How great these moments are in football where you know you deserved a victory and you got some 'overdue' luck that you deserved for playing well. You know where this is going - This post is going to be dominated by the united fan in me for reasons that are quite obvious!
FULL - TIME
Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United.
24" Wayne Rooney.
Carrick picks out Giggs with a cross field long ball to the left flank. Neither Boswinga nor Giggs expected that ball but Giggs happened to be jogging towards Chelsea's goal while Boswinga was back peddling. Giggsy's first touch took his marker out of the game for the moment and the agile winger raced into the box sliding the ball to Rooney who adjusted to meet the ball, angling his body, thus placing the ball into the net off the post leaving Cech with no chance.
On a night where we might have not dominated in possession, we certainly did so in goals! Just one goal separating a game where United had to compromise on attack and contain and counter attack to meet Chelsea's relentless ability to pressure the opposition into self destructing. We didn't succumb. We held on. We played fair. We won with only 3 shots on target against Chelsea's 6, netting one of those in with the help of the post. The rest of the time, we just crowded out our defense forcing Chelsea to take shots from the edge of the box. With their misfiring strikers, all we had to do was just put bodies in deep in our half and block shots, if not crosses. Neither team was creative. For us, it was quite clear. Do not concede. We did better by scoring one.
Roo are you!!!! Roo are you!!!
Chelsea were outclassed on the night where Rooney showed the world another side to him, so different from the one he portrayed at West Ham last week. He was calm, composed and played the role of a sitting striker, trying to feed Hernandez and spearheading our midfield. He was magnificent. He ran his socks off all over the park and did not for once in his entire footballing career, look hassled by the other team; on a night where he picked himself up from late challenges only to get on with it and not look back. I never expected that. He looked very mature on that pitch and I'm sure that's the same Wayne Rooney we will all want to see at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. A man returning to form at the right time when the whole world including the F.A. and the Press were conspiring against him. He's starting to win over one of them.
The best form of Offence is Defense!
Aside from that brilliant goal line clearance from Evra and Van Der Saar's tipping save off Torre's goal-bound header, our defense was close to impenetrable. Chelsea didn't offer much threat inside the box. We had Ferdinand back on a night when we needed composure and dual leadership at the back. His fitness worried me a bit as I'm sure it did too for Ferguson as well, but his experience and change of game over the last two odd years wherein he just sticks to intercepting crosses rather than going in for tackles unless absolutely necessary gave our team some balance and more importantly, confidence - with full respect to the quickly maturing Chris Smalling. Evra and Rafael are there for that. When the latter got injured, I like many fans, was quite puzzled when Fergi brought on Nani - who was slightly off the ball, pulling Valencia to right back. But Ferdinand's experience as a captain helped Valencia settle into that odd position really well. I'm sure Vidic was really happy to have him back because he can't teach smalling and look out for Torres and Drogba at the same time. At least not in this big a game. Ferdinand's inclusion certainly raised everyone's confidence, security and game. Michael Carrick played exceptionally well and If Rooney hadn't showed what a world-class performance he put in that night, Carrick would be my man of the match. He made United's fifth man in defense by tracking back when Chelsea had possession in our half while he also picked out Ryan Giggs for the opening goal with a bloody brilliant sixty yard pass.
The Wolf who cried Foul!
This tie, like many other Chelsea/United clashes, wasn't without any controversy. Last month, Chelsea were awarded a spot kick for a nothing challenge as Chris Smalling merely stood his ground against an on rushing Zhirkov. Yet, it was "contact" in the box and the resulting play was a set piece from the penalty spot. I didn't complain. I think we probably didn't deserve it and felt it was harsh but as per the law of the game, it was a penalty. Luiz wasn't sent off for late tackles but you know what? For me, I accepted it and moved on. I would've taken the same decision if it happened to us in another game. Just like Drogba's goal that sealed a 2-1 victory to the Blues at OT last year in a decisive game, where, when he received the ball for the resulting goal, was two yards off-side!!! Turned out that they later won the league by one point. But for me, that's water under the bridge.
So when Evra felled Ramires, yes, in my opinion, it was a penalty. We got lucky. They mightn't have scored or they might have. who knows... Torres dived shortly afterwards and got a yellow card. Also, he did dive early in the first half too but he did himself a favour by picking himself up before the referee had; with the help of a first yellow card. So, technically he should have been sent off. But I guess that both teams had their unfair share of fortune, right? Parity now?
Tic Tactics are gonna get you!
Manchester United gambled with their line up and it payed off for us. Chelsea worked with the wrong strike force. Its sad that Ancelotti has no full control over his selection. The recently acquired 50 million pound Spaniard, "had" to start, and with Drogba, you can never ever rule them out. But I think Drogba with and Kalou or Anelka, would've been even more threatening. Sadly, even as Anelka came on, it was the Drog who made his way off. Great for United but not for Chelsea as this striker performs really well in general keeping aside the theatrics he's acquired from Westend. I'm sure their some of their fans would agree with me on that one. Torres hasn't been able to gel with the rest of the team and he needs more time and less pressure to start finding his feet even at this level. That's what pre-Season games are meant for. That was the difference between the two sides. We were quite happy to sit back and soak up all the pressure and then counter-attack when presented with the opportunity, while Chelsea were forced to lead a high defensive line and generally push higher up the pitch. Our defense was tight while Chelsea's was rarely threatened. But we were a bit more clinical in front of goal thanks to coming into form Wayne Rooney.
Here are my summations of our squad and their performances on the night.
1. Van Der Sar. Two class saves and rarely threatened from set pieces. Like his counterpart, had nothing much to do.
2. Rafael. Slightly sluggish but coming off actually worked in our favour rather than against us.
3. Rio Ferdinand. Composure. A rock with Vidic and played well after missing out for two months. Added a sense of security for us United players and Fans alike!
4. Nemanja Vidic. Looked at ease after his partner returned to action. He finally got the better of Torres and hopefully he's put those demons behind him.
5. Patrice Evra. Played well against the pacey Boswinga. Made two vital challenges in the box, of which the second was down to pure luck for not conceding a penalty and worse, getting sent off.
6. Michael Carrick. Looks very sharp and confident as he returns to form and still very much the anchor of United's midfield.
7. Park Ji-Sung. Industrious. Nothing more. Nothing less. Does what he's asked to do and he delivers in a high profile game whether he's on the score sheet or not.
8. Ryan Giggs. Still got the energy and speed to out run his marker at rare moments when he choses to. But they pay off most often than not.
9. Antonio Valencia. He's back. He's our most potent threat. Surprisingly, our goal came from the left wing! But as always he's adventurous and the shift he put in at right back was immaculate thanks to Ferdinand's presence.
10. Wayne Rooney. A skilled goal, though only a tap in. Took Essien out of the game when we weren't in possession and filled the void between the midfield and forwards.
11. Chicharito. Because of our tactics, he didn't get much service but he always kept Chelsea's defense on their toes, thus keeping them contained and a bit pegged back in their own half.
12. Nani. Sluggish. Needs more game time to regain that deadly form.
13. Dimitar Berbatov. When introduced, I think he too knew, that he'd hardly touch the ball.
14. Chris Smalling. Introduced at the death just to finish off the last thirty seconds of added time
We actually played with ten men contributing. With less service for our strikers, the eleventh man ( the forwards, in this case ) was only meant to keep Chelsea's defense alert. He was there to make up our numbers, constructively.
Player Ratings out of 10
1. Van Der Sar - 8
2. Rafael - 6
3. Ferdinand - 7
4. Vidic - 7
5. Evra - 8
6. Carrick - 9
7. Park - 7
8. Giggs - 7
9. Valencia - 7
10. Rooney - 9
11. Chicharito - 7
12. Nani - 6
13. Berbatov ... really not worth mentioning!
14. Smalling... came on too late!
Now lets look forward to the second leg. Should be very very interesting. I see Chelsea getting an away goal or maybe even two if we can't keep our men fit for Tuesday and focused although I doubt that they'll be complacent against Chelsea.
Great game guys!!! I don't mean to brag, but for me personally, sitting among a majority of Chelsea fans was a treat. This result made my ride back home on my cycle so so sweet!!! Scarves were flying about and a red cycle to match that! I had a flight to catch the next morning at 11 am luckily for me, so I ended up watching the first half all over again! It was worth the lessened hours of sleep...
FULL - TIME
Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United.
24" Wayne Rooney.
Carrick picks out Giggs with a cross field long ball to the left flank. Neither Boswinga nor Giggs expected that ball but Giggs happened to be jogging towards Chelsea's goal while Boswinga was back peddling. Giggsy's first touch took his marker out of the game for the moment and the agile winger raced into the box sliding the ball to Rooney who adjusted to meet the ball, angling his body, thus placing the ball into the net off the post leaving Cech with no chance.
On a night where we might have not dominated in possession, we certainly did so in goals! Just one goal separating a game where United had to compromise on attack and contain and counter attack to meet Chelsea's relentless ability to pressure the opposition into self destructing. We didn't succumb. We held on. We played fair. We won with only 3 shots on target against Chelsea's 6, netting one of those in with the help of the post. The rest of the time, we just crowded out our defense forcing Chelsea to take shots from the edge of the box. With their misfiring strikers, all we had to do was just put bodies in deep in our half and block shots, if not crosses. Neither team was creative. For us, it was quite clear. Do not concede. We did better by scoring one.
Roo are you!!!! Roo are you!!!
Chelsea were outclassed on the night where Rooney showed the world another side to him, so different from the one he portrayed at West Ham last week. He was calm, composed and played the role of a sitting striker, trying to feed Hernandez and spearheading our midfield. He was magnificent. He ran his socks off all over the park and did not for once in his entire footballing career, look hassled by the other team; on a night where he picked himself up from late challenges only to get on with it and not look back. I never expected that. He looked very mature on that pitch and I'm sure that's the same Wayne Rooney we will all want to see at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. A man returning to form at the right time when the whole world including the F.A. and the Press were conspiring against him. He's starting to win over one of them.
The best form of Offence is Defense!
Aside from that brilliant goal line clearance from Evra and Van Der Saar's tipping save off Torre's goal-bound header, our defense was close to impenetrable. Chelsea didn't offer much threat inside the box. We had Ferdinand back on a night when we needed composure and dual leadership at the back. His fitness worried me a bit as I'm sure it did too for Ferguson as well, but his experience and change of game over the last two odd years wherein he just sticks to intercepting crosses rather than going in for tackles unless absolutely necessary gave our team some balance and more importantly, confidence - with full respect to the quickly maturing Chris Smalling. Evra and Rafael are there for that. When the latter got injured, I like many fans, was quite puzzled when Fergi brought on Nani - who was slightly off the ball, pulling Valencia to right back. But Ferdinand's experience as a captain helped Valencia settle into that odd position really well. I'm sure Vidic was really happy to have him back because he can't teach smalling and look out for Torres and Drogba at the same time. At least not in this big a game. Ferdinand's inclusion certainly raised everyone's confidence, security and game. Michael Carrick played exceptionally well and If Rooney hadn't showed what a world-class performance he put in that night, Carrick would be my man of the match. He made United's fifth man in defense by tracking back when Chelsea had possession in our half while he also picked out Ryan Giggs for the opening goal with a bloody brilliant sixty yard pass.
The Wolf who cried Foul!
This tie, like many other Chelsea/United clashes, wasn't without any controversy. Last month, Chelsea were awarded a spot kick for a nothing challenge as Chris Smalling merely stood his ground against an on rushing Zhirkov. Yet, it was "contact" in the box and the resulting play was a set piece from the penalty spot. I didn't complain. I think we probably didn't deserve it and felt it was harsh but as per the law of the game, it was a penalty. Luiz wasn't sent off for late tackles but you know what? For me, I accepted it and moved on. I would've taken the same decision if it happened to us in another game. Just like Drogba's goal that sealed a 2-1 victory to the Blues at OT last year in a decisive game, where, when he received the ball for the resulting goal, was two yards off-side!!! Turned out that they later won the league by one point. But for me, that's water under the bridge.
So when Evra felled Ramires, yes, in my opinion, it was a penalty. We got lucky. They mightn't have scored or they might have. who knows... Torres dived shortly afterwards and got a yellow card. Also, he did dive early in the first half too but he did himself a favour by picking himself up before the referee had; with the help of a first yellow card. So, technically he should have been sent off. But I guess that both teams had their unfair share of fortune, right? Parity now?
Tic Tactics are gonna get you!
Manchester United gambled with their line up and it payed off for us. Chelsea worked with the wrong strike force. Its sad that Ancelotti has no full control over his selection. The recently acquired 50 million pound Spaniard, "had" to start, and with Drogba, you can never ever rule them out. But I think Drogba with and Kalou or Anelka, would've been even more threatening. Sadly, even as Anelka came on, it was the Drog who made his way off. Great for United but not for Chelsea as this striker performs really well in general keeping aside the theatrics he's acquired from Westend. I'm sure their some of their fans would agree with me on that one. Torres hasn't been able to gel with the rest of the team and he needs more time and less pressure to start finding his feet even at this level. That's what pre-Season games are meant for. That was the difference between the two sides. We were quite happy to sit back and soak up all the pressure and then counter-attack when presented with the opportunity, while Chelsea were forced to lead a high defensive line and generally push higher up the pitch. Our defense was tight while Chelsea's was rarely threatened. But we were a bit more clinical in front of goal thanks to coming into form Wayne Rooney.
Here are my summations of our squad and their performances on the night.
1. Van Der Sar. Two class saves and rarely threatened from set pieces. Like his counterpart, had nothing much to do.
2. Rafael. Slightly sluggish but coming off actually worked in our favour rather than against us.
3. Rio Ferdinand. Composure. A rock with Vidic and played well after missing out for two months. Added a sense of security for us United players and Fans alike!
4. Nemanja Vidic. Looked at ease after his partner returned to action. He finally got the better of Torres and hopefully he's put those demons behind him.
5. Patrice Evra. Played well against the pacey Boswinga. Made two vital challenges in the box, of which the second was down to pure luck for not conceding a penalty and worse, getting sent off.
6. Michael Carrick. Looks very sharp and confident as he returns to form and still very much the anchor of United's midfield.
7. Park Ji-Sung. Industrious. Nothing more. Nothing less. Does what he's asked to do and he delivers in a high profile game whether he's on the score sheet or not.
8. Ryan Giggs. Still got the energy and speed to out run his marker at rare moments when he choses to. But they pay off most often than not.
9. Antonio Valencia. He's back. He's our most potent threat. Surprisingly, our goal came from the left wing! But as always he's adventurous and the shift he put in at right back was immaculate thanks to Ferdinand's presence.
10. Wayne Rooney. A skilled goal, though only a tap in. Took Essien out of the game when we weren't in possession and filled the void between the midfield and forwards.
11. Chicharito. Because of our tactics, he didn't get much service but he always kept Chelsea's defense on their toes, thus keeping them contained and a bit pegged back in their own half.
12. Nani. Sluggish. Needs more game time to regain that deadly form.
13. Dimitar Berbatov. When introduced, I think he too knew, that he'd hardly touch the ball.
14. Chris Smalling. Introduced at the death just to finish off the last thirty seconds of added time
We actually played with ten men contributing. With less service for our strikers, the eleventh man ( the forwards, in this case ) was only meant to keep Chelsea's defense alert. He was there to make up our numbers, constructively.
Player Ratings out of 10
1. Van Der Sar - 8
2. Rafael - 6
3. Ferdinand - 7
4. Vidic - 7
5. Evra - 8
6. Carrick - 9
7. Park - 7
8. Giggs - 7
9. Valencia - 7
10. Rooney - 9
11. Chicharito - 7
12. Nani - 6
13. Berbatov ... really not worth mentioning!
14. Smalling... came on too late!
Now lets look forward to the second leg. Should be very very interesting. I see Chelsea getting an away goal or maybe even two if we can't keep our men fit for Tuesday and focused although I doubt that they'll be complacent against Chelsea.
Great game guys!!! I don't mean to brag, but for me personally, sitting among a majority of Chelsea fans was a treat. This result made my ride back home on my cycle so so sweet!!! Scarves were flying about and a red cycle to match that! I had a flight to catch the next morning at 11 am luckily for me, so I ended up watching the first half all over again! It was worth the lessened hours of sleep...
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