United 3 City 1 (agg 4-3) The Carling Cup may not top the list of priorities at the start of the season, but there's no denying how sweet the feeling is to reach the final this year at the expense of our Manchester neighbours. Goals from Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and another dramatic injury-time derby winner, this time from Wayne Rooney, sent the Reds to Wembley at the end of an enthralling 180 minutes of semi-final football.After all City's posturing since they struck gold with their change of ownership, this was hard evidence that Manchester's football hierarchy remains intact - and United's fans relished hammering home the point after the final whistle.The Reds had every right to feel aggrieved at trailing 2-1 after the first-leg. United had controlled large swathes of the match at Eastlands, and remarkably a frantic last 20 minutes had not yielded a second goal. As for City’s two efforts, the penalty for Carlos Tevez’s first was highly contentious, while the decision to award a corner kick in the lead-up to the Argentinian’s second could also be questioned.
That sense of injustice, added to fans’ desire to keep City’s trophyless years ticking by – not forgetting a Wembley final and trophy defence at stake – meant expectations were ramped up for this fixture, as were the noise levels. Sir Alex predicted an atmosphere akin to a top European night; he wasn’t to be disappointed. To a man, the entire Old Trafford crowd - with 9,000 visiting fans raising the stakes – were up for this one.Rio Ferdinand’s decision to appeal his FA misconduct charge meant he was eligible to play and, with Sir Alex seeking continuity in defence, it was an unchanged back five from Saturday’s 4-0 league victory over Hull. Man of the moment and scorer of all four goals that day, Wayne Rooney, led the charge up front. Sir Alex stuck with the 4-5-1 that served so well at Eastlands, with Nani’s impressive recent displays earning him a spot on the right of United’s midfield ahead of Antonio Valencia.
As expected, the game began at a frenetic pace and although City won the first corner, a flurry of United corner-kicks indicated the home side’s early control. Rooney, looking full of confidence after his recent scoring run, tested City goalkeeper Shay Given after nine minutes when he turned brilliantly away from Micah Richards and fizzed in a shot from 25 yards. Paul Scholes has a similar penchant for the spectacular and had a pop from a similar distance a few minutes later, but his effort flew over the bar.Rooney remained as the lone striker, but early in the half he was anything but as Carrick and Fletcher often played in advanced midfield positions, while Giggs and Nani provided ample support from the wings – the latter’s best moment of the first half coming when his teasing cross was nicked off Rooney’s head at the last moment.
Ferdinand was forced into a last-ditch tackle on Tevez just after the 20-minute mark, then the Argentinian forced a fingertip save from Edwin van der Sar with a diving header from Craig Bellamy’s cross. But just as it seemed City were the ones growing in stature, United went close to an opening goal. A good passing move involving Nani, Rooney, Carrick and Fletcher ended with Giggs drilling a low shotgoalwards. But, as he did with so many attempts in the first leg, Given stopped it. He was also alert to stop Rooney tapping home Carrick’s near-post cross after 32 minutes.
Referee Howard Webb did well to manage the emotion of the tie, Scholes being the first to go into the book after 37 minutes for a late, if not malicious, challenge on Shaun Wright-Phillips (see numerous Scholes tackles from down the years).There was plenty of passion and possession, but lacking were the goals United needed. Sir Alex's men were first out from the dressing rooms at half-time, however – usually a sign of intent. And so it proved. Although the Reds survived a Richards effort immediately after the restart that van der Sar brilliantly plucked from the jaws of the top corner, United were soon in front and Old Trafford was rocking.Seven minutes in, the constant probing paid off.
Rooney found Giggs’ run down the right channel, and though the Welshman was pushed wide he picked out Nani in the area. The Portuguese was closed down quickly, but Carrick poked the loose ball into Scholes’ path on the edge of the box and he drilled his shot into the bottom corner. Old Trafford shook with the jubilant celebrations, before a thundering chorus of U-N-I-T-E-D rolled around the ground.Seeking a second to win the tie outright in 90 minutes (at this stage we were heading for extra-time), Nani fired in a wonderful cross that Dedryck Boyata did well not to turn into his own net, instead steering it over the bar. City were going for it too, though, bolstering their attack with substitutes Stephen Ireland and Emmanuel Adebayor.
but before the latter could be brought on, United stormed further in front on 70 minutes. Nani did brilliantly to cut in from the right and find Fletcher’s surging run into the box. The Scot was prevented from getting his shot away, but he fed the ball to Carrick to sidefoot into the far corner with customary calm. United fans sang “que sera sera…”, which seemed premature. The Reds’ Wembley place would have been booked on 72 minutes had Rooney converted a chance it seemed more difficult to miss.
Evra’s brilliant cross required only the simplest touch, but Rooney sliced it the wrong side of the post. The Reds were then left ruing that miss just minutes later when Tevez nipped in front of Ferdinand and acrobatically turned in Bellamy’s cross from the left. It was hardly deserved, making his fist-pumping celebrations rankle more than usual, and with the aggregate scores tied at 3-3 we were once more heading for extra-time.
Sir Alex again had his head in his hands as another chance went begging on 80 minutes, Carrick firing wide after a scramble in the box. But United's spirit and quality could not be quelled. With three minutes of normal time left Nani was replaced by Antonio Valencia and the Ecuadorian immediately won a corner, and from that pressure came the winner. In the second of three minutes of added time, Giggs played a short corner with Valencia. The ball came back to the Welshman and his excellent cross was all the enticement Rooney needed, slamming his header home to send United to Wembley.
Sab Nyer...
0 comments:
Post a Comment