Apr 14
Man Utd v Arsenal: United End Arsenal’s Season
The regulars to this site might be left wondering, and for good reason, why there wasn’t a preview to yesterday’s game posted on this blog. Dear readers, kindly accept my humble apologies. My internet for some reason decided it deserved a holiday — with it being a Sunday and all — and politely conked out so conveniently, just as I started writing the first few lines of the preview.
Well, not only was I denied the chance to write a preview to the game, I just wasn’t allowed access to the game yesterday, as I rely on internet streams usually. An hour was spent arguing with the ISP for this untimely ‘inconvenience’ and I spent some more time crying like a madman, before I realised that I could go to a nearby pub that showed the game. I made it, but could barely see enough to write a match report. It wouldn’t be honest of me, would it?
Anyway, I soothed myself with the MotD highlights and hopefully my agony will be assuaged to some extent once I finish downloading the whole match and watching it. Oh, the internet is fixed now. But the pain of not having watched United terminate the Arse’s season live would still remain.
So once again, accept my humble apologies. I would however defer you all to the excellent comment thread of yesterday (post-match) that had quite a few detailed, and intelligent, analyses of the game. Anyway, I still have some opinions, not necessarily of the match, but some over-arching incidents and issues that could be discussed.
Primarily, was it just me or could others also see the amount of pity showered on the Gunners, by the members of the Fourth Estate, after United effectively ended their season? Fine, they played some good football. They started the season brilliantly defying the same press that wrote them off. But they tapered off because of their thin squad. What I didn’t get was journalists (especially the one on MotD) asking Queiroz and Ferdinand if they felt sorry that Arsenal’s hard work this season has amounted to nothing. I am not trying to say that Arsenal didn’t deserve something (maybe a league cup?). But why does this sound like United, by defeating Arsenal, have destroyed the one team that had the core of footballing principles at heart?
While Queiroz played the diplomatic line, I liked what Rio said — that this is not a time for sentiment. And that, had Arsenal been in our position, they would also have never wasted time feeling for the fallen team. It is this ruthless streak that has seen United keep their head so far and the very lack of it that has seen Arsenal slip by the wayside.
The other thing that follows from the above is the way we won the game today. It’s almost unanimous that we were below par, and Arsenal, indeed, had chances to increase the lead by a larger margin. But we held on, and we won a game where, perhaps, a draw could have been a fair result for Arsenal’s effort. And, yes. United are still discovering more match winners as the season is drawing to a close. Sir Alex will be, no doubt, proud at the way some other players have risen to the demands. Today it was Hargreaves’ free kick and his energetic second half — interestingly, he was started on the right wing — and Anderson, who had a few quiet weeks, who seems to save up his energetic best for the big games.
Blackburn, Chelsea, West Ham and Wigan, I suppose, then. Hopefully Brucie does us a favour today as Chelsea take on Wigan.
But from now on as I’ve said before, United would need to go on a horror run to throw the title away. So c’mon you reds! Make us all smile again, and again, and again.
To end this, here’s an image from yesterday to brighten up your Monday.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Porto it is then…
- Rooney Out For A Month
- GOAL VIDEOS: Manchester United v Arsenal
- Man Utd Blog 2007/2008 Home Kit
- The need for a right-back and a forward | Title race blown open
Tags: Match Reports
April 14th, 2008 at 10:30
Cracking game of football – why we all love the game! Thought we were lucky and with some better finishing we could have been out of it. We showed why though we are Champions in waiting. 5 star perfomances to Evra, Rio, Brown & Van Der Sar, special mention for Anderson & Tevez who changed the game when they came on. I was also impressed with Pique – he is calming assurance at the back while Vidic is out. There is still work to be done with getting the 3 points at Ewood compulsory to set up the grand finale at the bridge, where we beat them and take the title in their back garden!
April 14th, 2008 at 10:33
As ecstatic as everyone else about the victory, but annoyed at the way people are saying it’s over. Blackburn are a very good side, and have been a bit of a bogey in the past (remember Pederson’s hat trick) so it’s still not over. For me our football has been the best in the prem, so we damn well deserve it, but Chelsea won’t mind a bit if their dull, lifeless football takes them stuttering over the line – and we’ll only have ourselves to blame!
That said, great resilience yesterday. Some baffling performances though – just when I thought Scholes was back in form, he was awful, and just when I thought Hargo could only play once a week he manages more or less 90 minutes twice! Back line is a worry, and while any defence will struggle against an Arsenal playing like they did, thought Pique and Rio let them in a few too many times. And what was Brown doing for the two late Bendtner headers? Anyway, all’s well that ends well.
Had one more thought, I’ve reconsidered Rooney’s inability to net 1 v 1s. It’s not lack of ability, he’s just unlucky, almost everytime. If you watch Lehman’s second save…incredible just off his big toe. I’m banking on Rooney’s bad luck running out next season, and him having a blinder.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:38
everyone expected arsenal to lose but few expected them to play that kind of football, the positive thing is the way man utd could change gears and lift themselves up and play amazing stuff,,now its blackburn then go win it at the bridge.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:41
Beachryan, I think you’re 100% right on Rooney. I think that’s what pisses people off. We can’t really blame him for being a bad striker…we know he isn’t. It’s just that he is UNLUCKY…everytime…everymatch…everyweek…everymonth…
Lately, I don’t even get excited when he’s 1-on-1 because I’m trying to stop myself from getting too upset because I KNOW he’ll miss. and, if you look at all the replays, you can see what he’s trying to do, and that its all right…he was just unlucky!
As you said, this bad luck can’t last forever. I have a sneaky feeling (maybeit’s more of a hope) that we will see ‘the same Rooney’ scoring a ‘megaton of goals’ next year.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:14
I have one comment on this game and its something all of you are trying bury away in your memories and thats, where the hell was our so called GoldenBoy Ronaldo yesterday when we needed him?, and dont tell me he was man marked by 2 because thats just bullshit I mean everytime he gets the ball he tries to go in from between them like he thinks like theyre going to watch him do it, and dont get me wrong I love Ronaldo, god knows I do but he wasnt there and as much as it hurt me he played like crap.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:21
May be he was scoring a penalty (twice) under the most incredible pressure?
April 14th, 2008 at 12:26
believe me we were lucky vs the arse.this whole rooney isnt a striker thing should stop.what is he?a midfielder?defender?with a midfield as good as uniteds,and considering 90percent we are playing against weaker opposition,there is no excuse for not scoring.
the team however wasnt bad considering arsenal were playing with extra effort to keep up in the hunt.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:43
Redrants is the website which made me express my feeling about Manchester United and the matches online in my Blog. I know Soccerlens will write a match review and all. This is my version of the match…
Arsenal is taken out of the title chase equation by a gritty comeback from Manchester United.
Arsenal wasted lot of chances in the first half, so do Manchester United.
It never looked like Manchester United are playing 4-5-1, it looked like Manchester United were playing 4-3-3 and they kept losing the ball in the midfield and let Arsenal attack.
After half time a freaky mis-understanding between Rio and EdVS(the reply
proven hand ball)led to first goal by Arsenal.
The match sprung to action, there was nervy moment when EdVS saved a possible own goal by Rio.
Manchester United pushed hard and got a Penalty with the help of hand ball from Gallas.
Next few minutes nearly gave a heart-attack to me as well as all the Manchester United fans when Ronaldo had to take the penalty again.
But Ronaldo didn’t falter and scored with impeccable persistence.
Before Manchester United players get carried away by the Goal Celebration, Rio the Captain bought them to senses that we need more than one point from the match by giving a rallying cry.
Sir Alex made a double substitution at 54 Mins, i don’t remember him doing a substitution this early in the second half recently. Anderson and Tevez came in for Scholes and Park.
Anderson was outstanding so is Tevez. They caused problems in the Arsenal defense and Manchester United’s midfield finally find their foot.
Rooney wasted a golden chance again in front of goal, but Gilberto’s foul won a free kick for Manchester United from 25 yards out.
It’s like watching the reply of Owen Hargreaves first goal for Manchester United. He slotted the ball in to the net with perfection.
Emotions run high and the celebration said it all. Arsenal’s substitution Bentdener and Walcott didn’t make much impact other than 2 headers from the former one.
Manchester United held on to the lead and won the match 2-1. For me Adebayour’s foul on Anderson was a straight red, The tackle was from back and two footed.
As the manager said in the post match press conference win two more matches and the title is ours again.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:46
Rooney’s failed to score from more 1-on-1s this season than probably any other player in the EPL. It’s not all just down to bad luck. RVN or Torres would convert a much higher ratio of these chances.
I think it’s more to do with the fact that Rooney’s still learning to play the sole front man role. In the past, he would always play as the second striker (with RVN, Saha, or Michael Owen with England).
The chances he’s getting now playing up top tend to put him closer to the keeper, and usually there’s time for only one touch. It’s that one touch/shot which isn’t quite cutting the angles right. It’ll come.
April 14th, 2008 at 13:09
As far as Rooney is concerned, whatever role he is playing seems to be working as we are top of the table. And for Blackburn, I know they’ll run at us, but for God’s sake did they have to lay on their sides against Liverpool. You know that’s not gonna happen with us.
April 14th, 2008 at 13:16
we were crap yesterday, one of the worst performances of the season, especially first half, but champions win when are playing badly, hence why arsenal and scousers are so far behind.
rio and van der sar were quality, evra did a good job. scholsey was poor and has been for past few games, hargreaves couldnt get close to any arse players int 1st half and (John T you must be joking!) wes brown was shocking, u watch all arses chances int first half and he jogging when he should be tracking back, his pass completion was about 10% and he just looked lazy.
anderson and tevez were quality when they came on, bite and energy, changed the game. ronaldo showboating to hoyte was pure class!
April 14th, 2008 at 13:24
RR, where do you know that you can download the full game, i missed the second half and part of the first, i’ve tried everywhere.
April 14th, 2008 at 14:01
Arsenal and the scousers are “so far behind” United for one simple reason. In the head to heads this season United have come out on top. The margins are that fine.
Reverse the results between the sides and this is how the table would look.
So if Liverpool had beaten Utd twice instead of losing twice, Liverpool would be on 74 pts, and Utd would be on 74 pts. It’s Utd who stand between Liverpool and a real tilt at the title.
Arsenal lost 5 pts to Utd this season, had they taken all 6: Arsenal would be on 76 pts, and Utd would also be on 76pts.
Chelsea so far have lost 3 pts to Utd. Reverse that result and Chelsea would be on 77 pts to Utd’s 77pts, with a game in hand over Utd.
Those statistics mean that the performances of the Big Four against the rest of the EPL is very similar. It’s what they do against each other that makes the difference. Those are the games SAF targets each year as the “must win” games.
Unlike United, the other three of the Big Four have tended to end up even with each other over the season (Chelsea-Liverpool = 2 draws; Chelsea-Arsenal = 1 win each – so effectively a draw; Arsenal-Liverpool = 2 draws).
In the Big Four mini-league:
United 13 pts (5 games)
Arsenal 6 pts (6 games)
Chelsea 5 pts (5 games)
L’pool 4 pts (6 games)
Drawing with your closest competitors is not a good result. You must beat them if you want to take the title. United have done just that, and that’s why United will be crowned champions, and Liverpool wil finish a distant 4th.
April 14th, 2008 at 14:02
donibrasco: slowly by slowly we shall come to par, as far as United’s free kicks, i always have told you that those near the edge of the box should be left to either Hargreaves or Tevez but i stressed Hargreaves because i had seen him convert them while in Bayern Munich but you didnt believe and you condemned of how a Ronaldo hater i was. Against Fulham he convert it but you didnt get satisfied and all you said was; it because Ronaldo isn’t on the pitch.
Now according to the messages i got from you yesterday, you seem to be dancing to the same tune with me now. Welcome back lad.
However you are not the only one who believes me but it looks like Ronaldo too shares the same feeling with me as quoted from Owen Hagreaves himself “We had an earlier free-kick and I said ‘I’ll take that’, but Ronny said ‘it’s too far for you’.
“The second one was a bit closer and it was a good distance for me so I didn’t ask him!
“I score goals on counter-attacks, from long distance or free-kicks and if I can get a chance to contribute, I’m very happy with that
its good to see that Ronny realises how good Owen is in close range free kicks.
So donibrasco, never mind its just a matter of time that we both a gree how a good and important player Rooney is to United.
Anyway if i may posse a question to you donibrasco, before RVN, track back to the time of the Cantona’s all way to the Andy Cole’s and Yorke, how many 20 goals a season in the EPL
strikers has United had? Did any of them get any criticism like Rooney gets yet they too were over hyped like you think Rooney is, ooooh didn’t we win trophies?
April 14th, 2008 at 14:08
Donibrasco who said anything about rooney not being a striker?? He’s a striker who’s had a good season. Most folk here keep talking about him having a below par season, which i don’t think’s fair. He’s one of our best players, who’s been one of our best players this season. Ronaldo’s obviously been the best player in the league. Behind him you have rooney, rio and evra as our best performers this season, maybe with rio slightly ahead of the other two. Arsenal have adebayor, liverpool have torres, we have rooney. Sometimes you have to be happy with what you’ve got. We have our main striker in rooney, you should all be satisfied with that because he is a good player who is competent with any other striker in the world right now. Tevez will be better next season too, so if another striker comes in he’ll have to be pretty damn good.
April 14th, 2008 at 14:35
Those are some impressive statistics Frankie. Good research.
Ferdininand set the record straight on MOTD, and I couldn’t help but laugh after his interview.
Here it is,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/match_of_the_day/7345662.stm
and the Queiroz interview
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/match_of_the_day/7345580.stm
April 14th, 2008 at 14:51
@Aries
for the full match, try fbtz.com
April 14th, 2008 at 14:58
That picture badly needs a caption. Something along the lines of “You like that, don’t you bitch?”.
But yeah, we were awful in the first half but our grit and determination shone through. And what the hell was VDS doing when Adebayor scored? He may have kept us in the game on numerous occasions but that bit of uncertainty was worrying.
April 14th, 2008 at 14:58
I didn’t do the match report this time – somehow there’s little point in arguing with arsenal fans about specifics when we’ve done a fantastic job to put them out.
one way to look at the game:
the difference between the two teams was the second goal – Hargreaves scored a stunner, and he is exactly the type of player Arsenal won’t buy (expensive) but need (quality and experienced).
another way to look at this game:
Throwing away dozens of chances does not mean you’re unlucky, it just means you’re not good enough. United weren’t good enough in the 05/06 season, we didn’t whine about being unlucky then, we simply got down to getting better.
Another way to look at this:
Did Wenger see Ade’s handball? No? Oh well, game over for you then.
Yet another way:
Ronaldo, like at Stadio Olimpico, had another match-winning moment. He’s 23, young enough to crumble under the intense pressure, arrogant enough to try the same corner twice and good enough to pull it off against a keeper who is one of the best penalty-stoppers in recent memory (remember Lehmann in WC 06?). Quality stuff.
Ronaldo, Anderson and Tevez are more examples of the types of players Arsene won’t buy – expensive but quality youngsters. Instead, they’ve poached Fab on a technicality and have, in Clichy, RVP and Theo, some of the most talented youngsters in the Prem.
But pound for pound, this team doesn’t invest in its youth, and they paid for it.
April 14th, 2008 at 16:46
Well, fabregas, clichy, van persie, walcott, adebayor, eduardo. Wenger always goes for young talent, they don’t cost much but they are competent against the players we buy so whats wrong with that. Arsenal DO invest in youth. Also, reyes was at one point the brightest youngster in spain and wenger splashed out on him, so i guess it depends on many factors. If there was someone really special in a position he needed to strengthen at a time when there was no other adequate options he would pay big. It’s ironic how reyes failed lol. How much did walcott cost? He was a fair amount wasn’t he? Wenger would have been interested in ronaldo before we bought him aswell, and he considered trying to buy tevez until he found out we were in for him. So yeh a suppose he ducks out of transfer bidding wars. Mind you, he got eduardo instead who looks a good player too.
April 14th, 2008 at 17:04
Ahmed; You are absolutely right. Quite often you will hear the often used saying “In order to be lucky, you need to be good”. Truer words were never spoken. Arsenal were unlucky because they weren’t good enough. They ran out of gas 3/4ths of the way through the season and never had the quality bench to help them. They were beat because of an arrogant idealistic and very biased manager who decided to sit down one of the world’s best keepers for almost an entire season over an early season gaff. He then went on to play a keeper that for me is no better than a Coca Cola league caliber keeper. How many points would Lehmann have saved Arsenal this season in all those games that were draws? Unlike Lehmann, Almunia couldn’t make a clutch save if his life depended on it. Out of those eleven draws, I have to believe that Lehmann could have turned three or four of those games to victories. If so, Arsenal would still be in the thick of the race.
Wenger treats his Arsenal job like a long term tenure lecturing at Cambridge. His professorial attitude to the game is evident and he likes young players because they can improve, they will listen and they will not challenge him like Lehmann and Gilberto, or even Henry and Veiera. This is not taking in to account or showing any respect to the faithful paying supporters of the Gunners who pay their money and expect some top line and experienced player mixed in with the youth movement. Wenger seems to always be playing for tomorrow. Well tomorrow may come because all those young players are improving but so are the young player on United. And as we know, Chelsea, Liverpool and United and now Spurs seem to have deep enough pockets to go out and replenish their ranks with top talent, both experienced and young. Wenger on the other hand likes to look for talent that is off the radar and usually 4 or 5 years away from becoming a force. How can he hold the team as well as their supporters hostage like this with this constant rebuilding process. Fortunate for him that he is an outstanding judge of talent but still, there seems to be no urgency to compete in the present. He has had his share of injuries but he did nothing in the January transfer market to fix his problems. No, Arsenal deserve exactly what they got and you know, I doubt next year will be much better. His players will be more experienced and he might even go out and spend some money on proven quality player. But United and the the other three aren’t exactly going to stand pat either. I’m expecting next year’s United team to be a real knockout. Get that extra striker and that quality RB and who can stop us with our perfect blend of talent, youth and experience? UNITED FOREVER!
April 14th, 2008 at 17:09
T_reason; You are right. fbtz.com is the place to go if you want to download the most recent big games in Europe as well as games you may have missed from the season. They also have a nice classics section whenre you can download games from past years like World Cup finals and European Cup matches etc. You just have to register, which is free and then knock yourself out. I for one have downloaded dozens of classic games that have rejuvenated my love for the game back when it wasn’t quite as technical and exhausting to watch.
April 14th, 2008 at 17:16
I love the fact that yesterday Tevez (the poster) was talking about how poor Bendtner was when it comes to finishing yet he said nothing of the numerous clear cut chances Rooney missed. Go figure!!!! And Bendtner’s second header to the near post was quality. Only EVDS saved us from a draw. Toni, Klose, Drogba, Ibrahimovic etc could not have headed that ball down and better than that. He was wide and had no real angle to do anything else but head down and to the near post. So even though he is not a United player, stop showing your bias. It’s one thing to not like a player. It’s an other thing entirely to be unfair to one.
April 14th, 2008 at 17:23
Having watchedthe game a second time I have to fairly change one of my player ratings from yesterday. I originally gave Carlos Tevez a 7. Now that I have seen the game I give him an 8. He was magnificent in terms of his running and pestering. His shielding of the ball and his power were awesome. It just confirms what I have said all season long. That Tevez is a true force when used in short spurts. As a sub he can use the energy he would for a full game, for 20 or 30 minutes and it can completely change the makeup of a game in the process. Both he and Anderson offered that yesterday and it won the game for us. I liken it closely to the use of a quality relief pitcher in baseball who has a 95mph fastball. He can throw as hard as he humanly can because he will only pitch one inning, whereas, he would take a little bit off the pitches and change things up to conserve energy if he is a starter expected to go 6 or 7 innings. Tevez coming in as a sub is similar to unleashing a Tazmanian devil into a crowd of sheep. Awesome!
April 14th, 2008 at 17:25
Frankie good stats and overall post. rsg that for the interviews. Rooney can/should/must do better. Brown sucked at this game. He was realy good all season, but yesterday wasn’t one of his best days. I though Ronaldo had a “good” big game. He hasn’t scored from game but he had couple of good chances and created a great one for Rooney, but penalties showed how strong he is.
I do feel for arse though, I hated them the whole season, but the thought that they are not gonna get anything and one of the anti football teams will get to CL final is harsh, but then again they had their chance to finish one af them and they failed.
April 14th, 2008 at 17:29
Donibrasco
Look at Torres’ scoring when he was Rooney’s age and I think you’ll be surprised to see how much better of a goalscorer he has been than Torres. He scored 23 last season and torres only scored 15 in his best season at Atletico and ended up leaving when they brought in Aguero after he and Torres didn’t hit it off. Anyway anyone can have a good season but Rooney has been consistently been hitting above the15 goal mark in the league and has gotten 11 or 12 this season despite his injuries. I’ll take it when he scored 9 goals in 8 games in the October period (not coincidencely when we were playing our best football) you were saying how bad he was?
April 14th, 2008 at 17:47
Grognard you think Lehmann would have saved Arsenal more points than he would have given away? I know you’re an avid supporter of him because you have to be good to play in the Germany team ahead of Kahn, Hildebrand etc. but he had an awful start to the season letting points slip away against Fulham and Blackburn, so I would have done the exact same as Wenger. Although I would have probably been a bit more proactive and bought a new keeper during either of the transfer windows. Wenger didn’t, but he didn’t exactly pay dearly for it as you seem to be implying. Almunia had a fair steady performance and he made only one mistake that comes to mind this season. Plus the only way to sort out a trouble maker is to sell him or to put him in the reserves, he didn’t agree to the former so he got what he deserved. As you would say, take off your rose tinted glasses mate
April 14th, 2008 at 19:03
Rooney really need to be trained in the finishing department coz he gets into great positions and
does not score.It really makes him look foolish you know,and i really feel sir alex should bring
in a coach and maybe train rooney in the summer coz i guess he is going to be idle anyways since
England did not qualify for Euro 2008.I hope somebody can change his technique or whatever it is
that will improve him as a striker.
April 14th, 2008 at 19:14
Conor, he had a couple of indifferent games but after over 6 years with the club and consistent play, he should have been afforded the benefit of the doubt. EVDS was quite shaky at times last year but Fergie stuck with him and he regained his form. Lehmann deserves more respect, not for his position and play for Germany, but for the countless excellent games and seasons he had for Arsenal in the past. Worse case scenario should have had Wenger sit him down for a game or two to get his head screwed on straight and to send a message. Lehmann is veteran and you don’t treat vets like kids. They have pride and fragile egos and they need to be handled differently. Almunia was steady but come on, he was far from spectacular and the guy rarely if ever made a crucial save when they needed it most. Lehmann has made more great saves in his last two losses to United than Almunia has made all season. That 4-0 loss in the FA Cup would have been 8-0 or 9-0 with Almunia, I firmly believe that. The gap in class is so wide you can sail a tanker through it. He also should have shown more appreciation and respect to Lehmann by selling him in January rather than disrespecting the man, knowing that he was the current Germany #1 and the fact that he needed games to keep that spot. He owed him as much for years of excellent service.
Wenger may be a great tactical manager but he treats his veterans like garbage. Yes Lehmann reacted poorly but he is a proud German and Wenger’s action threatened his future in the game. And I do not wear rose tinted glasses. No matter what my preferences are, I do not write with bias unless I say I write with bias. For example, I would prefer either Kahn or Neuer as the German #1’s. So do not think that I am the biggest Lehmann fan on the planet. I like him for Germany, but I loved Kahn. I have hated him for Arsenal and I especially remember his FA Cup performance a few years back that for me single handedly handed the cup to the Gooners. So please don’t misinterpret my comments. Wenger was flat out stupid and unfair. He puts the Arse into Arsenal. Isn’t Arsene Asshole in French anyway?
April 14th, 2008 at 19:22
It has to be said that although Almunia is alright, he’s no Lehmann. Lehmann deserved to get dropped at the start of the season, but Almunia has been reckless in a few games and Lehmann should have had a second chance long before this. Almunia is decent, but comes out of his area needlessly, and lacks authority and command, which are vital for a quality keeper.
I’mnot going to say that with Lehmann in goal Arsenal would be top of the league, but I do think they’d have done better in the big games with an experienced keeper that the defence knows well.
April 14th, 2008 at 19:52
Grognard, i did mention rooney’s misses yesterday. I was disappointed with his first chance where ronaldo cut it back for him as he hit it with his right foot when he should have hit it across the keeper with his left. As for his other chance in the first half, he did everything right and lehmann got very lucky. Bendtner’s header was the opposite of quality. He should have hit it ACROSS THE KEEPER. It was a bad decision. Toni, klose, drogba, ibrahimovic, kenny miller, rooney all would have headed it across the keeper. Torres did head it across the keeper, and his was a great header from further out. Bendtner’s didn’t have to be a good header, the pace was on the ball already. Across the keeper and it was a certain goal. It was obvious and yet he chose the wrong option. I don’t dislike him, by the way. I have no reason to dislike him as he’s awful. In fact i was pleased to see him come on because he’s so bad. Kind of like dirk kuyt, but worse.
April 14th, 2008 at 19:54
Great win, always amazing to beat those scumbags! Arsene’s face was worth a million after the game! Go United!
April 14th, 2008 at 19:58
Lehmann deserved to be dropped and then why should he be shown respect for whinging, questioning his managers decisions when he was rightfully dropped and deciding to hate his teammate for no good reason. Wenger should have sold him in january not out of respect but for the simple fact that he’s a prick.
April 14th, 2008 at 20:01
When is the PFA awards?
April 14th, 2008 at 20:06
I watched the match on FSC again yesterday night. The best scenes from the match? When Ronaldo takes his 2nd penalty shot, it goes in, and he then turns towards the crowd and basks in the glory for a few seconds…every single player (rooney gets the ball back) rushes back and urges him to do so too. That’s determination to win the league, right there!
April 14th, 2008 at 20:11
Tevez; Sorry but your views on Lehmann have nothing to do with reality but are based on your own personal beliefs and preferences. Which certainly is not being fair or objective. And Bendtner’s header was far closer and left of the goal than Torres so go back and watch the highlights again. Bendtner never had the angle or the room to pull off a header like Torres.
So stop beating a dead horse. I just flat out respectfully disagree with your claims.
Michael; At least there are some people with objectivity left. Good points mate. Especially on the fact that Almunia comes out of his goal area in aimless fashion.
April 14th, 2008 at 20:37
Why are some of you talking about which Arsenal keeper is the best? This is an United blog, not an Arse! I dont care which keeper starts unless it is against us. At least not when it aint an English keeper! Jeez…
BTW, Wigan are playing the better football at the Bridge. But the last couple of minutes, Chelsea are dominating. They look tired though…Still 0-0.
April 14th, 2008 at 20:41
Guys, this is a ManUtd blog. Who really cares about Lehmann, Bendtner and Almunia, when we have Rooney and EVDS?
April 14th, 2008 at 20:47
Dont forget Ronaldo James!
April 14th, 2008 at 20:49
[Grognard]
To be honest, Lehmann was being a right twat for whinging about his superiority. Be whatever you want but criticising your teammate when he hasn’t done too much wrong this season is certainly not on. All that decision should be upto the manager. And if he really didn’t like it he could have left in January. Arsene himself said back in Jan that he wanted Jens in the club but it was all up to him. Gilberto handled it with more grace despite being stripped of his captaincy as well as losing his place to Flamini, when, in fact, he was one of Arsenal’s better players last season.
April 14th, 2008 at 20:50
[Grognard]
And it is a fact, not personal opinion, that Lehmann openly criticised Almunia and bragged about his superiority on numerous occasions. Most Arsenal fans don’t appreciate his behaviour this season.
April 14th, 2008 at 20:53
Fuck arsenal, screw them and their goalkeepers.who cares?
CSKA Chelski are getting booed by their own fans. Its 0-0 at HT and there is a glimmer of a hope. Will Bruce’s team do us a favor?
April 14th, 2008 at 20:55
[Unitedblogger]
Well then Fuck Chelsea and their fans. Who cares?
April 14th, 2008 at 21:11
Today’s result has a direct impact on the title. So I DO. It’s not the same as discussing which wanker of the two is a better GK.
April 14th, 2008 at 21:19
Fuck!!!!Fuck.Fuck.fuck.fuck.fuck.fuck.fuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you didnt understand that means Chelsea lead! FUCK! Well, maybe Wigan can recover and get a draw.
April 14th, 2008 at 21:20
Grognard:
Isn’t Arsene Asshole in French anyway?
Weren’t you supposed to add that you were writing that bit with ‘bias’?
Lehmann’s spat with Almunia was destablising the team, which Arsene reacted to by benching him for a longer period. Lehmann is probably a better keeper, but a worse teammate (considering his position, I wouldn’t blame him).
Lehmann, for what it’s worth, blames Arsene for not telling him clearly if he would be needed or not, and Arsene played him along in order to keep a quality keeper on hand for a few more months. I wouldn’t hate Arsene for that one, his first priority is the team’s success (even though it might not seem that way sometimes).
Back to United – good to see that we get a rare break of a whole week, let’s hope Vidic is back for the Rovers game.
April 14th, 2008 at 21:20
[Unitedblogger]
It does not have a direct impact in the title. It is still upto us to concede it. Direct impact to some degree would be us losing to Chelsea at the Bridge. So we should really not be bothered about how they play Wigan. It’s great if they drop points, but if they don’t it’s more important we talk about Blackburn.
So if you are really interested in discussing what really matters then discussing Blackburn and of course United would be more appropriate.
Otherwise, you can join in the fun and discuss which ‘keeper is the bigger wanker.
April 14th, 2008 at 21:24
[Ahmed]
Fair enough, as long as he doesn’t discuss about the Blue Wankers from the Bridge and their equally goldfish-memoried fans.
Stop taking sides Ahmed, you know I am always right
April 14th, 2008 at 21:30
Anyone got links to the MOTD highlights?
April 14th, 2008 at 21:30
[RedDevil]
I don’t think Wigan can recover. They are crap in front of goal, and Chelsea should hold on from now on pretty easily — the shit team that they are.
*Hoping to be proven wrong*
April 14th, 2008 at 21:32
MOTD here
April 14th, 2008 at 21:39
Look, the bottom line is that Lehmann was the fist choice keeper for a long time so as I see it he had a right to bitch because Wenger stabbed him in the back. Nobody complained about him being a bad teammate for years and after many games that he won for them between the posts. And to all of you, this is relevant on a United blog because we just played them, they are our second biggest rival. As well, the Lehamann controversy may have been one of the major factors for Arsenal being out of the race. Sitting your top keeper for a scrub is more destabilizing to a team than listening to Lehmann bitch about the injustice of it all. And managers are not always right. They have ego’s and stubborn streaks that occasionally block out their common sense. To be honest, rather than complain about me talking about Arsenal, I suggest that some of you out there offer up some stimulating topics. I don’t exactly see too many others offering interesting topics for conversation or debate today. So give me a break fellas! In fact I am little disappointed to see how few of you took part in any blogging after yesterday’s game. It’s like nobody cared. At least I’m offering something to debate. So when are we going to talk about Blackburn? Does everything have to be a one sentence statement that really doesn’t offer up much for debate?
April 14th, 2008 at 21:48
You are a professional, you don’t bitch about the team in public and then expect to be selected. Period. And he’s been given enough respect, he’s like what 39? — one of the oldest players Wenger has stuck with, Seaman apart. And it was his own decision to stay back at Arsenal, during January. And about his selection for Germany, I am sure Wenger and Ferguson can’t care for a players’ international future that much given how much is at stake for their respective clubs. Wenger has long pooh-poohed the international game in it’s quality levels.
Goal keeping has been least of Arsenal’s troubles this season.
April 14th, 2008 at 21:52
Wigan just equalised! Brilliant!
April 14th, 2008 at 21:53
Wigan scored 1-1 right as I turned it on. To quote Queen “We are the champions”
April 14th, 2008 at 21:53
HESKEY!!!! Chelsea draws!! Beautiful!
April 14th, 2008 at 21:53
whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!
April 14th, 2008 at 21:54
Wigan scored! Wigan scored! Hallelujah!!! What an important moment this could be in the title race. I am soooooooooooooooo happy now! You are proved wrong RR! Finished 1-1 at the Bridge! Essien 55, Heskey 93! CHAMPIONE, CHAMPIONE, OLE OLE OLE! We wont lose this now! I love ya Brucey! You did it again!
April 14th, 2008 at 21:55
WHOOOO HOOOOO Brucie you beauty!!!
April 14th, 2008 at 21:55
we should sign heskey just as a thank you for handing us the league.
April 14th, 2008 at 21:57
YEAH YEAH YEAH!!! WOW!!! The title is United’s once more!!!
Come on United
April 14th, 2008 at 21:57
Wigan baby the best team, but please don’t score against us. great day and thank you very much
April 14th, 2008 at 21:58
Frickin Wigan I love Steve brucey Whoooooaaaa THTS the title Baby go screw urself bloody CHELSKIANS
April 14th, 2008 at 21:59
To make this night better, FANTASTIC News: RIO HAS SIGNED A NEW CONTRACT! Just half an hour ago!
April 14th, 2008 at 21:59
Grog – I was too happy to say anything but ‘fuck yea’, and the only overwhelming desire at the time was to shove something down the throat of arsenal fans, something I’m saving for the end of the season. hence the private celebrations
Grant is going to have a lot of fun now with his fans…
Odds for Everton to win and end Chelsea’s season?
April 14th, 2008 at 22:01
Serves them just right
They couldn’t expect to have many more 1-0 wins right? Their luck had to run out sometime! Woohooo! I’m in office hence couldn’t watch it LIVE, but kept refreshing the page every 60secs..almost jumped out of my seat and screamed when I saw it became 1-1! (Hope I’m not fired tomorrow!) 
April 14th, 2008 at 22:01
Great news RedDevil man i stll feel sorry for the Arse fans. I know I know I should hate them, but at least they play positive football and my hate is spread only for the other 2
April 14th, 2008 at 22:05
yeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssss!!!! yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssss!!! hope we win it in their backyard
April 14th, 2008 at 22:08
Yeah! Their luck had to stop sometime. Finally they lost some points. If they lose against Everton and we win, we are Champions!
Where did you hear about Rio Reddevil? Nothing on the Manutd page or SkySports.
April 14th, 2008 at 22:08
Get in there legend Steve Bruce !
Before the match
“If we win at Stamford Bridge then I am sure Fergie will have a little drink,” he told the Sunday Mirror.
“Mind you, I’d hope to get more than one bottle sent from Old Trafford myself if we beat Chelsea. They haven’t lost at home for four years, so I’d expect to get a case of the good stuff if we get a result down there.
A Legend !
April 14th, 2008 at 22:09
Yup he’s right:
Rio Ferdinand signs new Manchester United contract
Wait and see, until we get official quotes. But looks reasonably credible.
April 14th, 2008 at 22:11
Here Eddie: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3746867.ece
April 14th, 2008 at 22:15
I think its almost done. We just need to do the job at Blackburn this weekend. If we win, Chelski will be too deflated to do anything at SB. It’ll be like the draw we played out last year
April 14th, 2008 at 22:16
Table.
1st 34 Manchester United FC 80 points plus 54
2nd 34 Chelsea FC 75 points plus 35
3rd 34 Arsenal FC 71 points plus 35
4th 34 Liverpool FC 66 points plus 34
April 14th, 2008 at 22:26
So guys The title should be ours if we win Against Blackburn next week then its off to Barca”"”
April 14th, 2008 at 22:37
Hey guys, hang on for a second. The title is NOT ours if we win at Ewood Park next weekend (even if Chelsea lose to Everton). It’ll still be a 8 point gap with 3 games remaining. Techincally possible. It would be fitting to win it at the Bridge..would be just bloody brilliant to break their record too.
April 14th, 2008 at 22:43
Interestingly Oliver Kay wrote the story about Hargreaves poor time keeping, which was quickly dismissed as a pile of crap. Funny how stories in the press seem to gain credibility when they are positive news
April 14th, 2008 at 22:45
Hahaha..I just re-read my comment last week when all hell was breaking loose here after the Boro game. Here it is —
————–
“Dudes, would y’all just calm down a bit?!! We just drew a game – it’s not like we blew a 2-0 lead and lost it!I agree with Utsav, the title isn’t lost/won based on this one game, we still lead Chelsea by 3 points, and I’m positive they’ll drop points too. Maybe we just gave them a bit more hope now, but things can look really different if we beat Arsenal and they draw Wigan next week.”
—————
Ah, things do indeed look better now!
April 14th, 2008 at 22:50
should’ve took a trip to the bookies ey
April 14th, 2008 at 22:51
You have to give Chelsea a lot of credit over the fact that they don’t lose more considering that Grant is a complete muppet as a manager. Watching the game today I could not help but feel that Mourinho would have stood up and yelled at players as well as make tactical changes on the fly in the first half. Instead Grant and his crew looked like they were testing out new prescription sleeping pills. I honestly cannot believe that team is still a threat to us. If they were to steal the championship they would have to go down as one of the least entertaining and most overrated sides of all time.
Thank goodness for old Stevie Bruce. Now will he lay down for us on the last day of the season? Probably not because he is a competitor. Hope he enjoys that fine bottle of wine Fergie sends him. He did us a big favor today and I for one thank him. Now if the Scousers at Everton can play up to their capabilities and end this thing early by downing a confidence riddled Chelsea on Thursday.
April 14th, 2008 at 22:51
[JB]
True, very true indeed. I did have some doubts which is why I left the link with a cautionary remarks. But I think it’s rooted in my subconscious that Rio must (and will) sign it soon enough.
April 14th, 2008 at 22:54
I heard grant say that they still have a chance if they win the remainig games”That frickin ostrich told the press earlier that man utd will crack under pressure Well after commenting on us just 24 hrs later looks like chelsea have cracked well good to know the ostrich is still got a good sense of humour frickin pussy”"”Oh AV
GRANTED us the title”
April 14th, 2008 at 22:56
well, saf said that 85 points would do it, we are 2 wins away from that, chelski are 4, that means they have to win ALL their remaining games while we have to win 2, things are looking very red for us.
April 14th, 2008 at 23:02
[Mas_ter]
Not ostrich, he’s a toad.
April 14th, 2008 at 23:05
[Mas_ter]
I guess we would have to force the words out of his mouth by winning at SB.
Haha, what else would he say mate? That the title is gone? They’re already queuing up to have his head!
April 14th, 2008 at 23:27
wow antsboy, you joining me in making prophecies related to united, i tell you what, yours was more impressive than me predicting the scoreline for yesterdays game
do you mind predicting who we’re going to sign this offseason, (please add hunterlaar in said prediction)
April 14th, 2008 at 23:52
Funny ainnit? Just when we were running out of things to talk about today…
April 15th, 2008 at 0:37
To everyone who’s acting like we’ve won the title: shut up.
Wigan did really well today, and yes, Chelsea dropped three points. But if Chelsea win all their remaining games (which they can do) and we lose to Chelsea and another team (and let’s face it, we lose more than draw) then they’ll finish 1 point above us. If we lose or draw at Blackburn then the title race is wide open again. We’re in a fantastic position, and I highly doubt we’ll throw it away now, but anything can happen. An injury to Ronaldo, Rooney, Carrick, Evra or anyone really could change things completely.
Grognard: you’re completely right about Grant. It looks to me like even he can’t believe he’s managing one of the biggest clubs in the world. He’s got less confidence than Arsenal.
April 15th, 2008 at 0:59
Agree with Michael’s 1st part, but not the 2nd. No matter how many words we call him (muppet, toad) the fact remains that he is still in running and I don’t even want to hear that it’s all due to Mouriniho (sorry for spelling). We should stop underestimating them. Today Wigan got lucky, so let’s hope for more luck for Everton
April 15th, 2008 at 0:59
Completely irrelevant to the discussion I know, but just found out that we are still keeping the same home shirt as this year for next season too! A bit less of this ripping off of fans will do nicely please Mr Glazer…
April 15th, 2008 at 1:25
Lehmann said everything i’ve talked about in public. When i called him a prick, that was my personal opinion yes, but he really does strike me as not being much of a team player. He can’t be good for morale surely? You believe wenger stabbed him in the back by dropping him, but lets face it, he let wenger and his teammates down with his mistakes early in the season. It would not have been fair on almunia if lehmann wasn’t dropped. After that almunia was consistent so you can’t drop a keeper who’s doing nothing wrong.
As for the bendtner chance, you are the only person i’ve met who disagrees with me, including all the opinions of folk i respect and look up to.
You are quite right though, there’s nothing wrong with talking about lehmann or bendtner after we just played arsenal. What else should we talk about? Grant will probably be sacked at the end of the season too.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:30
Taron: it’s not all due to Mourinho, but to me it seems that a huge part of it is. Avram clearly knows a bit about football; he managed Israel and was director at Pompey. But this Chelsea team was built by Mourinho for one purpose: to win games. Avram’s attempts to preach entertainment seem to have confused them, and a manager with more force of personality is required, to FORCE them to do things his way.
Agreed about Everton, but my hopes aren’t high.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:42
Tevez: I agree with you about Lehmann’s behaviour, but I disagree with you about the fact that it would have been “unfair on Almunia” if Lehmann had been put back in the team. Lehmann should have had his second chance before Christmas, and the only reason he didn’t was because of his constant whining. But he had some fair points: Almunia has looked rash and uncommanding in goal, whereas Lehmann would have brought solidity and familiarity to the defence. And Lehmann performed well in all the bit part games he got thrown, and baring one error, did well for Germany too.
Nino: The kits last season were commemorative for 50 years of Utd/English football in Europe. Clubs are legally required to keep the same kit for a minimum of two years, to stop fans being ripped-off, and we had to get special permission to have that one with its retro look. But yeah, it was basically the Glazers milking us. But hey, Tevez, Nani, Anderson, Carrick, Hargreaves, Evra, Vidic, and ticket prices are still much lower than Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal… can’t complain too much.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:00
Tevez; Two football experts made the point that EVDS made a great save off “a fine Bendtner header” on tv last night. I think I’ll take their view and expertise over you or your friends thanks. Also, I have watched Bendtner enough to know that he is a pretty damned good header of the ball and a striker with great promise. I just don’t think it’s with Arsenal.
And yes, we certainly can agree what seems pretty obvious by now, Avram Grant is history. Abramovich once can proved a point I have made many times in my life. That millionaires or billionaires are some of the stupidist people in the World, yet they have made a ton of money. Where is the justice?
Michael; About Lehmann, well said mate. It’s all about being fair and Wenger let his own arrogance lead him to disaster.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:17
[Mr. Muzohi]
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves mate, let’s stick to predicting scores now. There’s plenty of time to predict off-season transfers
[Michael]
Absolutely agree with you mate on asking us to shut up. I think people here were just elated at the unexpected result, and that’s why we let it go for a while..but you’re right, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings (or for Chelsea’s case, the toad croaks)…I think this weekend is very, very crucial.
[Grog]
I haven’t got involved in the debates yet mate, but I agree with you on Bendtner. VDS pulled off a world class save at the death, else surely Bendtner would be a hero for them. It’s funny eh, how one player can make another seem not-so-great?
April 15th, 2008 at 8:28
Good morning everybody! Thank you Heskey for making me sleep even better that I thought was possible
Moving on; Fergie has said that he will spend this summer. After January I have been looking at other teams, of cource United too, so I could find out about a player that would be a great buy. Call me a scout if you want. Benzema played well in France until we knocked them out in March. He has been shite after that. He looks like a confidence player and does magical stuff when he is on top. He scores goals, but his all around play has been worse than it was until February. It looks like he doesnt want to do anything down the field. But that may just be because Lyon has clinched the title.
Dutch games are shown on the telly every week here, espessialy Ajax. And I have to say, KJ Huntelaar is class. I think he is the most complete striker in the whole world right now. I think he is better than Torres too! His finishing is cool as a Ronaldo penalty, his heading is powerful like Vidas and accurate like Rios, and his volleys are better than last seasons Drogba. But his best skill is to get away from his marker and still be in the best goalscoring positions. He would be an amazing buy. His negative: He doesnt work down in the field, but he makes up for it by being the best striker in the world right now. I think he has scored 7 hat-tricks this season! And he has more than 35 goals in 32 games in Holland.
The right back has been a problem. Brown will surely leave this summer, and Neville is still old. Two players that have gotten my view are Maicon and Lahm. We all have heard of Lahms qualities, but Maicon may be an unknown player to you. He is first choice right-back in Inter. He has is powerful, fast, got some tricks and great crosses…He is like a comination of Vidic and Evra. Not as good as both of them, but good enough to be our right back.
Havent found any CB that I think is good enough for United yet, but I will keep looking.
KJH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3UXU7UqhsM
Benzema: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkvFU6QMrCo
Maicon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39zUJhGTGOk
April 15th, 2008 at 12:12
Grognard, which football experts mate? Andy gray agreed with me. It was still a good save, don’t get me wrong, but bendtner made it a hell of a lot easier for him.
You trust the views of a couple of football pundits but you’re quick to question SAF’s decisions. Hmm…
I’ve never been the biggest fan of huntelaar but you can’t argue with 35 goals. He just seems a bit immobile, too slow.
For right back i would still prefer a fit gary neville. I can’t see anyone better right now.
Anyone seen ezequiel lavezzi at napoli. He’s quite good, though he’s another forward who likes to drop deep and get involved in play so we probably aren’t looking for that kind of player. He works the wings well though, very quick and direct, and with excellent crossing ability.
April 15th, 2008 at 17:44
I trust a few pundits over your views Tevez. And Andy Gray is a tosser. He never even noticed the hand ball of Adebayour on his goal. Secondly, I don’t need the views of professional broadcasters to say that i disagree with you or to say that I feel you are wrong. And you are free to stick to your views. In time we will see who is right about Bendtner. Who knows, it may be you, but I rather doubt it. I will say this however. I think Bendtner has a bright future but I don’t think it’s with Arsenal. There are also quite a few guys who are better than a fit but still aging Gary Neville. Problem is that they will all cost quite a bit to get. If I see United go after another forward who plays like a winger or a midfielder I will have an embolism. Enough already. Get Huntelaar and end my misery.
April 15th, 2008 at 18:24
Gray did notice tha handball and made reference to it after the goal. It should be noted that not one of our players noticed the infringement and appealed after the goal.
April 15th, 2008 at 20:50
The angle on the field made it very difficult for the players or the referee to see but I think the linesman should have noticed it. And trust me, Fergie would have made a big stink of it after the game if we had drawn or lost. Regardless of whether he saw it or not, Andy Gray is rubbish.
April 15th, 2008 at 22:04
Even with the handball Arsenal still deserved to be one-nil up when they scored. I just hope Mr. Hargeaves’ contribution is more than enough to boost confidence going into the Euro semis. We need that edge but we also need belief, and the Roma second-leg combined with this Arsenal game sent mixed messages to us and back to them (the team) I think. We have to focus now, and not get drawn away down scented avenues that have no relevance. However, a 3-0 overall against Roma is a cracking margin, and to come back against the Gooners like that was magnificent. Stroll on…
April 15th, 2008 at 22:07
and are you better than him?
April 15th, 2008 at 22:18
I thought most of your coverage was on Setanta, when do you even get to see Gray?
April 15th, 2008 at 22:43
Al Nino; Yes I am. Seriously though, what kind of a question is that?
JB; We get various replays here both from Sky and Setanta. This past game it was the Sky feed through a Canadian sports network so I was able to listen to that game and Gray. Gray bothers me because I get the feeling he is not much of a fan of United and his commentary is quite often very negative towards our lads. He is supposed to be impartial but I never get that impression.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:13
Gray still knows his stuff though. He very rarely talks shite. Define ‘bright future’, i think bendtner will play out his career in the premiership, but certainly not for one of the stronger sides. I don’t want united to buy an out and out striker, i want to see rooney right up top again next year.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:30
Tevez; All I can say is you are in the very small minority who want to see Rooney right up top again next year. He is much more suited as a second striker and Fergie has even come out and said that he admires the boy’s sacrifice this season as he has had him play out of his familiar role.
As for Bendtner, I really don’t know why you have your knickers in such a knot over this lad? He’s not even a United player so why do you care so much? It’s clear you don’t care for the lad so I’m not going to waste my time or this blog’s time trying to debate this and get you to think differently. He has made some enemies at Arsenal like Adebayor and so I think he will be shopped. I can see any team in the league except us and Chelsea interested in him because he is a good talent and he is so young that he can only improve. Enough said on that subject.