Villain’s Robbed By Late United Show

A youthful Aston Villa side were denied what would have been a deserved victory over Manchester United following two late goals that rescued a point for the travelling side.

A Villa win had looked inevitable after goals from Ashley Young and Mark Albrighton put them 2-0 up with ten minutes of normal time remaining. But such is the indefatigable desire instilled in Sir Alex Ferguson’s men that his side were able to register their first shot on target only in the 80th minute but still go on to earn the most unlikely of points.

Villa’s line up included a first Premier League start for 21 year-old Jonathan Hogg and a place for Barry Bannan, 20. Gerard Houllier also welcomed Gabriel Agbonlahor into his starting XI after recovering from a lengthy injury. With John Carew and Emile Heskey both out Villa would seek to use the pace of Agbonlahor and Ashley Young to trouble Rio Ferndinand and Nemanja Vidic. United started with the side that finished at City last Wednesday, the only change being Javier Hernandez in for the suspended Paul Scholes. Park Ji Sung was playing in his fourth consecutive league match, a fete he last achieved 2 years ago.

A match that ended memorably started poorly. For the first half an hour neither side could carve an opening but Dimitar Berbatov should have put United in front from 10 yards. The Bulgarian, who hasn’t scored in 8 league games now, was through to the left of goal but toed his shot wide with his left foot. Ashley Young then called Edwin Van Der Sar into action with a quick volley from outside the United area.

A clever United free-kick before the stroke of half time was the best chance of the opening forty five minutes. Evra was released wide in the opposing penalty area but both Berbatov and Hernandez failed to read his squared pass across the six yard line. It was the last act of a half where United had been careless with the ball and Villa looked the more probing.

As the second instalment got under way it was the home side that sought to leverage a victory. Stewart Downing was sweeping classy crosses into the box, one of them Albrighton ought to have converted after eluding Patrice Evra. The right back then had an opportunity to pull back to the oncoming Young but instead youthful exuberance prevailed and the England U-21 lashed wide.

The chances continued to fall to Villa and the best to James Collins who from a Downing cross thundered a header 6 inches too high against the rattling crossbar. The woodwork again came to United’s rescue when a blocked shot fell to Agbonlahor who snapped a drive against the up-right.

The clarets’ profligacy and persistence eventually paid dividends when the pace of Villa’s front two, Agbonlahor and Young, got the better of Ferdinand and Vidic before Brown impeded Young as he took aim inside the box. The winger made no mistake with his penalty, hitting it hard byond a wrong-footed Van Der Sar.

Ferguson, clearly irked, responded by hauling off Berbatov and Hernandez, replacing the two strikers with Kiko Macheda and Gabriel Obertan. The Italian’s impact was instant. Giving the ball away on the edge of Villa’s area Young catapulted forward and was ushered Downing down the flank with a well-weighted ball. Downing in an instant switched the play across the fabled channel that exists between goalkeeper and defender for Albrighton to side-foot past a despairing Van Der Sar. The pace at which Villa attacked was reminiscent of United in their ‘Fergie Fledgling’ heyday. An onlooking Fabio Capello would have noted all participants were eligible for his selection.

The goal all but sealed the Villain’s first home win against United since 1995, the year kids were deemed incapable of winning a league title by one pundit. But like Alan Hansen should have hedged his bets, Villa should have seen out the game. Instead United embarked on a remarkable ten minute comeback initiated when Macheda drove the ball high into the net following an astute back hell from Darren Fletcher. Villa Park twitched as wave after wave of, finally, meaningful attacks threatened to find a breakthrough. Inevitably it came.

Nani, who had had a disappointing game, crossed beautifully to the back post for Nemanja Vidic to dive and head beyond Brad Friedel. At 2-2 Villa felt hard done by but as Houllier accepted afterwards he would have taken the score before the match. Ferguson chastised his side describing them as “all over the place” and said Villa could have had 6 goals in the second half but, in a stark contrast to United mantra of past years, the kids weren't quite ready.

Derby Fails To Pack Punch

A rivalry year’s in the making. A relationship that was formerly amicable but now soured and intensified. A supposed underdog living in the shadow of a champion. Whether Audley Harrison can cause one of boxing’s great upsets and defeat David Haye in Manchester this Saturday remains to be seen but first of all there was the small matter of one of the most eagerly awaited Manchester derbies.

But if Haye-Harrison put on a ‘show’ like this one, people, spend your £15 elsewhere. Fireworks were expected but other than the garish, red flare waved by fans in the Manchester United end during City’s obligatory rendition of ‘Blue Moon’, the match was sparse of spark or gunpowder.

Manchester City were without Mario Ballotelli, the Italian suspended after being sent off against West Brom the weekend before. Rather than replace the strikier with attacking impetus, Roberto Mancini opted for the three central midfielders of Gareth Barry, Nigel De Jong and Yaya Toure. Adam Johnson’s threat would be limited to only twenty minutes as he was once again named as a substitute. Carlos Tevez, who prior to the match reiterated his contentment at City after switching from United two seasons ago, was the lone striker but David Silva was expected to assist the Argentine.

Sir Alex Ferguson, in his thirty ninth match against the Sky Blues, also named 5 midfielders with Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes, who dramatically headed United a last gasp winner in the same fixture in May, flanked by Park Ji Sung and Nani. Ryan Giggs was deemed unfit still and Wayne Rooney’s conditioning in America meant he was unavailable. Dimitar Berbatov was hoping to end a barren spell 7 league games without scoring.

A first half stymied by a crowded midfield and an inability by both teams to penetrate the opposing final third gave the impression that both teams would settle for a share of the points. That United scored three last minute winners against City last season perhaps suggested that the longer City didn’t score, the more likely United would.

The only chances of the half came to a player from either side. Patrice Evra, who seems to be suffering from quite a throbbing World Cup hangover, played a tidy one-two with Park but the shot that followed went straight into Joe Hart’s arms. Tevez was then awarded a free-kick towards the right of the area. Had the City captain struck it with more of his usual venom then Edwin Van Der Sar may have been beaten. Instead the Dutchman dived high to his left to make a less than troubling save. The half finished with United having had more possession, with Fletcher, Scholes and Carrick all retaining the ball confidently if not probingly.

A second half that lacked the guile of even the preceding one was made more interesting as United started to push higher up the field. If City were to score it needed to be when capatalising on the high full backs of Wes Brown , who had replaced Rafael, and John O’Shea, who came on for an injured Evra. They didn’t, and as a result even the introduction of Johnson, on for an ineffective and out of position James Milner, couldn’t supply Tevez with any opportunities.

An decent overhead kick by Berbatov could not find a way past Hart in goal and although they looked more likely to break the deadlock United failed in their quest to claim belated bragging rights. An echo of boo’s rang around Eastland’s, City fans only too aware that scoreless draws, especially at home, will not get them a coveted Champions League place. It might, however, give them a new manager.

There were cautious jabs, quick feet and ducks and dives but the knockout match that many expected may come Saturday night after all.

Gomes Gift Seals United Win

Brazilian’s, as we are oft reminded every four years, cannot defend. Referee’s, Tottenham Hotspur fans will retort, are none better at their job and it was a through bizarre cocktail of both perceptions that Manchester United gained three points after a controversial goal.

United were already 1-0 up when the second goal, coming in the 84^th minute , all but diminished any hope that Harry Redknapp had of rescuing a point. The goal came when Wes Brown neatly flicked the ball over Younes Kaboul for Nani to run onto towards goal. The Portuguese winger went down in the area under a tug with the type of force a man of Kaboul’s frame musters in his sleep.

Nani, theatrically expressing his disappointed with referee Mark Clattenburg’s decision, then clearly, although perhaps not to Clattenburg, grasped the ball within his vicinity in what can only be described as a sign of impudence.

As Nani left the ball in its position, unawares that Clattenburg had not blown his whistle, Heurelho Gomes strode forward and rolled the ball into his path.

The Brazilian keeper, known as ‘the octopus’, will wish that he the same foresight as fellow cephalopod, and recently deceased, Paul for he failed to envisage that Nani would take advantage of what was technically still an live situation and slide the ball into the empty net.

Spurs, lead by Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, were inevitably furious and were further miffed when the linesman held his flag to indicate an offence inside the box. Clattenburg, the only man in Old Trafford not to have seen Pedro Mendes’ 40-yard ‘goal’ in January 2005, ushered the barrage of Spurs players away to confer with his assistant only to conclude the goal was legal. That Rio Ferdinand was allowed to voice his two-pennies worth during the collusion further plunged Clattenburg’s reputation, especially at Old Trafford, into contention.

“A real cock-up” was how Redknapp described the incident, the Spurs manager saying the decision was “scandalous”. That United were 1-0 up with six minutes remaining may render the decision obsolete in terms of the outcome of the match but what must be of concern to Spurs fans is that the result further cements their teams dismal record away to the ‘Big Four’ in the Premier League: zero wins from sixty eight attempts.

It could have been different for Spurs when they made lively start after Park Ji Sung struck the outside of Gomes’ post early on. That outcome was reciprocated by Rafael van der Vaart who shuddered United’s post before Nemanja Vidic headed home a Nani freekick on the half hour mark. That the United captain was free to header echoes the stature and importance of Ledley King and Michael Dawson to the Spurs back four.

Luka Modric tested Edwin van der Sar with a clean strike but, despite a malfunctioning midfield combination of Park, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were able to stymie the attacking quartet of Bale, van der Vaart, Modric and Peter Crouch.

The match will undoubtedly be remembered for ‘Clattenburg 2’ but it is Spurs’ away from that should trouble Redknapp in his pursuit for fourth spot and beyond. United meanwhile are now 4 wins in as many matches, with or without the referee’s assistance.