and experimental jazz. It's up there with the Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter classics of the era.

The Hives - Lex hives: You know what you're going to get from a Hives album, but they do it as well as anyone. If you want 30 to 40 minutes of short catchy guitar adrenaline tunes, you can't really go wrong.
Tori y moi - Anything in return: A decent album, the first time i've heard the experimental indie US act, this is more like a musical hip hop r & b sound. It's pretty good, radio friendly in the best sense of that phrase, it's still pretty interesting musically.

Villagers -Awayland: Conor J.O'Brien and his band deliver a superb second album, musically more adventurous than his debut, there are some great songs on this and it gets better with every listen.
Yo La tengo -  Fade: US indie near its very best, i only discovered these a couple of years ago, they are an excellent band. They have been going since the 80's, so that's some catalogue i've got forward to discovering. Veering between loud guitar based rock and more accesible melodic fare, there albums are never predictable.