Ahead of kick-off yesterday, I wrote about what I hoped for the day ahead. It goes without saying we all wanted a win, however we had to win, but there was one person I really want to see on the scoresheet.
I don’t really care how we score, as long as we do. It could come off Wes Brown’s arse for all I care but I really would love to see Berb score today.
Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate he would go on to do what he did today. But more on that later.
From start to finish, we were the better side yesterday. I was expecting Liverpool to be poor because the only players really capable of shining in their squad are Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. But I was so pleased to see us passing the ball around so well, keeping possession so much better and generally just looking dangerous and confident on the ball.
But being the better team means nothing unless you can get the goals. Our first great chance came following some lovely passes between Berbatov and Wayne Rooney. Wazza probably could have squeezed the ball back to Berb as he ran behind the Liverpool defence, but he opted to go right to Nani instead. If he’d hit it first time or got a better first touch, we could have been a goal up, but he cut inside awkwardly and the ball came back to Rooney. He had a go and after being blocked it fell to Nani again, who swiped at it and fired the ball out for a goal kick. He should have at least been forcing a save from Pepe Reina there.
Reina’s bezzie mate, Glen Johnson, created the only chance I can recall that Liverpool had from open play. He smacked it from just inside the box but it was well wide and Van der Sar watched it go past of his post.
Darren Fletcher, who is still some way short of his impressive form of the last couple of seasons, played a brilliant ball forward to Berbatov on the right. He beat his man and got the ball across to Rooney whose header came off a defender for a corner.
Ryan Giggs stepped up to take it and ended up winning another. Fernando Torres embraced Berbatov, cuddling him from behind, and despite his best efforts at fouling him, the Bulgarian got his header away to make it 1-0. I couldn’t quite believe it when my initial hopes that Berbatov was the scorer (it was down the other end of the pitch and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be) because, firstly, it was just too good to be true that the man I wanted to score so badly had done, and secondly, it was a header. Has he scored one for us before? All I can recall are the headers which he fires over the crossbar time and again.
Moments later, United should have been awarded a penalty after Jamie Carragher blocked the ball in the area with his hand. Howard Webb had a perfect view but waved away our appeals.
Nani, who ruined Paul Konchesky all afternoon, could have had his second goal of the game following another brilliant ball forward from Rooney from one side of the pitch to the other, where O’Shea was waiting. John played Nani in and he rifled it against the cross bar. It was a cracking effort and Reina was well beat.
Nani then grabbed his 5th assist of the season, after again getting away from Konchesky and putting a ball in across the box. Rooney leapt to get his head on it, but thankfully, it was too high for him. Berbatov, with his back to goal, controlled the ball on his thigh and then fired it over his head. It’s the kind of effort you so desperately want to go in but know you’re probably kidding yourself to think that it will. But after hitting the crossbar, the ball fell perfectly over the line, and the ground erupted. Sorted, two goals from Dimi, three points against the dippers.
We weren’t finished yet though. Nani again got away from his marker and played a brilliant ball across the box and had Rooney been on his toes, he would have got there before Carragher, who had to stretch awkwardly to get it away.
However, when Jonny Evans naively slid in on Torres in the box, you knew there was only one decision Howard Webb could make. Evans looked surprised, and had the Spaniard not got his foot to the ball faster and played it inside, Evans probably would have got away with it. Gerrard stepped up to take it at the same end Rooney took his penalty against Liverpool last season, and sent Edwin the wrong way.
Then, when Liverpool were awarded a freekick just outside the box, there was a horrible feeling that they might just get themselves back in to this. They had been second best all day, leaving Van der Sar and our defenders with very little to do.
My initial reaction to the awarding of the freekick was that it was very soft. O’Shea and Torres came together just outside the area and it didn’t look like a foul. I’ve since seen it on MOTD2 and I stand by my initial opinion. Torres made the most of a coming together. Maybe that’s my red specs. Regardless, Carrager pulled Michael Owen to the floor as the last man at Anfield last season and was given just a yellow card, so any scouse cries for a red card for O’Shea are hypocritical. Van der Sar would have got there before Torres anyway.
Van der Sar set his wall up perfectly and then credit has to go for the work put in on the Liverpool training ground to get the better of us (I can be gracious knowing what happened six minutes from time). Meireles intentionally pushed in to Fletcher on the edge of the wall then pulled away. Instinctively, Fletch went with him, leaving a perfect gap for Gerrard’s freekick to fly through and end up in the empty half of Edwin’s net. Gutting.
The little scouse twat ran away to the Sky Sports camera, just as he had the season before last, smearing his dribble all over the lens as he smooched it. Maybe he’s missing Alonso, maybe he wants a trophy to kiss, so Sky Sports are bearing the brunt of his frustration. Either way, he looks like a right dick head when he does, particularly considering they went to lose the game.
Still, I hadn’t seen the replay of the penalty challenge and was sure the freekick from which they equalised was soft, and had a very strong feeling we’d been done by the ref. Played them off the park all game, kept them away from our goal, totally restricted them from creating anything from open play, yet here we were at 2-2. Gutting.
So, who was going to step up and save the day for United then? Nani had been playing really well, Rooney had struggled to get involved, Giggsy had made some nice runs down the left, but there was only going to be one man to make the difference today, the man many of our fans ‘lovingly’ refer to as Berbaflop.
John O’Shea put in a great ball and Berbatov outjumped Carragher with ease to score his second header of the game, leaving Reina with no chance.
Old Trafford erupted, Berbatov’s song was sung and despite our late results against Everton and Fulham, there was no worry we were going to blow it now.
Berb was subbed off just before half-time to receive a well deserved standing ovation. He kept his head down and strolled off, applauding the fans as he got off the pitch. He has since revealed he loved our reaction, but is shy, and doesn’t know how to respond to such adoration.
As I walked back to the car I was racking my brains trying to think of when someone had done this before. When was the last time one of our lads scored a hattrick against Liverpool? It was only when I got the radio on that I forgave myself for not being able to remember, given that it happened quite a few decades before I was born. What a brilliant achievement.
In hindsight, I’m glad Liverpool got those two goals. Whilst the final scoreline of 3-2 doesn’t reflect just how much better than them we were, it’s nice knowing we put their fans through the mill. They thought they were done and dusted at 2-0, sitting silently in the away end, as they had done all game, left to ponder over their shocking decline. Then at 2-2 they actually had some belief. Not only could they get a point here, if Torres plays his cards right, he might con Webb in to sending one of our lads off, and they could go for all three points. But then Berbatov ruined it for them, bringing them right back down to earth, leaving them two places above the relegation zone and unable to avoid their horrible reality.
This was one of the games we’ll look back on at the end of the season with a smile.
And who knows what Berbatov can achieve this season with our fanbase on side? I honestly cannot wait to see.
Man Utd News 24/7
Berbatov is going to be the man for United this year.
I hated the part when Stevie G kissed the camera..i fucking hated it..felt like smashing my set when he did that..He thought it was gonna be a repeat of the 4-1 drubbing we had got but he forgot that Berba was still on the pitch..kiss my arse you scouser cunt..
Berbatov!
Now I got that out of my system, I just want to say, finally. Strikers live on confidence and he was well short of it last season, but his early season form could mean that he will be riding high on the fuel needed for us to keep Chelsea in sights.
Now, what we need is Rooney back into some semblance of form that carried us through last season, Hargreaves to really come back and help lift Fletcher’s burden (because Fletcer looks to me a tired man) and long may the genius continue.
Wouldn’t hurt for the young ones to push for a spot too. We need our guys to get doubts out of our system, that’s for sure.
Why did Gerrard kiss the camera after equalizing??
he should be kissing trophies and cups….
from liverpool’s dusty attic….
Brilliant article.
seiously ferdinand and brown have to get match fitness quickly…and what happened to rafael? give the boy a start already…
fletcher is not himself…thankfully Ando is back…soon Hargo will back also…our midfield look solid now…we can give fletcher a rest sometime…
rooney is worrying…but the next king Berbatov is here to cover so he can get to his best slowly…and Macheda looking like a strong lad now…bring on the Carling cup
@utd4life
If that wound you up I’m guessing you finally destroyed your set when he did his interview. And I quote
“We are improving and the performance was very good.
“If we play like that most weeks we will beat most teams in the league.
“We just came up against a man in form who was the difference.”
Apart from the fact they lost, apart from the fact they wouldn’t have managed a shot on goal without those 2 free kicks we gave away, apart from the fact they created nothing in open play, apart from the fact their defence looked shocking, apart from all that – Yeah, they played well.
what is the berba song that scott is refering to?
I’m in Berbalove!
DIMITAR BERBATOV!
TOOK ONE LOOK AT
DIPPERS AND SAID
FUCK OFF
You beat a mid table team big woop, how come one min you all reckon Berba is crap and you try to offload him the next.
Also i love how manu fans go on about how great they are cos they beat Liverpool etc yet in the same sentance say how poor that team is??? This doesnt make sense so did you beat a crap team by only one goal at home or did you work hard in beating a good team at home?????
Is berbatove crap as most on here called him a year ago or is he world class, make your flamin minds up
What amazes me is that all seven goals have been defensive mistakes
For Manchester United that is unacceptable and something which has to be rectified now
Apart from park the bus Rangers this United team looks like old – it will find a way and it will score
But that defense has to hold firm – because this could be one hell of a year and we need them to be on top period.
chelseablue:
Fuck off – what arrogance – you are on the wrong blog – don’t know who this manu team is – uneducated or what
Great Analysis .
Berb I <3 You
Chelseablue,
Were great because we did beat Liverpool(comprehensively) Unlike them chucking the match against you.We’ll now see you having to earn top spot starting next week in Manchester.
“It’s the kind of effort you so desperately want to go in but know you’re probably kidding yourself to think that it will. ” he he he
explains it all. You noticed Gergie’s celebration? Couldn’t know what to do!
wat was the matter with Nani?? I thought that he was diving a little too much yesterday
Joe Cole aka Free Transfer Man. wants the money weekly but i can’t remember seeing him in this game other than his name in the Lineup. Should have been the Invisible Man. Him and his (I luv Liverfool) bullshit.
Hope he goes to shitty next and gives his (I Luv to Shit) comments
chelseablue
As for beating crap teams – you’ve been doing pretty well wanking yourselves silly over whipping boys
Whip away your bubble will burst soon enough – keep our trophy well polished over at the chav quarters we are coming for it and you fucking know it too
As for Berba I have nothing to hide since I have supported him through it all
Here have a lesson form is temporary class is permanent.
Reading todays press I found out that Stevie Me is not only crazy but stupid as well!!!!
To say that they deserved something from the match is beyond any sane reasoning.
@chelseablue
Why do you give a crap about what we think of our player??Berbatov is our player..He is a Utd player..Why are you so bothered??
As for beating pool..it doesn’t matter if they are a mid table team or a relegation team..liverpool have been our arch rivals and we fucking stuffed them..and it feels bloody good..
now that your honeymoon period is over..lets see how you guys fare..you still haven come up against a team that has a reasonable or any semblance of a defense..but credit to you for taking advantage of it..
Chelsea blue.. Its a fuckin rival game you cunt! When they play us they actually turn up, unlike against you where they threw the game so regardles of the league position or how crap they are they always find an extra gear much like all the real clubs here in the north..
Well done to your team th0 you on fire but lets not get cocky eh? You yet to face a decent side and while you can only beat whats in front of you lets see how you do when you play a real club from up here in the north or even a real derby game.. Till then go fuck yourself the league is far from over twat!
@ briggsy i totally agree with you what teams did he mean they would beat if they play like that.No shots vds could have sat by me in k stand they were shite . never mind they can concentrate on finishing above blackpool and that wont be easy. why was wes not playing at right back evans looked iffy again (GREAT DAY)
@ChelseaBlue
If you don’t understand why we are elated at winning what we would consider one of our biggest fixtures then you know nothing about football. Even Sky Sports trumped it as the biggest game in the premier league.
@Briggsy
lol..thankfully I dont watch the post match press conferences..but i heard hodgson was very gracious in accepting the defeat..hopefully he can drill some common sense into gerrard’s head..
to chelseablue:
try to grow a brain, if it’s possible for you knuckle-headed glory hunters to even do so.
“how come one min you all reckon Berba is crap and you try to offload him the next.”
If you read your own sentence properly, which will be the highlight of your lifetime no doubt, you’ll realize that reckoning someone is crap one minute and offloading him the next is completely logically.
Try to think through your insults before you go on someone else’s blog to hurl them, it makes you look like what you are, bunch of over-rated chavskis.
You guys must really be worried about us, and thanking your lucky stars that we are contriving to win the league in the hardest fashion, because after your 4-0 win against the mighty blackpool here you are trying to run our win over the second biggest club in england (clue: it ain’t yours)
move on, fella.
@MG
keep the posts coming mate. keep the flag flying! you have a gift!
I thought it was a nice touch by SAF to bring Berba off and let the fans give him a standing ovation, he deserved it.
Lol, a Chelsea fan accuses us of celebrating beating a mid table team? I didn’t know there 100% record came against world beaters…
scruffynat
Cheers : )
I equate Manchester United to being a tortoise and Chelsea to a hare so reds before you get offended hold up and listen up
Once upon a time there was a tortoise and a hare – the hare told the tortoise with arrogance that he shall beat him to a race – as the race began the hare ran out of the blocks whilst the tortoise gently paced himself to the end.
We all know how that ended and we all know that nothing is what it seems until everything comes to pass.
After 5 games nothing has come to pass – unless your chelsea or chelsea ass lickers TM
Costas it’s over – they have won the premiership
This is inception – we have made them believe something – only when it suits us the truth will be ever so different : )
We love giving teams head starts – why wouldn’t we – we are Manchester United we love doing it the hard way – this is a fact and subsequently a TM all in one : )
@MG
Lol, well we can’t take full credit for giving them a headstarts. Their opponents so far have every reason to be proud of how they performed against Chelsea. They have been fighting their guts out.
top result yesterday! when stevie me ran to the camera i managed to get my arse to my telly just in time…pucker up buttercup! childish for a 39yr old i know but you know how it is! when other fans start invading R.O.M you know its fuelled by fear! hehe luv it. well done berba! i nearly cried at that second goal!
Most football fans are blinded by emotion, even more so when the game is against one of your fiercest rivals, but bar further dismal lapses at the back, this was the first real signs of United cranking up the fire and skill we need to win the league and win it with style. I agree with Scott, the 3-2 score line was more enjoyable than a stroll as it will have hurt the Scousers more and that’s always a good thing.
I wonder how many kids will be trying the Barba knee up and overhead kick in the playgrounds today?
@chelseablue:
You’re probably a Mourinho-era blues fan so you do not understand teh ManU-L’pool rivalry. Seeing as you’re a newbie, we excuse your naive comments. You can continue posting here if your team beat ManCity next Sat after Chelsea’s run of easy teams are over. Till then, tutidoledo!
You know they’re scared when they come to our blog to comment about beating mid-table teams.
It feels good.
BERBA you the man!
Half the chelsea fans i know have been fans since 2005.Says a lot.
Great write up Scott.
So pleased he’s finally getting the goals and people are finally waking up to him being at good as the people who stuck by him were saying he was.
Nani is looking like he’s stepping up, he was excellent yesterday, he just needs to stop rolling around on the floor like a pussy and get on with it.
Fletch, I actually thought he looked a lot better yesterday. Not fully back to his outstanding form last season but it’s looking more and more like it’s on the way.
The pen was a pen, no complaints there other than Evans still looks like he has a lot to learn. There was genuine shock in his face when it was given.
The free kick, Fletch learned a lesson, end of.
We dicked ‘em really. Fergie was dead right, without the very dubious free kick it the scoreline would have reflected the game much better.
Wayne, he’s done something very very stupid and it’s thrown him completely. He’ll get over it and he’ll be back, I’m not even slightly worried.
Whatever, Berba is on fire and long may it continue.
Oh, one final thing, next time the YSBs play at OT, we should make sure all the cameras are coated with granny piss.
@Costas
Don’t you know, teams only try hard against Chelsea. With United, its always a walk in the park, referees help us, luck of the draw, Cantona is a United fan etc…
@MG
as Scott wrote in this article, we only give the impression that we are behind so that the chavs can feel like they’ve got in the bag, then watch us blitz past them, then hope is revived ‘cuz of a little blip ala Fulham and L’pool from two seasons back, then we edge them to the post to celebrate. All in a season’s work. Makes their 8 months of supporting their shitty overrated rented club seem like such a waste. To top it off we get to hear 3 months of off season whining about how they need to sign Torres, Kaka, Robinho, Villa, Ibrahimovic et al to win the trophy.
wall set up perfectly???
the wall was pretty much in the middle of the goal, it was a joke! I could see it was going to go in just by the way the wall was set up!
what was van der sar thinking!!
but other than that I agree with everything and how can steven gerrard act like that after scoring when they had been completely out played for the whole match!
he looked like a horrible little scouse rat on a friday night who’d just done an OFFY GRAB!
KOPITE SCUM!
Where is my mate, King Eric? I’d be hoping to gloat with him in the aftermath of the Berba’s performance!
Has to be said although Fletcher hasn’t been quite himself with holding play in the midfield his ball to pick out Nani that started the move for the second goal was an absolute beauty. Rooney also played some fantastic long range passes though he looked a little frustrated by events in the area. He’s having a tough time this season but he’ll go through the gears soon I think. Berbatov’s rise in stature might take the pressure off him I think.
What I am loving about United this season is that you just don’t know what they might strike with at any given moment. First game or two Scholes was dictating the play, then people got wise to that, so Nani steps up, and you know when he gets too much pressure on him Giggs or Scholes can again marshal the attack should they need to. Fletcher will find his way, Gibson is shaping up to be deadly, the shot on him is immense and we’ve got young talent blossoming in all areas of the pitch. I’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again, this is the promised land. It won’t last forever so enjoy it while it lasts.
And we’re getting all this quality from a team lacking tens of millions of pounds worth of players through injury. We get Hargreaves, Carrick, Ferdinand and Valencia back this season with any luck and we’re only going to be better.
Sanj – King Eric’s on a sabbatical from ROM, he’ll be back soon though.
Berb is finally coming good! he’s a great man and a great player, a true United man.
Off topic, but did anyone see Rob Smyth’s article in the Guardian today? While I agree about the Glazers disasterous ownership, he says “Ferguson’s incompetence is shredding his legacy.…”. And he calls himself a United fan? With fans like these, who needs rivals? (perhaps that’s a bit harsh, Rob’s a good journo, as are most of the Guardian staff…)
@willie…agree totally..any link to that standing ovation as he was subbed? It was also awesome to see the guys’ collective celebration …they all looked genuinely happy for Berba.
I don’t really know who King Eric said but I hope he comes back as it seems like he’s a true Utd fan.
Berba…. here’s my huge daily dose of love from me to you..
Buy a Berba goal foundation is officially closed
With love
ROM
: )
@MG…LOL ..are you talking about the IOSS episode of Wayne appealing for help for Berba?
RedGem
I am talking about the foundation that I we and everyone sort of like started last season
In any case – it’s over
However we can open up a Wayne Rooney foundation for successful marriage if any one is interested lol
: )
@Scott
One header I remember of Berba’s was a late winner at Bolton that was vital in the 2008-09 run-in, what price the same next weekend?
A city mate of mine asked how I thought it would go and I said it probably be really nervy, this is Liverpool and they’d give us a game if they where in the 4th division and so it proved, oh my god so it proved. Seeing Berbas 2nd goal was odd cos he had his back to us, though you could obvioulsy see it was something special.
As for the goals conceded both where a bit silly, Evans could have stayed on his feet against Torres a bit more experience will sort him. As for the free kick well Torres may have played for it but thats what clever forwards do, on top of that though the wall was useless to the point that Gerrard was due to bend the ball round the outside with a helping push but he still managed to get it through.
Any way we beat them regardless of any sniping from Chelsea supporters they would never understand what its like for two clubs as great as UTD and Liverpool to have these games but then what do you expect from the fans that brough you Team Terry, I know we’ve given pur support to Rooney in the last few games but at least we haven’t been as cringeworthy as those cunts.
Haha when I read Chelsea blue’s pathetic comment i was hoping to put him in his place a little. But no need, you guys have owned him well and truly! If he can’t understand our elation at beating our greatest rival’s then why the fuck is he even a football fan? Chelsea-Arsenal is pittance in comparison to United-Liverpool and everybody knows it.
As for Berbatov, most of us have always supported him, as we do all our players. It’s just the ones that don’t tend to be a little more vocal in the times that he’s struggling for form. As, obviously, if he’s had a bad game we’re not guna come on here and sing his praises as we’re probably a little pissed off ourselves, but the minority of fans that dislike him will be on here venting their anger and generally being a bunch of twats. Still, one by one he is making them eat their words and soon we will all be unified in praise!
I would just like to acknowledge that Anderson came on late. Didn’t do much, but great to see the lad working his way back. Hope he gains confidence and that the manager becomes convinced. We need the Good Anderson back in the fold! Happy to see him.
PS. Understand from one of the databases that that was Andersons 100th bow for the REDs.
Lets hope he builds on that!
From Berbaflop to Berbatop.