United Avoid Giants With Draw

A rare Anderson goal ensured Manchester United progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League last night.

The Brazilian’s equaliser cancelled out Pablo Hernandez’s first half strike for Valencia and means United qualify top of group C.

The English side will subsequently avoid some of Europe’s heavyweights in the next round of the competition, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

The only sour footnote was that Rio Ferdinand had to be replaced shortly after the restart and is now a doubt for his sides Premier League clash against Arsenal next Monday.

United were made to work for their share of the points despite coming up against a weakened Valencia side that included 8 changes from the team that lost to Madrid at the weekend.

The Spanish established an early dominance against a united midfield pairing of Michael Carrick and Anderson. Indeed it was Carrick who was dispossessed deep within his own half that lead to the first goal.

Jose Dominguez, who had enjoyed a lively start for the visitors, was gifted an opening when Carrick turned 360° before sloppily miss-cueing a short pass back to Ferdinand.

Dominguez took advantage of the England midfielder’s premature festive generosity taking the ball to the edge of United’s area and sliding a square ball onto the ensuing Pablo Hernandez.

Hernandez took one touch to steady himself before driving the ball through European debutant Ben Amos’ legs.

The goal came against the run of play and thirty seconds after a Wayne Rooney cross was met by a diving Ji Sung Park whose volley had the necessary power but not direction to guide the ball past Vicenti Guaita.

Rooney was centre to United’s most penetrable attacks and was denied only by the crossbar in the first half when he floated a dipping shot over a scrambling Guaita. A resurgent Rooney was also the architect of chances for Anderson and Dimitar Berbatov.

Firstly for the Brazilian who when one on one with Guaita in the first half hit a timid shot into the keeper when he had time to compose himself and then the Bulgarian, one usually renowned for close touches, took a heavy side-step that allowed the Valencia keeper to again prevent United a lead.

When United scored on the hour mark it failed to spark them into life and, as Rooney said afterwards, they looked to be hanging on for an important point. Berbatov headed wide from a Rooney cross and provider could have turned scorer with three decent efforts towards goal.

Given United’s profligacy a draw was a fair outcome but Ferguson’s will need to enforce the midfield and be clinical in front of goal if they are to make it to Wembley.

Valencia 0-1 Manchester United: Match Report

Javier Hernandez fired Manchester United a late victory over Valencia last night in what was only Sir Alex Ferguson’s second win in 19 attempts against Spanish opposition in the Champions League.

The Mexican striker came off the substitute’s bench to fizz a left foot shot past Cesar Sanchez in the 85^th minute scoring his first European goal since his £7million arrival in the summer.

The result sends United top of group C joint with Rangers, who recorded their first win in the tournament in three seasons, and will in all likeliness qualify for the knockout stages with another four points.

Against a backdrop of industrial strikes over government cuts fans inside the Mestalla stadium – Iberian and sunburnt Mancunian’s alike - must have feared that Spanish austerity had manifested into their beloved football: this match threatened to never burst into live.

As is often the case away from Old Trafford in this tournament Ferguson preferred a five-man midfield with Dimitar Berbatov, whose rejuvenated finishing has been lethal in recent weeks, deployed as the lone striker in Wayne Rooney’s absence.

That Berbatov’s appearance marked his first start in the competition since CSKA Moscow in the corresponding stages last season shows how important the Bulgarian has become, especially as Rooney’s form evades him, to United. An early pot-strike from the Bulgarian was closer than either Sanchez or television angles seemed willing to accept.

As Valencia were without influential winger Joaquin, injured during training, the responsibility of carving open United, a hallmark of this summer’s World Cup winning Spanish side, fell to Pablo Hernandez. The midfielder was too often allowed space, afforded by the returning Michael Carrick and left-back Patrice Evra, and played a couple of bewitching balls across the penalty box.

The best chance of a lacklustre half fell, quite literally, to Roberto Solando. Hernandez outwitted Evra to play a ball that was subsequently spilled by Edwin Van Der Sar onto Solando’s head. The ball though dropped just over the net.

In the second half United shifted the ball with greater venom and purpose but it was only when Ferguson replaced the isolated Berbatov and ineffective Anderson with Frederico Macheda and Javier Hernandez that things clicked.

Almost immediately Darren Fletcher sought a lunging Hernandez who half-connected with a volley that struck the post. Both he and Macheda, preferred over the more natural poacher Michael Owen, linked for what would prove the decisive effort.

Macheda cutting into the box from the right passed into Hernandez who with his first touch guided the ball out of the defence’s way for him to find half a second to crash a shot into the bottom corner with his left foot.

United, confirming patterns discerned in the start to their season, were sub-standard and a better side may have punished their lack of midfield guile and defensive assuredness. Although Rio Ferdinand was given the opportunity to rekindle his partnership with Nemanja Vidic it will take time to form the sort of understanding that made them the best pairing in Europe two seasons ago.

Ferguson will also have to rely on better closing down and initiative from his midfield. Fletcher and Carrick were caught leaving large gaps in midfield for Valencia to waltz into and the pair didn’t manage test Sanchez a single time. There must be greater on-field cohesiveness between midfield and forward’s and a return of defensive astuteness if United are to reclaim their greatest prize.

Manchester United 0-0 Rangers: Match Report

Manchester United suffered an unexpected draw against Scottish champions Rangers last night with Antonio Valencia suffering a horror injury, furthering Sir Alex Ferguson’s misery.

Wayne Rooney made his first United appearance since allegations he slept with two prostitutes but was frustrated against a resolute and determined Rangers. Winger Valencia will today have surgery after he appeared to break his left ankle in an innocuous challenge with Kirk Broadfoot.

Ferguson named ten changes to the side that drew at against Everton in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, with Darren Fletcher the only survivor. The United manager handed season-debuts to Tomasz Kuszcak, Chris Smalling, Wes Brown, Darron Gibson and, returning from World Cup injury, Rio Ferdinand. Rangers manager Walter Smith welcomed Kirk Broadfoot into his side after a late fitness test.

Rangers set up with a flat 4-5-1, with Kenny Miller leading the line, and were prepared to allow United possession in the second third. When United did try to penetrate the final third, Rangers scurried around the ball and erased any attack. United’s main threat came from Gibson, whose first half strikes went close without ever threatening Allan McGregor’s goal. Rooney was partnered upfront by Javier Hernandez but the partnership failed to combine and cause Rangers’ defence, lead by 40 year-old captain David Weir, major problems.

Rangers proved effective at narrowing their shape and getting ten players behind the ball when United were in possession. A tactic utilised by many at Old Trafford but rarely with such success and ease.

Indeed, United looked like United but never truly played like they can. The tempo was slow for a Champions League game under the midweek floodlights. It took time for passes to be distributed wide and link up play was lacking inspiration.

During the second half, Valencia, who enjoyed a successful previous season, appeared to lose his footing under the threat of Broadfoot. Sky camera’s showed the injury in real time but refused to show replays such was the extent of the injury. He was stretchered off breathing through an oxygen mask and was taken straight to hospital. Ferguson later said that he expects the Ecuadorian to miss the rest of the season, meaning United are a winger down without a dearth of quality to fill in.

The introduction of Ryan Giggs gave United a more spark but it was the guile of Paul Scholes that was missed most by the 2008 winners. Openings were few and far between and it was left to the long range shooting of Gibson to provide the Old Trafford with any reason to expect a late goal.

As it was Rangers held out for an impressive 0-0 draw, the final whistle greeted by the travelling three thousand supporters with roars that will travel back to Glasgow with them.

After the match Ferguson defended his team selection saying that it had played with “great intensity” adding that with the side he played United should have emerged victorious.

Smith, a long-time friend of Ferguson’s, said his team had played well that it had been “a great night for us”.