1. Finally! FINALLY! A win at Stamford Bridge. We’ve waited for that result for years so what a time for it to come. We’ve put ourselves in an excellent position for the second leg now. Just getting an away goal would have been good enough, even if it was a draw or a 2-1 defeat. To take a clean sheet to Old Trafford as well is a truly fantastic result for United. We still have work to do there and it would be foolish to think we’ve booked our place in the semi-finals, as anything can happen yet, but we’re definitely the favourites now and it’s hard not to get carried away with thinking about that.
2. After dominating the press for all the wrong reasons, how nice it was to see Wayne Rooney stick the ball in the back of the net to put United 1-0 up. It could only be him I suppose, particularly with his extra motivation of the threat of missing our next big game, the FA Cup semi against City. Let’s hope the FA do the right thing and reduce his ban to one game but we shouldn’t hold our breath, given their fear of the press reaction. Still, today he could to revel in the glory and I’m pleased for him.
3. If United are going to get a result against Chelsea, we need to win the midfield battle. That’s exactly what Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs did today. When Chelsea were at their strongest, it was their attacks down the wings that posed a threat. In the centre of the park, Carrick and Giggs were bossing it. It is pleasing then that it was the great work from them which lead to our goal. Carrick played a delightful long range ball forward to Giggs, who’s first touch took it past the defender perfectly before cutting back across the box. Rooney placed his shot and Petr Cech had no chance.
4. Our squad is starting to look surprisingly good again. What a difference a couple of returning players make. At the start of the season, who would have thought we could have afforded to leave Berba, Scholes and Nani on the bench for a trip to Stamford Bridge and still win? Let’s not forget that Darren Fletcher and Ando are still set to return too. What a great time in the season to have the options of Valencia and Park again. Park didn’t cover himself in glory but he worked hard and did a job. He was surely picked over Nani for his defensive capabilities, even though Nani does do his fair share of tracking back. We still need to add a special player to the centre of the park this summer but our improving squad certainly puts us in good stead for the big games ahead.
5. A game against Chelsea isn’t complete without controversial decisions. In the first half, both Michael Essien and Ramires made late and bad challenges on Wayne Rooney. With an hour played, Ramires was booked, which should have been his second of the game. With 25 minutes remaining, Essien was booked, which should have been his second yellow of the game. Then came the penalty shout on the player who should have been sent off half an hour before. In normal time, it looked like a nailed on penalty. With the benefit of slow motion replay, it was clear the contact started outside the area, therefore a freekick. Then Fernando Torres was finally shown a yellow card for his second blatant dive of the game. He got a talking to from the referee after the first one, but that easily could have been a yellow card too. I imagine not much will be made of the fact Chelsea should have gone down to eight men though…
6. Great to see Rio back in the squad. Chris Smalling has a done a very good job filling in, even when you don’t take in to consideration his age and lack of experience. Having Rio alongside Vida is like having a brick wall in our box and it undoubtedly helps Rafael playing alongside the older and wiser Rio than Smalling.
7. The difference David Luiz makes to Chelsea’s defence is very apparent. We were allowed a lot more time and space on the ball in their half and around their box and his absence at Old Trafford will certainly help us.
8. I’m not sure if the plan, for a second game running at Stamford Bridge, to use Chicharito’s pace really paid off. He didn’t get many touches tonight and it was the same in the league game. You would love to think we’d be able to play through great balls for him to race behind Chelsea’s backline on to, but it hasn’t happened in two games now. He certainly worked hard though and I loved it when he raced back to get the ball back off Drogba. I wonder if Fergie will try something different for the second leg.
9. The only low point was probably Patrice Evra’s performance. Not that it was all bad. Kept us in the game when he cleared Lampard’s shot off the line. But too often he was getting skinned, by Drogba, Bosingwa or anyone else who tried. Careless passes riddled his game, ironically, after stating in a pre-match interview that “concentration” was the most important thing for a player to have for these games. He’s been a shadow of the player he was which is a shame because I like him a lot.
10. All in all though, I’m absolutely delighted. This was the kind of performance on the road we’ve been craving all season and I’m so glad we’re starting to pull them out at this stage of the season. I’m proud of them, if that’s a position I’m entitled to have, and just hope for more of the same.
Quick Reactions To Victory Over Chelsea…
April 6, 2011 104 Comments
Man Utd News 24/7
Excellent win United! Well done!
And an excellent reaction from Scott the Red, thanks!
wohoo cant believe we conquered the bridge lets nail them at OT
Loving tonights result, thought Paddy had a bad game generally but the rest of the lads were superb. Still lots to do next week but if we can be calm and patient it offers a good chance of a run to the final
beautiful win…wazza at it again and edwin with some fine saves
time to win back at OT and shut those chelsea bastards up!
come on united!
Anyone else notice that jt cunt swearing at
the linesman?happen around 53 mins,wonder
will a big deal be made of that?will it fuck!
Great win tho!!sets us up nicely!
Great point Scott. Great result, but only half time. I think Cautious optimism, is the order of the day.
Any news on Rafael’s injury? Let’s hope it’s not serious.
completely disagree re: the penalty. it WAS a penalty. Just because the first contact was outside the box doesn’t mean that the play stopped there. Ramires stayed on his feet and still had a chance at the ball until Evra completely took him out with the scissors tackle, which was clearly inside the box. also, it looked like the first contact was when Ramires had his foot on the line, which is considered part of the penalty box itself
Oh, well. doesn’t matter to me, fuck off chelsea. a blown call couldn’t have happened to a nicer team. And we were definitely the better team overall, even with their missed sitters.
Viva John Terry
He thinks he’s so merry
But he’s really a cunt
His team a big stunt
Viva John Terry
Quality assessment Scott. Still I have to disagree about the dominance of the midfield. Maybe in spells, but there were very troubling periods when we couldn’t seem to pass out of defense without getting completely dominated and giving up the ball in our half.
Many positive points about the defense. Rio is a welcome sight to see and played some magnificent stuff. Had a couple of goal savers as well. Great touch and superb marshaling of the defense.
I might add that after Carrick, I would give VDS a MOTM shout. Took my breath away some of his saves and how many times the balls came in at pace yet he just caught them without rebound. A real quality performance by the dutchman!
So basically what Scott’s saying, is that Tuesday night will be Berbarotica night.
Loved the City/United banner by the way.
OMG was dat a fish?… no it was Torres doing wat he does best. diving. how many tyms do u want Rooney to teach u how to score. Chelsea looked different without Atkinson
Still buzzing after the result! We finally bate the basterds… however, if we don’t finish the job next we whats the point of winning at SB in the first place.
Looking forward to the atmosphere though… if we can recreate the Barcelona atmosphere from 08 then we will win no doubt…
Unfortunately will be going to america on the day of the semis if we make it…. and will be missing Chelsea in PL as-well… ughh not happy!
Pretty bloody happy with that!! Carrick, Rooney and Tony V were brilliant i thought; and that save from Van Der Sar to deny Torres was incredible.
Roll on the bitters and number 19 i say!
As for Rooneys ban gettin reduced to one game….let’s be fair, the FA are bound to extend it to 3 games after that performance haha!
Breaking News!
The Spanish swimming team, want Torres for next years Olympics!
i feel our slow tempo to the game is what won the midfield battle for us.We kept our shape and didnt tire out in the latter stages like we have done previously.I still feel we should use the same game plan at OT as releasing the shackles could cost us if chelsea go on the counter.Fergie’s Tactic were Fantastic;im sure if that was mourinho that did that the media will be drooling ”Master Tactician” ”Tactical Masterclass” and all that bullshit.Today proved that Fergie is still learning and is able to adapt to changes in the game and that is why he is the best of all time.
Fulham paid £150k for their plastic statue, Chelsea paid £50mil for theirs….. Fuckin great result, now let’s finish the job at ot
http://www.hasfernandotorresscoredforchelsea.com/
They were dominated, no doubt. Of course they created, they always will, they played a good game, but United had them beaten. Wonderful to see.
I was worried by the physical threat I must admit, those Chelsea lads like to get stuck in, and they did, and they were allowed to. Felt like it was going to be a long night watching them get away with their bruising late tackles and whatnot. Was worried it would be like Liverpool with the lads beaten down physically and unprotected by the ref. Didn’t happen though, the lads rolled with the punches and hit back.
Can’t pick a best player, I really can’t. Every single player out there had moments of heroics. It was a real team performance in that respect, it was like Chelsea knocked on our door in every position, and every United player in turn, when called to greatness, delivered. Special mention for me goes to Rafael, that boy is a soldier for us. Drogba beat the shit out of him time and again and he would not stop until he physically couldn’t play on. How a lad that size kept getting the better of a great donkey like Drogba is anybody’s guess, but he’s got more heart than ten men.
There was only one player on the whole pitch, from both sides, who was actually really poor tonight and that was Torres. Fluffed chance after chance. Created fuck all. Cheated plenty, and got caught for it. I didn’t want to write him off, I mean not at this stage, but he was a turd out there. If Anelka had started instead of him Chelsea would have got something out of the match.
That, in many ways, is what makes this win so sweet. Chelsea were no slouches tonight. They gave it their all, they played with intent, they played hard, their fans such as they are will be proud of the performance I should think. But United were better. And I tell you what, not many teams could do what we did tonight. Not many at all. You don’t tippy tappy your way past Essien if you still want to have kneecaps by the end of the night.
Chelsea will be thinking on this game, wondering what they can bring to Old Trafford that they didn’t bring to Stamford Bridge, and they will have no answers. They have been tested and measured by United and they have been found wanting. I would not want to be a Chelsea fan tonight.
I am still shocked that we did it. I am always afraid of playing Chelsea at the bridge ever since the 3-0 smashing they gave us in 2006. This has gone a long way in calming my nerves. Now we have to finish this off at OT. for those thinking this tie is over. you must be having a laugh. Not even close to being over. We have to do the business in the second leg. i am convinced we can do it. COME ON UNITED!!!!
Patrice Evra ……SMH ….poor….just Poor
Good shout on evra. He has been in a bit of a decline this year. That world cup business and I wonder if the Rooney saga had a negative effect on him? Haven’t seen that lion heart in a while.
Excellent summary, Scott. It was good to get a list of all the incidents that should have led to yellow cards and then reds, just to weigh in the balance when all the media go on about the penalty claim. I think it was a pen, but given the injustices experienced by United v Chelsea over so many matches, I can hardly even begin to feel sorry for Chelsea, especially with all those unpunished late tackles etc.
Still all to play for, but United really do have a very good chance. There were some very pleasing performances, such as Carrick, finally re-discovering the form of 2008, Rio, who was tremendous after his lay off (bit like his return after his drugs test ban, against Liverpool). Rafael was terrific, but what is it about the Da Silvas, why do they have to get injured in nearly every bloody match? I know it’s partly their fearless (or reckless) tackles, but the coaches should be eradicating those aspects of their game. I hope he’s OK for Fulham, or else Fabio.
As Scott says, the big negative was Evra, such a great character, and such a good player when on form, but this season his concentration and spacial awareness has been shot to pieces. Why?
Literally all I can think is:
GET IN YOU FUCKER!
About time we beat these wankers, happy days! By no means game over, but half time, we’re the favourites now, roll on Tuesday!
Have just seen the picyure strip on the penalty claim and I now think Scott is correct, it was outside the box and thus only a freekick, not a pen. Bet that point of view doesn’t appear anywhere in the media tomorrow!
Oh aye and the win was great. Lovely for Chelsea to get a wee taste of thier own. Good team but it was obvious who has been the better for a while. The next leg will be tense cause after all we really need 2 goals to keep the upper hand.
have to agree that in as much as we love chicharito i am not sure he is ready to play against the likes of chelshit who have thugs in their team.rooney has scored in 5 successive quarterfinal years . roma, chelshit,porto,ac and bayern. why is van d star retiring. i am honestly starting to believe he might be better than the great dane. evra is unbelievably error prone. would have killed him had he been redcarded just like fletcherino vs gooners.
I think its debatable, but who cares if it was a pen or not. 1-0. Happy days. Roll on Tueday!
Didn’t think Evra was as bad as some have said, but I did say his performance level has dropped this season. He looks tired and physically, not as strong, as in previous seasons. still though, he made a great clearance off the line, which was could be crucial, as Rooney’s goal.
impressed with carrick
Martin Atkinson must have been gutted to be left at home.
Chelsea could have used a match winner tonight.
Just a quick one from me.
Happy with the result and I have taken a plunge into Rooney’s performances this season.
Apparantly he has had a terrible season.
During this terrible season he has scored 13 goals and has 13 assists in all competitons.
Terrible indeed.
That’s more assists than Van Persie, Drogba and Torres.
He has also scored more goals than the sorry lot.
Perhaps it’s time to put things into perspective?
Rooney Rooney Rooney!
Regarding Chicharito, I think he was a great choice. He nearly scored don’t forget, with Cech clawing a cross out of his reach, he also came back and battled, even put in some proper tackles. He was all up in everyone’s business and it was great to see.
The thing with the Little Pea is that he is about to score. He is always about to score. He scares the shit out of defenders because of that. I love Berbatov to bits but I’d pick Chicharito over him most of the time now. Why? Because he’s just terrifying. He reminds me of Owen at the height of his powers. So clinical, so well positioned, so tricky to mark.
Maybe with hindsight Berbatovs class and control would have brought more to the table, but I think he made the right call. The games I prefer to see Berbatov play are those against the parked bus. I think his strength and skill is more effective than Chicarito’s positioning in those games. Berbatov is the safecracker, Chicharito the pickpocket.
Like i said doesn’t matter if it was a pen or not but come on guys let’s be unbiased here. I have watched the replay 5 straight times just now and i am mystified as to how that was not given. Someone covered his eyes or something or maybe he was tricked by the movement of the ball. That had to be a penalty but considering the way they have sneaked out victories courtesy of bad decisions it’s about time we get our luck here and i’m not bothered what they have to say.
disagree on EVRA thought he was MOTM, had to make more big interventions than anyone and didn’t let us down once. He saw out the game, played to the clock, handled the cunts in the crowd. Wasn’t by any means the “pretty” Evra we’re spoilt with but it was a top CL performance no doubt, MOTM imo.
and a VERY CONVINCING interpretation of the penalty shout! So paranoid about decisions at the Bridge everything looked like a fucking penalty to me. Wouldn’t even call it luck it was nice to have some BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT tonight.
Graham poll having a go for Chelsea pen as well.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1374234/GRAHAM-POLL-Goal-line-official-helped-referee-Chelsea-penalty-controversy.html
Maybe the 5th official agreed with the match referee on this one. What a thought!
Night my fellow Reds. Pleasant dreams!
http://ryandunny.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/chelsea-vs-united-reactions/
My own reaction to the game if any of ye want a look!
Brilliant win once again… won’t be able to sleep too hyper. Actually looking forward to tomorrow to rub some noises in!
Great entertainment tonight by the Great entertainers that are United looking forward to part 2 next Tuesday.
Chicharito’s speed is exactly why Chelsea, sans Sideshow David, play so deep. If they tried to take away the space from our midfielders, the turtle-like pace of John Terry would be exposed for all to see. While he doesn’t get the touches we’d like, he serves a valuable function in a game like today’s.
SB
you know whats almost as good as watching united win? watching chelsea lose. glory glory
Great win lads! Rio, Giggsy, Valencia and Carrick were huge. Agree about Evra’s worrying form. I was shocked that Nani doid not start. But I will take the 1-0 lead. Although, it was a very even game. If they score first, it gets nervy. I think he will go 4-5-1 next game. Is it just me? Or does Rafael never finish a game! He is either hurt or sent off!
Fantastic win. Loved Rooney’s goal celebration. Carrick was outstanding. MOM for me. Giggs: over 180 minutes played in 4 days at his age!!??! Wish I had his DNA.
Usually I dread any ‘unfair decision’ in our favour; I like us to win fair and square, without anybody being able to say that we “did not deserve the result” or bullshit like this. Today, however, I actually felt really happy when Chelsea did not get that penalty (outside the box, but whatever). Taste of your own medicine fuckers.
Great game man u I really wanted chicharito to score but then the important thing is that they won…
gora @ 23:13: “as much as we love chicharito i am not sure he is ready to play against the likes of chelshit”
What ? He came within a couple of inches of heading the ball from Rooney – and he was completely open; he was again in a perfect position on the ball in the second half that Cech was able to redirecdt; and he took the ball off Drogba by running forty yards to catch and clearly pick Deidre’s pocket. So, two outstanding attacking moves that were oh-so-close and one fantastic defensive contribution. The kid is “ready to play” against anyone.
Meh, even if it was a penalty, VDS would have saved it
Moscow all over again, hehe!
I think Sir Alex hit the point. Who cares if it was a penalty or not. They have got away with murder so many times that we should not feel anything for them. Right about Essien, Ramires and Torres should have received more than 1 yellow card, so evens it out.
Chelsea fans should be looking at their £50m diving legend to blame rather than the penalty call. Sir Alex got banned for 3 games (+2 suspended) for asking for a fair referee, lets see what the media makes of Carlos’s outburst. Probably nothing
Best moment for me was when the SPANISH REFEREE showed the YELLOW CARD TO THAT SPANISH SHITHEAD TORRES.
If this was an EPL match we would have lost to Chelski by a couple of “GIFTED” penalties.
Can we have this referee for our future EPL games with Chelski?
Brilliant result – couldnt sleep at all after the match, such was the buzz!
Carrick MOTM for me, Rio and Rooney a close second.
Bringing on Nani isntead of a defensive player was a great ply by SAF, fearless gambling, and he won hands down again.
As for the pen, frankly I dont care. If anything, I wish it was a pen, just so that the cunts know how it feels and can keep on moaning for the next xx years. Martin Atkinson was badly missed by Chelsea. So was Torres – ohh, wait…. Speaking of which, I couldnt figure out why Ancelotti took of Drogba, their biggest goalthreat of the night instead of the ladyboy.
Now on to Fulham and Shitty…UNITED!!!
gora @ 23:13: “as much as we love chicharito i am not sure he is ready to play against the likes of chelshit”
Maybe he didn’t get on the score sheet.But he did all kinds of space for Rooney to operate with.For the perfect example, just look at Hernandez’s movement from when Carrick ( what a pass, more please) made the pass.Terry( I think) left a some space for Rooney to get his shot away when he was forced track Chicharito.
Overall United played brilliantly.Also whats up with Rooney’s celebration.Worst slide I have ever seen.And last week Giggs played LB, today it was Valencia playing RB.The person who figures out how Sir Alex thinks has a pretty good chance of winning the lottery.Hehe.
Yea, couldn’t figure why Ancelotti took off Drogba instead of Torres. Drogba was a handfull, while Torres couldn’t do anything right, summarised by the 2 overhead kicks they attempted. Drogba hit his cleanly but just wide, while Torres completely missed his.
Oh well, who cares, that is their problem.
Berbatov will probably be starting against Fulham, hope he bangs a few in and secures the golden boot soon, he deserves it more than anyone else, given the unfair criticism he got last season.
“But he did create all kinds of space for Rooney”.Left out create.
Forgot to mention – one of the best moments of the match for me was seeing Rio calling the ladyboy’s bluff everytime the twat flopped to the floor. Top performance from Rio, but what is invaluable against a cheating side like chelsea in a big match is that sort of stature and authority. Love Rio!
y no speaks bout late tackles by chelsea players..if it wer scholesy lot wud hav been made…anyways stamford bridge conquered..any chennai man utd fan?
y media dont speaks bout late tackles by chelsea players..if it wer scholesy lot wud hav been made…anyways stamford bridge conquered..any chennai man utd fan?
DogHouse … excellent comments. Especially: “Berbatov is the safecracker, Chicharito the pickpocket.” Perfectly sums up what I have been trying to say about their different styles and qualities. Cheers!
And Rooney the dam buster
Great to see Scott being chuffed. Not often you get THIS positive posts by him.
OF course i am delighted. What a game. The game of the season for us so far. That CL thing really makes a difference to the game coupled with it being the knockout stages.
Scott summed it all up neatly so can end the post with the hope Rooney gets his ban reduced to one game and we will see his hunger in the cup game.
Newtown_red, jeet, statesideaussie
good morning
newtown_red
you won’t believe it, actually when valencia moved back to RB initially before the substitution I was just having a fantasy of how it would be if nani comes on for Rafael and dreaming on about how spectacular that would be having valencia/nani scare the fuck out that cashley cunt cole, and immediately came to my senses that this isn’t football manager game and out of the blue boom nani gets out of his tracks and came on for Rafael, I was actually living that dream for around half an hour, I bet cashley cunt would have got shit scared and pissed his pants looking at both of them on the same wing
jeet
yeah carrick looked like his oldself, but to me our midfield didn’t dominate as much as Scott pointed out, but we used whatever possession we had effectively, I still feel we gave them far too much time and space in midfield which in turn shows of in possession stats and if not for the ladyboy they would have scored at least one goal and thats the only worrying thing from otherwise a good win
statesideaussie, doghouse
nice apt comparison, we have been very blessed this season in fwd department, lot of variety and talent
Off the topic, Kuszczak decided to leave Manchester United.
Fantastic result but as they say it’s only half time. At OT we have to
go for the win. Not sit back and admire in Wednesday’s performance.
remember Bayern v Inter? First leg 1-0 to Bayern, but they ended up
loosing 3-2. Even though they had countless chances to finish off
Inter. So we have to impose our game on them in the 2 leg and
knock them out.
Paddy Evra needs to shut his mouth and focus on his game
because apart from the goal line clearance he was poor by his high
standards.
SAF must be glad Rio was back. He made a big difference to our
back line and showed his experience.
What does SAF do next? Tell his team to be composed, imaginative
disciplined and clinical.
It’s in our hands and we need finish them off at OT.
Believe
Awesome match and result. Rooney played like a god – and didn’t even get rattled by those horrendous late tackles. Chelski will feel hard done by not to get a draw out of it but it’s about time we had the luck at their place. Referee was good most of the night – he strangely missed those two late challenges on Rooney?? and he lost the plot a bit I think in the last 15 mins but overall a better ref than the monkeys we get in the prem.
I LOVED it when all you could hear was the United fans singing ‘Na na Na na na na na na hey hey hey Man United’
Morning reds. Can’t believe the SB curse is over! Something that was lost among all the celebrating. We still haven’t conceded a goal away from home in Europe.
I feel sick everytime I heard ppl saying chelsea were the better team and blah blah blah… its pretty clear that utd park the bus the moment we score the first goal. imo utd might have scored at least one more goal if we really focus attacking
Last 15mins we were under pressure, but you just had the feeling Chelsea won’t be scoring. There was the odd scare here and there, but apart from the save from VDS and the clearance from Evra, you can argue that we had the better chances, with Hernandez almost scoring twice.
chelsea won
While I agree with Scott on the pen it could have easily been given, maybe the gods of swings and roundabouts are smiling on us for a short period and with Vida getting away with it on Saturday lets hope we get a little bit more rub of the green.
What a night
Just like Saturday, we played like champions.
MG & Costas – good luck for your exams today guys!
Man United forever!
Glory, glory Man United!
One love – One United.
This is why we all love united…………..na,na,na,hey,hey, man united!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
still happy, fuck the media they say & write what they want! we are united.
Just in from a meeting between UEFA anf the FA. “We have decided to suspend Vidic for the remainder of this years Champions League. The reason being that Vidic always gets a red card when playing Torres. We as the governing body feel that the balance should be upheld in spite of it not happening last night. We have also contacted NASA and asked them to use their supercomputers to simulate the game again with United playing 10 men.”
I feel although chica didn’t appear to do much he kept the defence occupied as the chelski lot are slow, which in turn stretched the game so giggs and carrick could boss the midfield cos essien had to sit deeper and so did fat frank so they had no influence further upfield which is why they attacked down our flanks, fergie trusts our full backs enough to deal with that plus park and valencia track back to double up and still have energy to counter.
If berba started i feel essien and fat frank would of had more control of the midfield cos they know berba holds the ball up and know they’d have time to get back that extra 10yrds or so from pushing upfield. a master stroke also having giggs in the centre, if there was space between midfield and the defence giggs would exploit that easily with his runs, fergie knows you stop chelski by compressing their midfield towards their defence.
Agreed with all other points.
Just something about Chicharito. He is a different type of player, a type which doesnt require a lot of touches to make an impact or to score. I bet if you make a touches:goals ratio comparison, Chicharito will come out top of the league. He is just so deadly and unpredictable.
DEEEELIGHTED today ill have a great day now ! WERE ALL GOING TO WEMBLEY !!!!! AGAIN !!!!!!!
We all think the same. I totally love it when Scott’s reaction is exactly my thoughts put into words. Lovely. Good team performance. About Evra, he’s been taking risks, which had let to us conceding needless freekicks/penalties/controversial handballs. There’s nothing wrong with his attacking play, just that his defensive play has been quite an issue, caught ball watching a number of times too. Should be just a season problem, hopefully he’s back to his best soon. Carrick’s arguably best performance of the season. A real unsung hero of the match, doing his job really effectively. Having Rio and Vida at the back is like a bloody big boulder at the back.
Still buzzing after a great game! It was the best game of the season for viewing even though led to some very nervous moments. Chelsea are no mugs and played very well but united lat night were very good.
Carrick gets his fair share of abuse but for me he was our stand out player, broke up everything, put his foot in, and finally the Carrick of all with his excellent range of passing.
Lets hope the focus is not next Tuesday though as we have a massive game against Fulham on Saturday, we need to take 9 pts in our next three games before we play Arsenal on May 1st.
Agree with Scott that Chelsea should have had at least one player sent off due to their brutal victimiastion of Rooney. We had to see the same last year with Bayern which begs the question why do refs let them get away with it. Bommel, Essian and Ramires should have been sent off last year and in this game.
Any news on Rafeal? Hope he is not out for the rest of the season. Hoping to see Anderson and Fletcher on Saturday.
Great article Scott although I would not be that harsh on Evra, yes has had a poor season by his standards but I thought yesterday he had a decent game.
Its sad though that all the media attention is on the penalty that never was as opposed to the fact that United had a brilliant game… Should we really care though? NO
Doghouse – excellent couple of posts mate, as usual.
@Doghouse
Great comments on Chico/Berba
Great result last night – I thought Carrick (who I have criticised a lot recently) was absolutely brilliant last night.
wow wow wow its Carrick you know, youll never bvelieve its not Scholes……
So this is the worse United the press has ever seen .We are 7 points clear in the league ,one foot in the semi final of the champions league , and the semi finals of the F A cup . More of the same shit please
Great win just gutted that Rooney got the 2 match ban
If Michael Carrick can keep up his form, we are in for a good 2 months. We are talking about a midfield which did not have Ando or Fletcher, and were still able to showcase Chelsea what we are made up of. Chelsea’s defensive crisis has taken them out of 3 trophies and now CL will be decided next week. Last season our defence was only Evra and we were still able to compete and even win a trophy. You’ve have to laugh at all those who have rated Chelsea for the title time and time again. 06-07 was understandable, but 07-08 we were 2nd fav, same 08-09, and what not.Team in decline . What…fucking what…..Similar victory by Arsenal against Barca and there was talk about how only they are the PL team capable of that…..honestly speaks about fans also….even after seeing your team win so much to still not get delusional is down to one man…and that’s the difference at the end of the day…Sir Alex Ferguson
Perfect summary from Scott.
My only minor gripe was that we didn’t turn the screw a little more during the 20 minute spell we had at the start of the second half where we looked very comfortable and Chelsea were looking a little deflated. I think we could have had a bit more of a go and got a second which really would have put us in a fantastic position.
Then again that is possibly ulterior motive as I had a tenner on us for 2-0 at 18/1… also had money on Chico for last goaslscorer, that ball through from Nani that Cech got the slightest of touches on to move it away from Hernandez who would have had an open goal was agonising!!
still buzzing about the result. for me the man of the match award goes to valencia. he was awsome at the back when rafael got injured. it seems we have a midfiel that can slot back into our defence if needed. Rafaels injury is a worry but im sorry but he kind of brought it on himsel he left his leg in the tackle. he must of known that drogba was going to go through it. great potential but still lacking a bit of disipline.
Johnboy – are you talking about the time when Terry can clearly be heard saying “f***ing no way” to the linesman when a throw-in was given against him!!!!
The RESPECT campaign mustn’t apply to European matches.
Btw I just got this feeling that carrick somehow saves his best performance against the big teams. I dont know if you guys notice but I think he did well on the league game vs chelsea despite the loss
@BigT
I heard that as well on 58 mins, the FA will do what they stand for though Fuck All
I see this game in one sentence…BAD PERFORMANCE, GOOD RESULT.
If they use thier chances, we would lose the game.
Scott i dont know did we watch the same game, but Doghouse said it right….
“They were dominated, no doubt. Of course they created, they always will, they played a good game, but United had them beaten.”
We didnt create chances and that is worry me, becuase they will score. In Eurpe, if you have chances, you will score, it is just a matter of time. Those are good players on both sides, they dont need many chances. They didnt use them yesterday, but tomorrow they will.
Point on Chicharito.
One thing Scott. As soon as Chicho went off Chelsea backline advanced at least 10 yards and John Terry was effectively playing centre midfielder. His pace even when under utilised by our team keeps the opposition pegged back. After he went off Chelsea didn’t need to fear the ball in behind and they threw the kitchen sink at us.
But all’s well that end’s well.
Red Ratings: Chelsea
http://www.theunitedreligion.com/2011/04/red-ratings-chelsea.html
Mara. You talk absolute shit pal. It was a fucking blinding performance. Bore off.
Fuck off rentboys , fuck off fa, fuck off abus, fuck off media but best of all. FUCK OFF andy townsend you cunt. He weren t happy Cedars lad. Tylsdley kept praising giggs but that big nosed cunt wouldn’t say fuck all.
Well never die.
Great post Scott, as usual.
I honestly swear I am going to break a kitten’s neck the next time I hear a Manchester United fan that we will anyway get thumped (Read: Not beaten, thumped) by Barca in the final. I am absolutely sick of hearing how good Barcelona are and blah blah. I have been going through a few news sites like the Guardian, Daily Fail etc. and I can see so-called dickhead United supporters suggesting United have no chance against the greatest team on the planet.
Yeah, right, if they are as good as they are, then why haven’t they gotten a victory on English soil in ages. Why do still struggle against physcially imposing teams like they did last year against Inter? I am so sick of hearing how good Barcelona are that I want United to beat them convincingly if we do meet in the final.
Of course, not getting ahead of me, but the ultimate dream scenario will be meeting Barcelona at Wembley and taking revenge for 2009.
@Marq Carlo substituting Drogba over Torres is a sign that Abramovich is calling the shots. He was ordered to play Torres no matter what coz it doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that Drogba was the biggest threat. Sighed a huge sigh of relief when he got out.
With Carrick I think last night proved what I ave been saying all season. His style of play he has been using wasn’t anything todo with lack of confidence but due to being instructed to play that way. SAF has been using him to break up pay and keep the ball moving out to the wings where are dangerous players are. This hence sees him doing alt of sideways passing. The way e breaks up play and move the all isn’t flashy so jus like Berba in his first two seasons it’s hard for fans to appreciate (Tevez running around like a headless chicken is easier to appreciate as it looks like he is trying despite it being less effective than Berbas way and is easier to appreciate a tough tackling midfielder even though many of those praised are less effective than Carrick) it should also be noted that before last night Carrick had more interceptions than the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi at Barca and Alonso at Real WHILE having similar passing Numbers and completions AND FEWER sideways passes
Last night SAF took the reigns off him and let him play as he felt fit which s why we saw a more adventurous Carrick
@United4eva
Excellent observation. That is the different style he brings that forces the opposition backline to sit deep allowing us more space in the middle. On top of that, he could have scored one of the two headers any other day. Another thing also….Michael Carrick was brilliant yesterday as was Rooney, Tony V and VDS.
@King Eric
I cant stop laughing at your post above mate!
@Wakey
I completely agree mate, i just hope now fans give him some credit he derserves. He has warranted some negatives with some displays but far to often made a scape goat.
That said we now have competition for places in midfield so we should stay relatively fresh through to the end of the season!
@Balaji Sivaraman – Absolutely spot on mate I am sick to death of hearing how good Barcelona are, yes they are good but it is the same team apart form Rome have not won an away game in Europe under Guardiola.
Just saw on Sky Sports News they gave Frank the Tank an 8….WTF??!!
Barring the shot blocked off the line he was non existant for 80 minutes
I think it’s a bit too early to be talking about Barca just yet. But since people have started, here’s my take. Yes, they are beatable. No, they are not as good as ppl make out. A lot of their performances in the CL have been far less convincing. I agree that we have the weapons to hurt them. I also think our defense is as good as any in Europe (any combination of Vidic, Rio and Smalling in the center). The main difficulty I see is that you can’t score if you don’t have the ball, and getting the ball off them is not easy. Winning the ball back, may be our greatest weakness at the moment. If we can get the ball, and move it quickly out wide, then we can hurt them. But we have to get the ball first. Most likely, I would see us playing on the counter-attack, and we certainly have the means to do that.
Any football match is a 2-horse race, and in any 2-horse race, both horses ALWAYS have a chance om the day.
John fcking Terry is 100% confident that Chelsea will win at OT,.. just loling at his delusion.
Michael Carrick.. well played good sir!
Btw hear Ando will be in action for our reserves tonight, hope he has a good one!
here’s a piece on our very own Anderson:
http://www.thehardtackle.com/index.php/man-utd%e2%80%99s-corner-a-letter-to-anderson/
Giggs11gerrard0. Hello mate. Cheers pal.
Balaji. Spot on fella.