Man Utd

Ryan Giggs Named PFA Player Of The Year

2009-04-27T08:17:00.000+08:00

The evergreen Welshman has received the approval of his peers and walked away with this year's award.

Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs has been named tonight as the PFA Player of the Year, with the veteran midfielder's efforts in the twilight of his career being applauded by fellow professionals.

The player, deployed in a variety of roles by his club manager Alex Ferguson this season, beat off competition from Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Edwin van der Sar and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as Liverpool's Steven Gerrard to claim the award.

"It's right up there, with personal accolades it's the best to have as it's voted by your fellow players," he told The Guardian.

"I've been fortunate to win a lot of trophies, I won the young player award twice but this is the big one."

United have six players in the team of the year, but Wayne Rooney is perhaps one surprising omission from the line-up.

Premier League team of the year: Edwin van der Sar; Glen Johnson, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra; Ashley Young, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo; Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Torres

Player Ratings: Man United 5-2 Tottenham

2009-04-26T07:01:00.001+08:00

The champions put in a stunning second-half performance to defeat Spurs at Old Trafford. Goal.com rates the performers.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Van der Sar: 6.5 - Had little chance with either goal but dealt with everything else that came his way.

Rafael Da Silva: 6.0 - Went AWOL for Tottenham’s second goal and found Modric a tough opponent. However, going forwards he did OK and had a decent effort on goal in the first half.

Ferdinand: 6.0 – Darren Bent caused him a few problems and he ought to have cleared the cross which led to the first goal.

Vidic: 6.0 – Like Ferdinand a nervy first half but improved after the break.

Evra: 5.0 - Appeared terrified of Lennon and gave him far too much space all afternoon, but particularly for the second goal.

Ronaldo: 8.5 - A super effort forced Gomes into an excellent save in the first-half. After the break he scored the penalty to give United hope before adding the third with a diving header.

Carrick: 7.0 - Good run to win the penalty, although a fortunate decision, and looked strong in the second half.

Fletcher: 6.5 - Looked to get forwards at all times and industrious as ever but sacrificed for Paul Scholes as United went in search of the equaliser.

Nani: 6.0 – Another ineffective performance and little surprise to see him replaced at the break for Carlos Tevez.

Berbatov: 7.5 - Linked really well with Tevez and Rooney and bundled home the fifth to silence the boo boys.

Rooney: 9.0 – A brilliant display by the striker who netted twice and had a hand in the other three. A great ball sent Carrick racing through for the penalty and two super crosses set up Ronaldo and Berbatov.

Substitutes

Tevez: 7.5 - Made a huge impact, helped United up the tempo and his substitution proved key.

Scholes: 7.5 - Another important substitution as the veteran arrived and promptly took charge of the midfield.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Gomes: 7.0 – Conceded five but had a decent afternoon. Made a brilliant stop from Ronaldo in the first-half and was a little unlucky with the penalty decision which looked harsh. However, ought to have done better with Rooney’s goal, which beat him at his near post.

Corluka: 6.5 – Combined well with Lennon in the first half but was no match for Rooney after the break.

Woodgate: 6.0 - Booked for bringing down Ronaldo and couldn’t prevent Rooney’s shot creeping in.

King: 6.5 – Had a great first half but like his team, crumbled after the break.

Assou-Ekotto: 6.0 - Some good work in tandem with Modric but was overworked after the break as Ronaldo came to life.

Lennon: 8.0 – Has the beating of Patrice Evra and was very impressive in the first half, having a hand in both goals and by far Spurs’ most dangerous player.

Palacios: 6.5 - A little reckless in the tackle at times but a formidable midfield presence and had a decent effort just before the break.

Jenas: 6.0 - Snapped into tackles but looked lost at times as United rampaged through the second half.

Modric: 7.5 – A good finish for the goal and sent Bent through with superb passes on a number of occasions.

Keane: 5.5 – Very quiet, had few sights of goal and offered very little.

Bent: 7.0 - Made a nuisance of himself and gave Vidic and Ferdinand plenty to think about. Missed an early chance before firing home his 17th goal of the season to open the scoring.

Substitutes

Huddlestone: n/a

Bale: n/a

Five Star Manchester United Stun Tottenham Hotspur

2009-04-26T06:58:00.000+08:00

The champions came back from two goals down to secure an emphatic victory over Spurs that sends them back to the top of the table.

Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester United welcomed Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford hoping to regain the lead of the Premier League after watching Liverpool knock them off the top of the table after victory at Hull City.

Sir Alex Ferguson welcomed Rio Ferdinand back into the side as well as Rafael Da Silva with Dimitar Berbatov partnering Wayne Rooney up front.

Spurs, meanwhile, included Ledley King in defence but were again without Roman Pavyluchenko so Darren Bent continued his partnership with Robbie Keane in attack.

Yet the visitors began the game brightly and Bent could have grabbed a goal in the first 10 minutes.

The striker beat Rio Ferdinand to an Aaron Lennon cross before heading back across goal but just wide of Edwin Van der Sar’s goal.

United slowly grew into the game and also went close mid-way through the first period after Cristiano Ronaldo headed a Nani cross just wide.

However, it was Spurs who took the lead minutes later with Bent grabbing his 17th goal of the season.

Some neat work down the right between Vedran Corluka and Lennon saw the Croat cross for Bent.

The United defence failed to clear the danger and the former Charlton Athletic man was on hand to smash the ball home to open the scoring.

The home side were stunned but minutes later it was about to get much worse as Spurs doubled their lead.

Again the threat came down the Tottenham right with Lennon crossing for Bent.

The striker flicked the ball to the back post where an unmarked Luka Modric was on hand to smash the ball home.

Ferguson’s men attempted to respond and they might have had a goal back before the break but for a wonderful piece of goalkeeping from Heurelho Gomes.

A Ronaldo free-kick was driven straight into the wall but fell kindly to the Portuguese who fired a wicked shot that appeared destined for the top corner before the Spurs stopped acrobatically tipped it behind.

Perhaps unsurprisingly Ferguson opted to change his side at the break sending on Carlos Tevez for Nani.

The home side began the second half with greater urgency and Tevez almost found his name on the scoresheet less than 10 minutes into the second period.

Some lovely football between Berbatov and Ronaldo saw the Portuguese play in Tevez but his shot was well-saved by Gomes.

Minutes later and United were handed a way back into the game after referee Howard Webb awarded a penalty.

A super ball by Rooney found Carrick sprinting into the box and he went to ground under Gomes’ challenge, although the Spurs keeper did appear to get a touch on the ball.

It may have been a generous decision but Ronaldo made no mistake, slamming the ball down the middle to hand the champions a glimmer of hope.

United ramped up the pressure, sending on Paul Scholes for Darren Fletcher and within 10 minutes they had hauled themselves back on level terms.

Some good hold up play by Berbatov saw him feed Tevez who in turn found Rooney on the overlap on the left and the England striker cut inside Corluka before beating Gomes at his near post.

Yet the champions were far from finished and less than a minute later they found themselves in front for the first time of the afternoon.

More super play from Rooney out on the left, saw him beat Lennon before sending in a delicious cross to Ronaldo at the far post who headed past Gomes on the stretch.

The home crowd went wild with delight but incredibly Ferguson’s men were to extend their lead even further.

A Ronaldo ball in from the right found Rooney at the far post and his shot beat Gomes and just crept over the line despite Woodgate’s attempted block.

United were rampant against a Tottenham side clearly shaken and with less than 10 minutes to go they put the game out of sight.

Again Rooney was the tormentor in chief, strolling down the left before chipping a super ball into Berbatov to bundle home and send United back to the Premier League summit.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva (O’Shea, 70), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher, Nani (Tevez, 46), Berbatov, Rooney.

Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Jenas, Modric (Bale, 85) Keane (Huddlestone, 86), Bent.

GOALS

5-2 Manchester United (Berbatov, 79)

4-2 Manchester United (Rooney, 71)

3-2 Manchester United (Ronaldo, 68)

2-2 Manchester United (Rooney, 67)

1-2 Manchester United (Ronaldo, pen 57)

0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Modric, 31)

0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Bent, 28)

Utd 'working on' Tevez stay

2009-04-25T14:20:00.000+08:00

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted the he is doing everything he can to ensure Carlos Tevez remains at the club

The Argentine's future is currently the subject of conjecture as he comes to the end of a two-year loan deal.

United are keen to extend his stay but it has been suggested Tevez could seek a move elsewhere, with Liverpool the latest to be mooted as suitors, come the end of the season.

The forward's playing time has been reduced since the summer arrival of Dimitar Berbatov, but Ferguson is 'working towards' a new agreement with the player.

"Whether the games he has played are important games or not is a different question but he has played in quite a few big games," said Ferguson. "I don't want him to be unhappy because he is an important player for us.

"The difficulty is when you have got the options I have got - I bought another striker in with Berbatov, as well as having the option of playing (Cristiano) Ronaldo as a striker - you create problems for yourself because all good players want to play in every game.

"But they can't play in every game in this league - it is impossible. I think he genuinely wants to stay here and that is something we are trying to work towards.

"I have told him that repeatedly. And there is not much more I can do."

United in for Milan ace Kaka

2009-04-25T14:13:00.001+08:00

MANCHESTER UNITED held talks with Kaka yesterday over a sensational summer move.

The Brazilian’s representatives met United to discuss personal terms which would total £35million in wages alone.

A source close to the AC Milan superstar confirmed: “It was a very positive meeting, although nothing was agreed.

“The player wants a five-year contract and wages of £135,000 a week. He is very keen to join United and these are figures that are within United’s pay structure. It’s up to them what happens now.”

The talks did not involve any discussion about a transfer fee but Milan expect to get at least £70m for their star player.

The big question now is how United will find the cash — and whether they will sell Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer to Real Madrid.

Kaka, 27, has already spoken of his affinity for United, saying: “They have some great players in Giggs and Scholes and especially Wayne Rooney.

“One of my best friends, Anderson, is also there — how can anyone say no?

“They are the English and European champions and a great club to play for.”

Carrick Urges Tevez To Stay At United

2009-04-25T02:43:00.000+08:00

The England international midfielder believes that 'El Apache' is a vital component of the Red Devils' squad.

Michael Carrick has pleaded with Manchester United team-mate Carlos Tevez not to seek a move away from the club at the end of the season.

The Argentina international striker's loan deal at Old Trafford is set to expire this summer and the Red Devils have not yet agreed to pay the reported £22 million that his owners are seeking for the player’s economic rights.

The 25-year-old has also recently voiced his frustration at seeing his first-team opportunities limited this campaign following the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur.

However, England international midfielder Carrick believes it would be a huge mistake to allow ‘El Apache’ to leave the club as he sees the former Boca Juniors and Corinthians star as a key member of the United squad.

"We want him to stay, Carlos is a top player. He has scored some very important goals for us over the last few years," Carrick is quoted as saying by The Sun.

"We’ve got a world-class squad, we’ve got world-class players and Carlos is one of them.

"We want to keep moving forward as a team and as a squad so we’d like to keep our best players here.

"But it’s down to the manager. I’m sure he knows the best way to make sure we do keep progressing."

Carrick also showed his support for Bulgarian forward Berbatov, who has come in for criticism of late, especially after he missed a penalty in the FA Cup semi-final.

"He’s a vital player for us and I think he’ll show that in these important games we’ve got coming up,” Carrick said.

"There’s no doubt he’ll come good and he’s only going to get better the longer he stays at United. The fans will see what a top-drawer player he is."

Prem Preview: Manchester United – Tottenham Hotspur

2009-04-25T02:40:00.000+08:00

What: Barclays Premier League, Matchday 34
Who: Manchester United (1st, 74 pts/96 pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (9th, 44 pts/99 pts)
When: Saturday, 25th April, 17:30 BST
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester

Get It Over With

Manchester United are limping towards the finishing line, but the squad are determined to beat Tottenham Hotspur to ensure they get their hands on the Premier League trophy as quickly as possible.

The 2-0 mid-week victory over Portsmouth placed the Reds three points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand after the Scouser’s epic 4-4 draw with Arsenal.

In spells, the attacking verve and vibrancy of previous years made a welcome re-appearance in a match which should have ended with a far greater disparity between the teams.

Michael Carrick 82nd minute strike calmed any nerves of a sting in the tail from the South Coast side. If he and fellow former Spurs star Dimitar Berbatov can combine with the same lethal effect as the FA Cup meeting between the clubs in January, it will be a great help.

Poor finishing was again to blame for the low goal return, with Welsh veteran Ryan Giggs spurning several presentable chances. Such wastefulness will not suffice against this weekend’s opponents, who’ll provide a far sterner test than relegation threatened Pompey.

At the forefront of the United players’ mind is the importance of chalking up another win. Of the team’s six remaining fixtures, this is one where manager Sir Alex Ferguson will definitely highlight the importance of claiming all three points.

Much trickier fixtures at home to local rivals Manchester City and Arsenal await. Stumble on Saturday and the Red Devils could face an unwanted energy-sapping race to the wire with Liverpool for the Premier League title.

Spur’d on for Europa Push

From two points from the first eight games, to just one point from a place in Europe, Tottenham Hotspur’s season has been a rollercoaster ride.

Last weekend’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle United cemented Spurs position in the leading pack in the race to claim entry to the inaugural Europa League competition next season.

Few would have predicted in the Autumn that the Londoners would travel to Manchester in such rude health.

The Lilywhites have been beaten only three times in the Premier League in 2009, with this new found solidarity providing the foundations for the club’s rise up the table.

Croatian magician Luka Modric has thrived under the tutelage of manager Harry Redknapp, while English fire-bolt Aaron Lennon has burned a path down the wing with his lightning speed.

A defence with as many holes in it as a block of Swiss cheese has now kept clean sheets in half of its last ten fixtures. Such resolve will be needed at Old Trafford if the Premier League champions are to be denied.

Unfortunately for the resurgent White Hart Lane outfit, trips to the North West have provided the rare dark spots in the Redknapp revival. The losses since the turn of the year have all come during trips to the region, with the latest coming at the hands of Blackburn Rovers three weeks ago.

If Spurs manage to tear up the form book on Saturday, their rollercoaster of a season could be just a few twists away from ending on a positive note.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United:

15th April vs. Porto (A) won 1-0 (CHAMP LG)

11th April vs. Sunderland (A) won 2-1 (PREM)

7th April vs. Porto (H) drew 2-2 (CHAMP LG)

5th April vs. Aston Villa (H) won 3-2 (PREM)

21st March vs. Fulham (A) lost 2-0 (PREM)

Tottenham Hotspur:

19th April vs. Newcastle United (H) won 1-0 (PREM)

11th April vs. West Ham United (H) won 1-0 (PREM)

4th April vs. Blackburn Rovers (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)

21st March vs. Chelsea (H) won 1-0 (PREM)

15th March vs. Aston Villa (A) won 2-1 (PREM)

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United:

The return of Wes Brown to the match day squad is a massive boost for the champions. This has gained an extra significance with fellow right-backs Gary Neville (ankle) out for two weeks, and John O’Shea (ankle) carrying a knock.

Owen Hargreaves (knee) is continuing his rehabilitation program with a view to returning in time for pre-season training.

Last starting XI (vs. Portsmouth): Van der Sar, Neville (O'Shea 13), Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson (Carrick 76), Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney, O'Shea (Rafael Da Silva 52).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Berbatov, Nani, Tevez.

Squad: Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, Rafael, O'Shea, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Nani, Carrick, Scholes, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Berbatov, Rooney.

Possible starting XI: Van der Sar, Rafael, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Ronaldo, Park, Fletcher, Carrick, Rooney, Berbatov.

Tottenham Hotspur:

Michael Dawson’s (ankle) worrying injury last weekend should rule him out for the rest of the season. Roman Pavlyuchenko (back) joins the centre-back on the sidelines.

Frazier Campbell is ineligible for the match as he is on loan from Manchester United. Club captain Ledley King returns from his latest spell on the treatment table.

Last starting XI (vs. Newcastle United): Gomes, Corluka, Dawson (Hutton 33), Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Huddlestone, Modric, Keane, Bent (Defoe 75).
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Bale, Zokora, Bentley, Campbell.

Squad: Gomes, Corluka, King, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Huddlestone, Lennon, Jenas, Bent, Modric, Keane, Palacios, Cudicini, Bale, Zokora, Bentley, Chimbonda, O'Hara, Hutton, Defoe.

Possible starting XI: Gomes, Corluka, King, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Huddlestone, Jenas, Palacios, Lennon, Modric, Keane.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United: When the Red Devils’ form hit the buffers, so did Patrice Evra’s. Aaron Lennon murdered him in the Carling Cup final, with the England winger sprinting past him with impunity. Evra must banish this performance to the past if Spurs aren’t to spring an upset from their right flank.

Tottenham Hotspur: It’s hard to find a better defender than Ledley King. His imperious performances on the rare occasions he is fit are a sight to behold for footballing purists. King has kept United at bay before, and will need to do so again if Spurs are to continue their push for Europe.

PREDICTION

Harry Redknapp brings his Tottenham Hotspur team up north with a real chance of adding to his excellent personal record against Sir Alex Ferguson.

A semblance of normality has resumed at Old Trafford in recent weeks though, and they will have just enough to claim the three points in what should be an engaging contest.

Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur.

Fletcher - Giggs deserves gong

2009-04-24T08:51:00.002+08:00

Darren Fletcher has backed his Manchester United team-mate Ryan Giggs to take the PFA Player of the Year award.

The Welsh winger is among a quintet of United stars in the running for the prestigious prize, with Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Edwin van der Sar and Cristiano Ronaldo joining Liverpool's Steven Gerrard on the six-man shortlist.

All those in the running are fully deserving of the accolade, with outstanding 2008/09 campaigns enjoyed by one and all.

However, Fletcher believes that Giggs is the stand-out candidate as he continues to belie his age by churning out eye-catching displays on a consistent basis.

He has been at the heartbeat of United's 10 Premier League titles to date and has notched up almost 800 appearances for the club.

Few then would begrudge him the honour of taking a prize this weekend that has so far eluded him during his glittering career.

"Ryan Giggs is arguably one of the best players, if not the best player in the country," said Fletcher.

"The PFA awards are coming up and I think he is the favourite."

Fletcher is also full of praise for another United stalwart, Paul Scholes.

The combative midfielder racked up his 600th appearance for Sir Alex Ferguson's side against Portsmouth on Wednesday but is showing no signs of allowing his standards to drop.

"Paul Scholes has been the best Premier League midfielder of his generation - and he probably still is," said Fletcher.

"He doesn't go box-to-box anymore. He sits there and orchestrates the play. He just controls the game.

"He is great to play alongside because if you are ever in a bit of trouble, he will always make an angle to get himself free and he is always available to take the ball.

"He is a great professional. He doesn't like the limelight or the accolades. He gets pretty embarrassed by the whole thing.

"But what a servant and what a player."

Report: Manchester United To Sign Corinthians' Dodo

2009-04-23T23:11:00.000+08:00

The 17-year-old Brazilian centerback has been compared to Rio Ferdinand.

According to a report in the British tabloid The Daily Mirror, Premier League giants Manchester United have struck a deal with Brazilian club Corinthians for their young defender, Dodo.

Apparently, Red Devils manager Alex Ferguson made a move for the starlet, whose full name is Jose Rodolfo Pires Ribeiro Dodo, on the recommendation of his sources in Brazil.

The 17-year-old, left-sided centerback has already been likened to United stalwart Rio Ferdinand due to his ability on the ball as well as his aerial prowess.

Dodo is currently with the Brazil squad at the South American Under-17 Championships, where he has featured in their 4-0 and 3-0 victories.

It is claimed that the youngster should have no problems with regard to attaining a visa or work permit, as he holds an EC passport due to his Portuguese background.

While the initial fee for the defender is said to be minor, United are thought to have agreed to pay up to €5.6 million should he rise through the ranks at Old Trafford to establish himself in their first team.

Target Man: The Joys Of Being A 17-Year-Old Phenom

2009-04-23T23:09:00.000+08:00

It’s been three weeks since Federico Macheda burst into the football world’s consciousness with a glorious goal that gave Manchester United a win over Aston Villa. When the 17-year-old Italian striker snagged a second match-winner the following weekend against Sunderland—a lucky touch, to be sure—Macheda etched his name into footballing lore.

Since then, Macheda’s been talked about ad nauseam from Rome to Rio. He earned his first start this past weekend in the Red Devils’ FA Cup semifinal loss to Everton, and although he didn’t score, he constantly threatened to, and something tells me Sir Alex would’ve liked to have the Italian Stallion on the field when the game went to penalties.

Regardless, even if Macheda never plays another minute, he will always be remembered—for his audacity on the turn for his first goal, for his impeccable timing on the second goal, and for the sudden frenzy that has thrilled the soccer world these past few weeks.

Hopefully, of course, this won’t be all Macheda is famous for in the end. Hopefully, he’ll go on and become a superstar who scores brilliant goals again and again until he’s well into his middle age. But regardless of how it plays out, he’s already joined an impressive pantheon of 17-year-old heroes. Here are a few of the best:

Pele: The greatest of all time was already famous in his home country, where he had been a 15-year-old phenom for Santos, when the wider world learned about him at the 1958 World Cup. Then 17, he scored the only goal in a quarterfinals win over Wales, then availed himself of a hat trick against France in the semis. He wasn’t done yet, though. He notched two more in the final, a 5-2 win over hosts Sweden. Suddenly, everyone from Real Madrid to Juventus wanted a piece of the teenager, but the Brazilian government declared him a “national treasure” to keep him from going to Europe.

Marco Van Basten: One of the most graceful strikers of all time, the Dutch master debuted for the Amsterdam giants Ajax in April 1982, when he was 17 years, six months old. He, of course, scored in a 5-0 win over NEC Nijmegen. It was the first of the 128 league goals Van Basten would score in 133 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax before his 1987 move to AC Milan, where he added another 90 Serie A goals to his total.

Paolo Maldini: Teenaged defenders are a rarity, especially in Italy, which arguably makes Maldini’s early success even more impressive than his celebrated longevity. Now 40, he was a 17-year-old wunderkind in 1985 when he took possession of the leftback’s position in the AC Milan starting XI. He finished the 85-86 season with 27 appearances in Serie A, just the opening chapter on an epic career that includes 640 top-flight appearances for the Rossoneri.

Zinedine Zidane: Zizou made his Ligue 1 debut for Cannes in February 1991, when he was just 17 years, 8 months old. Hinting at the attacking greatness that would eventually help earn him World Cup, Champions League, Liga, and Serie A medals, he scored on his debut. Reportedly, the club’s owner gifted him a car as a reward for the goal, despite the fact that the driving age in France is 18.

Ronaldo: Before Inter and Real Madrid, before his mysterious episode at the 1998 World Cup and his triumphant triumph at the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo was a rising star for Cruzeiro, for whom he scored 12 goals in 14 league appearances. Still 17, he was called into the Brazilian side for the 1994 World Cup. Despite calls for coach Carlos Alberto Perreira to insert the teenager to enliven the relatively uninspiring Seleçao, he stayed on the sidelines. Nonetheless, after the tournament, he transferred to Dutch side PSV for $6 million (£3.9m at the time).

Wayne Rooney: He was actually a week shy of his 17th birthday in 2002 when his stunning long-range effort gave the Toffees an unexpected win over Arsenal. In addition to ending the Gunners’ thirty-game undefeated streak, the goal put Rooney on the world’s map. After his birthday, he went on to score another 14 goals for the Blues, setting the stage for his eventual $45 million (£25m) move to Manchester United in 2004.

Lionel Messi: The shaggy-haired trickster was just 17 years, 10 months, and 7 days when he scored his first goal for Barcelona in May 2005 in a league match against Albacete Balompié. He was the youngest goal-scorer in Liga history until his Blaugrana teammate Bojan Krkic broke his record in 2007. Naturally, Messi, by then an elder statesman at 20 years of age, provided the assist on the goal.

But there is one cautionary tale for Macheda and his fans to bear in mind. Norman Whiteside still holds the record for the youngest player to appear in the World Cup finals. The Manchester United striker was just 17 years and 41 days old when he suited up for Northern Ireland against Yugoslavia at the 1982 World Cup, the first of five starts for him in Spain. Known for his height and tenacity, the Old Treafford favorite went on to play 206 league games for the Red Devils, scoring 47 goals. But, he was out of the game by age 26, cut down by knee injuries that required 13 operations over his short career.

Debate: Did Manchester United Just Win The Premier League?

2009-04-23T06:28:00.000+08:00

A draw at Stamford Bridge and a huge win at Old Trafford this evening has put the champions three points clear at the top with a game in hand and just six left to play.

Everton, the scourge of the Red Devils just three days ago when knocking them out of the FA Cup on penalties, did them a small favour this evening by holding Chelsea to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge, ensuring they stay on just 68 points, three behind Liverpool on 71, who are a further three behind United, who have yet a game in hand to play.

The strength of opposition each side have to face in the run-in isn't all that distinguishable, and with the reigning champions having already negotiated their wobble, including the loss of their quintuple hopes, all the smart money would be on them claiming their third successive Premier League title.

Chelsea, for all their improvement under Hiddink, are still lacking a degree of variation and creativity for when teams, like Everton, are prepared to sit back and play on the counterattack.

This is where a Ballack in his prime - or a Ballack allowed more offensive freedom - could be more useful than Frank Lampard, for instance. Alternatively - and this is the most likely solution Chelsea will adopt in the summer - they could recruit more quality wide players. Bearing in mind they have yet to welcome back Joe Cole from his season-ending injury, that Salomon Kalou is always improving and even Florent Malouda is beginning to finally recreate some of his Lyon form, there is still a special someone missing to provide a spark as Damien Duff and Arjen Robben did when at their peak,

United, meanwhile, are looking like a team rediscovering their unremarkable, rock-steady approach to the weekly grind of the Premier League. Vidic and Ferdinand being reunited at the back has proven essential, after the former suffered a crisis of confidence following his capitulation against Liverpool. The United back line had previously been able to negotiate its way to a clean sheet regardless of the personnel, but the slump changed all that. They needed the A-Team back together and they've got them.

Carrick is rediscovering some form and Anderson's presence in the side cannot be underestimated. He surely must become one of the first names on the team sheet sooner rather than later.

The Red Devils managed to go through the motions and still outplay Portsmouth for the majority of the 90 minutes. Liverpool being held by Arsenal in last night's eight-goal thriller will no doubt have boosted the morale and confidence of Sir Alex's men going into tonight's game and looks to have signalled the beginning of the end of the Premier League title race for another year.

Manchester United 2-0 Portsmouth

2009-04-23T06:25:00.001+08:00

Goals in the first and last ten minutes were enough for Manchester United to ease past Portsmouth at Old Trafford and return to the top of the Premier League.

The Red Devils made a confident start and were ahead on nine minutes when Wayne Rooney tapped home Ryan Giggs’ cross. Giggs should have made it two before half-time, but missed the target from close-range after good work from Cristiano Ronaldo.

The home side wasted more opportunities after the break, and there was tension for a short spell as Pompey began to threaten more as an attacking force. But the game was eventually put to bed eight minutes from time when substitute Michael Carrick drilled home Paul Scholes’ exquisite pass.

As a result, United move three points clear of Liverpool and still have a game in hand over their title rivals. Portsmouth still need another win to be assured of survival.

United made nine changes from the under-strength side that lost to Everton in an FA Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out at the weekend. Anderson and Nemanja Vidic were the only survivors from that Wembley fixture, while the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez were on the substitutes’ bench.

Portsmouth made two changes from their Premier League victory over Bolton Wanderers as Nadir Belhadj and Richard Hughes replaced injury victims Younes Kaboul and Niko Kranjcar.

After a lively start, the opening goal within the opening ten minutes put the Red Devils in control of the match. Anderson, who was full of energy throughout, did well to find space and pick out Giggs on the left. The Welshman’s accurate delivery was meat and drink to Rooney, who slotted past Portsmouth goalkeeper David James.

Giggs was involved in the thick of the action and was twice denied by James, before he missed a glorious opportunity when he diverted Ronaldo’s cross wide after the Portuguese winger seized on an error from Sol Campbell.

Prior to the break, Darren Fletcher should have done better but he dragged a shot wide of the far post, while John O’Shea had a header cleared off the line by Belhadj, whose side were having next to no effect going forward

After the interval, the visitors did begin to have more of a say – Peter Crouch volleying wide their best opening after Jermaine Pennant squared the ball from a promising position, while Glen Johnson’s cross-shot forced a strong save from home keeper Edwin van der Sar.

That spell did cause a few anxious moments with the lead at just one, but overall United were the better side and deserved their second goal when it arrived through Carrick shortly after he had replaced Anderson.

Scholes, making his 600th overall appearance for the club, guided through a perfect pass which allowed the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s to lash his shot past James and into the bottom corner to seal the three points.

The main downside for United was the fact they had to use three right-backs over the course of the 90 minutes after Gary Neville and O’Shea both limped off with injuries, meaning Rafael da Silva finished the match in the problematic position.

Carlos Tevez: I Need To Leave Manchester United

2009-04-23T06:24:00.000+08:00

Rumours surrounding the Manchester United future of Carlos Tevez have circulated all season, with a host of clubs linked with a move to step in and end the Argentine's much-reported frustration with life on the Old Trafford bench.

Although popular with fans and, when picked, produces performances of effort and quality, the diminutive forward quite often finds himself on the bench, and English tabloid newspaper The Sun is now reporting that Tevez has told an Argentine radio station that he wants to leave United.

"Even if you score three or four goals, you do not play in another game," he is quoted as saying by The Sun.

"There are many very good players but I need to play. There are many players and they all need to play but I have not played in important matches.

"I have many offers, not only from Spain. I need to see which club I can go to and what can be done."

And family life rather than money was the key factor in where he might decide to move, according to the 24-year-old, who is approaching the end of a two-year loan spell at Old Trafford.

"We must not only consider the money, I also have to ensure my family feel comfortable, especially my daughter. So I have a lot to think about," he concluded.

10 Worst Premier League Transfers 2008-09

2009-04-21T12:26:00.000+08:00

The Premier League has continued to eclipse its competitors in the transfer market this season, but shrewd acquisitions continue to be few and far between all across the board.

What has distinguished this season from last is that the bottom clubs have generally spent what little money they have quite well, while the big clubs have recruited less than in previous years.

Most foreign imports have settled better than usual, while many of the season's biggest disappointments have been domestic deals and particularly British players.

Any coach, player or chairman will try and put a positive spin on their bad buys, but when they can't even get in the team, fail to live up to their price tag, don't fit into the tactical setup or even end up lasting less than a season, it's time for one and all to hold their hands up.

But they don't - so I'll do it for them.

10) David N'Gog (Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool - £1.5m)

When most people hear the name David N'Gog, they laugh. Try it now. Why is it so funny? It might be that some of a less cultured tongue pronounce it 'Enn-Gogg' - which admittedly has an amusing sort of sound to it - but the average football fan is far more likely to be baffled by just how the young striker ended up playing for Liverpool despite not being very good at playing football.

He is a young, tall and fast striker and didn't cost a lot. It was 'touch N'Gog' (that's how you say his name) over whether to even include him on the list - we could all yet be proven wrong - but thus far, the Frenchman has only succeeded at looking woefully out of his depth. And it's not as if he had even proven anything at the point Rafa Benitez snapped him up from PSG.

He has essentially become Fernando Torres' deputy at Anfield for several stretches this season, and upon failing to impress, is likely to be shunted down the pecking order this summer.

9) Younes Kaboul (Tottenham Hotspur to Portsmouth - £6m)

And we have a repeat-entry! Down one place from last year is the big man who continues to command fairly big money but doesn't seem to be all that good. He flopped at Tottenham last season and now at Portsmouth, a club short of cash, he has failed to live up to his £6m billing (though the official fee remains undisclosed).

It seems, though, he may have at least found a home at Fratton Park. Maybe. Pompey don't quite have the money to throw away that Spurs do and thus they will want to get as much value out of their man as is possible.

He can hit a mean shot, and has grabbed a couple of headlines off the back of his big goals, but, lest we forget, he is a defender. He hasn't quite worked out that part of his game yet.

8) Dave Kitson (Reading to Stoke City - £5.5m)

Dave Kitson was signed by Stoke for a club record transfer fee. He would be the bright spark of Premier League experience in front of goal to keep the Potters in the top flight.

Well, he's here, so suffice to say it didn't work out. The only thing bright about Kitson at Stoke was his hair, and he can't take credit for his genetics.

It's safe enough to say he's just not in the Stoke mold. He's something of a late bloomer, a classy striker and without doubt a good player, but Stoke are another type of team altogether. He didn't blend into his surroundings, to say the least.

He played 18 games and didn't score a single goal - and so he went back on loan to Reading. Even Steve Coppell managed to crack a smile and squeal out a laugh at this sorry state of affairs. Win-win.

7) Andrew Johnson (Everton to Fulham - £10.5m)

Another striker, another club record signing and another one who has some kind of aversion to scoring goals. It goes without saying that if Fulham as a team hadn't been doing so well, then AJ would have found himself much, much higher up the list. Luckily for him, the Cottagers haven't had to score a lot to win.

He has worked hard and never looked completely out of his depth, but he may as well have been Steve Marlet. Bobby Zamora may not have scored a lot either, but he was half the price and has been considerably more valuable an outlet for the team all season. Make no bones about it: Johnson is a flop. He doesn't even have the time-honored excuse of being a youngster and being able to grow into his talents.

The fact there was such a debacle over completing his signing after the medical scare should have been the sign that the usually shrewd Roy Hodgson needed to call off the deal, but he didn't. It will be interesting to see whether the Hodge is willing to swallow his pride and replace his big-money man this summer. After all, one transfer window of tremendous work from the experienced coach turned Fulham into a decent team - imagine what another could do?

6) Xisco (Deportivo La Coruna to Newcastle United - £5.7m)

It's been quite a season on Tyneside. A power struggle of some description between former recruitment man Tony Jimenez, director of football Dennis Wise and part-time coach, part-time Messiah Kevin Keegan culminated in a comical beginning to this season (and it has since, like any good comedy, only gotten funnier).

Xisco was one of Jimenez's men, brought in for a fairly substantial amount of money and not given much of a fair shake. He's never been the best prospect in the world, or even close for that matter, but to end up fifth choice at the club, even behind Shola Ameobi, means you're doing something, somewhere, incredibly wrong.

5) Jo (CSKA Moscow to Manchester City - £19m)

Something about this move seemed wrong from the beginning. Right player, wrong club. He was never worth the reported £19m anyway, and following his bumpy start that found him in and out of the side, he was loaned out to Everton.

There, he is finding his feet, but David Moyes has already suggested he cannot afford to sign him, which suggests City will either be stuck with a player they don't want or taking a significant loss on him this summer when they sell him on. Big money, bad business - the two go hand-in-hand.

He's still young, but he will never be Drogba. Admittedly, his touch of Brazilian flair means that magic can be produced at any given moment, but for the most part he really is just your average Jo.

4) Deco (Barcelona to Chelsea - £8m)

Many fancied themselves as real experts when Chelsea snapped up Deco from Barcelona. A real bargain. A top-quality flair player. Just what they need. The 'missing piece'.

They must have felt so proud of themselves two or three games into the season, while the Portuguese international was still fresh, fit and enjoying the sunshine. Consistency is another matter altogether.

The days are long gone that Deco can battle from one end of the season to another, and thus he was never, ever going to go the distance in the Premier League. He is what many in England would consider a luxury player. Quite why he snubbed Inter, a team he would have slotted into with far more ease, to join up with 'Big Phlop' Scolari is beyond pretty much everybody.

The funniest thing of all about the signing was Chelsea buying a third egotistical attacking midfielder for one position. Admittedly, Guus Hiddink has found a good place for Ballack alongside Lampard within his current setup, but there was never going to be a place for Deco. Not now, not ever - he should, if he has any sense, get out at the first available opportunity.

3) Marlon: A King-Size Flop

Roy Hodgson is still breathing a never-ending sigh of relief. Not only has he transformed Fulham from relegation battlers to Europa League contenders, but we can't forget that he was moments away from signing Marlon King, only for the big man to fail Fulham's notoriously stringent medical.

He is a powerful striker with one hell of a shot on him, but if you believe what you read, he'd much rather spend his time hitting women and only using his head to butt Dean Windass in a Scarborough casino. Football is an afterthought.

Wigan picked him up from Watford, Hull then loaned him from the Latics and after his disastrous spell there, he went down another rung to a hopeless Middlesbrough side.

Think of him as Stan Collymore without quite so much talent. Who knows where he'll end up next season, that is if he manages to stay out of jail.

2) David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers to Tottenham Hotspur - £15m)

People never really realized how hard it was being David Beckham until they prematurely decided that a man with the same name, same haircut (well, Becks must have had it at some point) and a similar playing style will automatically fill his shoes on the international stage and realized just how catastrophically wrong they were.

David Bentley isn't even as good as an aging David Beckham is now - what makes anybody think that will ever change? He has indisputable ability, but lacks the world class quality of his predecessor and doesn't seem to be progressing as many expected he would, either.

He signed for his supposed 'dream club', Tottenham, for a substantial initial fee of £15m and unless his goal of the season contender against Arsenal - the club that snubbed him as a youth and of course Spurs' greatest rivals - is worth all that, then he's still an unbridled flop. He has a lot more work to do.

1) Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur to Liverpool - £19m)

Was Robbie Keane really Rick Parry's signing, or was that Rafa Benitez's last-ditch attempt at saving face once he realized his monumental error? When you think bad transfers, you generally tend to think Spurs. They're usually involved. But Liverpool fans will be cursing their luck for being on the wrong end of this one.

This was Rafa's fourth or fifth 'last piece of the puzzle' signing, the dream partner for Fernando Torres, a player of proven Premier League quality joining his dream club ... what went wrong?

Two words: Steven Gerrard. Benitez has finally found a system that puts Gerrard where he belongs - in attacking midfield - which is a system that only accommodates one striker, and that of course is Fernando Torres. It's true, Keane would be a dream partner for 'El Nino', but he can't compete with the club captain. It was never going to work. Stevie was never going to settle for right wing again (and why should he?) while Rafa wouldn't be quite so courageous as to put him in central midfield and risk over-exposing his side.

The only way Keane and Gerrard could have ever co-existed is if the Reds adopted a similar system to England, with the only problem there being that Keane, while good, isn't exactly Wayne Rooney when it comes to an all-round range of abilities, not to mention telepathic understanding with Stevie G.

It just wasn't meant to be, and, humiliatingly, the Reds sold Keane back to Spurs in January, making a loss of anywhere between £6-8m. Oh well, there's always next year.

English Angle: Did Manchester United Disrespect The FA Cup?

2009-04-21T12:25:00.000+08:00

Evidently, you can't win everything with kids.

Sir Alex Ferguson had been saying more or less since the turn of the year that the quintuple would be impossible. This was, above all else, a way to alleviate the pressure put on his players from game to game, so they needn't have a fear of losing, which could in turn inhibit their ability to go out and win games.

It was a wise tactic on Fergie's part, but another decision that has come under far more scrutiny in the past 24 hours has been his decision to rest key players such as Patrice Evra, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in what was, lest we forget, an FA Cup semi-final.

And no, it wasn't against a Millwall or a Cardiff who had romantically scrapped their way there, but an impressive Everton outfit who, up until a fortnight ago, were still outside contenders for a Champions League place.

The buzzword before kick-off, which blossomed into a full-blown inquisition after Phil Jagielka’s spot-kick hit the back of the net, was respect. The consensus was that United hadn't shown the FA Cup or perhaps even Everton the respect it or they deserved by fielding the side that they did.

The players and the manager reacted angrily to the mere suggestions. "What, are you saying our players aren't good enough?" said an irritable Rio Ferdinand in his post-match interview.

Well evidently, when it came down to it, they weren't. There was a clear penalty on Danny Welbeck that the Devils were denied by a shaky and inconsistent Mike Riley, the ref clearly having been rattled by David Moyes' pre-match implications that he was a United fan. But if the shootout showed us anything, it's that even if they had been awarded the kick, there's no guarantee it would have gone in, much less that Everton wouldn't have even managed an equalizer.

The official line from United focused mainly on looking back at an exhausting trip to the Dragons' Den in Oporto, as well as forward to the midweek hosting of Portsmouth, Spurs visiting at the weekend and then the Champions League semi-finals either side of a trip to Middlesbrough.

Without doubt, it's a hectic schedule - and it doesn't even end there - but Portsmouth pose far less significant a threat to United than Everton, not to mention the fact that game will be at home, and in the league, in which they already have a lead, rather than in a cup tie.

It was prioritizing gone wrong. It would seem Sir Alex is too intimidated by a Liverpool side that will now be focusing all of its energies on catching them at the top of the Premier League and thus gave it primacy over a one-off cup tie.

Just one of Ronaldo or Rooney would have probably been enough to make the difference, and allowed Macheda to continue doing what he does best - coming off the bench - rather than attempting to break through a resolute Toffees rearguard. He never looked like causing any trouble.

The quintuple was never impossible. Sir Alex simply gambled on a competition that is suffering a credibility crisis worse than Dimitar Berbatov's after his epic penalty miss yesterday.

What's done is done, but to suggest anything other than a lack of respect or recognition towards the competition on the part of United would be absurd. In simple terms, it's all about the big two, and three is just a crowd. Bear in mind that the League Cup is now unapologetically treated as a kids' cup for the top sides, and it's just now a matter of time until the FA Cup follows suit, going the route of the Copa del Rey and Coppa Italia, among others. It may be the oldest domestic cup, it may be the most prestigious and famous domestic cup, but the bottom line is that it is fast on its way to becoming just another fall-back, which the big guns only go for when all else is looking lost.

Just another example of the continentalization of the English game.

Ferguson fears ref was pressured

2009-04-20T09:13:00.002+08:00

Man Utd were unhappy Mike Riley did not give a penalty after Danny Welbeck went down in the box

Sir Alex Ferguson said comments from Everton boss David Moyes might have ultimately denied Manchester United a penalty in their FA Cup semi-final.

Referee Mike Riley did not give United a spot-kick when Danny Welbeck appeared to be fouled by Phil Jagielka, and Everton went on to win on penalties.

Everton boss David Moyes had queried the choice of Riley prior to Sunday.

Ferguson said: "I've no idea if it affected the decision, but it may have. It can prey on a referee's mind."

Riley's decision prompted Ferguson to storm angrily towards the pitch, but in his post-match media conference the United boss admitted there had been room for doubt over the decision.

"I've seen the video and it looks a penalty kick but in the importance of the game the referee probably has to be dead sure," added Ferguson.

"Why would Welbeck go down when he had the goalkeeper stranded out of his goal? It was a major decision and unfortunately it has gone against us. Nothing you can do about it. We have to move on now.

"When Riley sees it he'll probably realise he's made a mistake but I can't say that's the reason for us losing."

United captain Rio Ferdinand supported Ferguson's suggestion that referees are hesitating over giving the champions penalty decisions.

"We don't get many penalties these days," said Ferdinand. "Referees are reluctant to give them to us. Maybe they're are being put under pressure by people in the media."

Moyes had questioned the choice of Riley after it had been suggested he was a United supporter.

Riley was appointed to referee the match at Wembley after original choice Steve Bennett withdrew due to illness.

In January, Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez had claimed that Ferguson is "the only manager who will not be punished" for verbally attacking referees, a comment which has sparked an on-going feud between the two managers.

But Moyes admitted that United had been unlucky not to have been given the penalty.

"I thought it looked a penalty kick," said Moyes. "If I had been the manager I would have been calling for a penalty kick."

Moyes was too nervous to watch Jagielka score the decisive penalty as Everton reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 14 years.

"I'm really, really pleased. I'm pleased for myself and the team but, more importantly, the supporters. They were fantastic," Moyes told BBC Radio Five Live.

"I have got to praise Manchester United because they gave us a real hard game. I know on another day they could have put another team out and it could have been even harder.

"But my players have given everything again today and they have done all season."

Everton's final clash with Chelsea on 30 May will be their first FA Cup final since 1995 and Moyes outlined his desires for silverware.

"What we're doing at Everton is we are preparing for success and today was a preparation for a final," he added.

"We have not won anything yet but we have given ourselves a real chance of doing it now."

Captain Phil Neville was gushing with pride after leading Everton to victory over his former club.

"We've beaten the best side in the world - it's just a really proud moment," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

And praising manager Moyes, Neville added: "The boss has stepped up to the mark. He wanted us to go out there and express ourselves.

"He gave us that confidence - now we need to go and win the Cup final."

Player Ratings: Manchester United 0-0 Everton

2009-04-20T08:57:00.000+08:00

It required penalties but Everton ousted Manchester United to book themselves a date with Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Foster 6.0 - Looked nervy from the outset and almost got himself in trouble trying to dribble around Saha in the first half. Another shaky moment late on saw him hit Vaughan with a clearance.

Rafael Da Silva 7 - A moment of inexperience saw him bring down Baines and he was booked on the half-hour mark but he did well to deny Pienaar just before the break and looked good on his return to the side.

Ferdinand 7.5 - United look so much more confident at the back with him in the side and he was imperious in defence. Awful penalty though.

Vidic 8 - After a slump in form, he looked back to his best and alongside Ferdinand formed a fearsome partnership.

Fabio Da Silva 6 - Allowed Neville in early on but put in a solid shift before injury saw his afternoon end early.

Welbeck 7 - Wasteful at times but looked lively and was always willing to run forwards. Curled a great shot over the bar late on.

Gibson 6.5 - Struggled to get into the game initially but improved and justified his inclusion in the team.

Anderson 7 - Covered an awful lot of ground, getting back to help his defence as well as prompting things going forwards. Still looks hopeless in front of goal, mind you, and wasted some good set pieces.

Park 6.5 - Full of running, as ever, and had a decent effort just wide on the hour mark but replaced shortly afterwards after producing little.

Tevez 6 - Typical Tevez, effervescent as ever and didn’t give up but it simply wasn’t his day.

Macheda 6.5 - Didn’t look out of place and had a strong early shot that flew just wide. Combined well with Tevez and Welbeck but couldn’t continue his fairytale start to his United career with another goal.

Substitutes

Evra: 6.5 – Replaced an injured Fabio but still looks far from his best.

Scholes: 6.0 – Brought some experience to the midfield.

Berbatov: 5.0 - Came on but had little impact and an awful penalty summed up his afternoon.

EVERTON

Howard 8 - Flapped at a corner late on but that was his only error and made himself a hero with some good penalty saves.

Hibbert 7 - A few shaky moments against Welbeck but provided good width and combined well with Osman

Jagielka 7.5 - Might have conceded a penalty for a challenge on Welbeck but escaped, looked impressive otherwise and kept his nerve to net the decisive spot kick..

Lescott 8 - Brilliant challenge to deny Welbeck mid-way through the first half and a dominant display by the centre-half.

Baines 7.5 - A super display down the left, always looked to get forward, provided some good crosses and banged home a smashing penalty.

Osman 6.0 - Willing to get forwards and try his luck on goal but was too often second to the ball and looked tired.

Neville 7.0 - Grew into the game and was a commanding presence who led his team by example.

Fellaini 6.5 - Found it hard going against Vidic and Ferdinand but still always looked a threat in the air.

Pienaar 6.0 - Some tricky moments but little end-product.

Cahill 6.0 - Manchester United kept him very quiet in truth and aside from a great shot just after the break he offered little.

Saha 6.0 - Almost profited from Foster's hesitancy early on and a good header set up Pienaar shortly afterwards but had few sights of goal.

Substitutes

Rodwell: 6.0 – Some nice moments on the ball and valuable experience gained.

Vaughan: 6.5 - Came on late and could have won it but a scuffed shot was deflected wide. Crucially scored his penalty.

Tim Howard Ends Manchester United Quintuple Dream

2009-04-20T08:54:00.001+08:00

Manchester United are knocked out of the FA Cup as David Moyes' Everton progress to the final on penalties.

Manchester United 0-0 Everton (Everton win 4-2 on penalties)

A good spectacle of football ended without score over 120 minutes and was decided by penalties. Former Red Devil Tim Howard saved twice as Phil Jagielka hammered home the decisive spot kick.

Federico Macheda had an early chance, following up on his own header to unleash a snapshot that skirted wide of the left hand post from 20 yards.

Everton showed some quality interplay in midfield, Leon Osman and Marouane Fellaini combining well to release Phil Neville into space on the right. Getting beyond Fabio Da Silva Neville had a shot on goal within the box but he slipped at the vital moment and the ball skewed up over the crossbar.

Danny Welbeck, starting from the left wing, linked with the confident Macheda to engineer a chance for Carlos Tevez. Welbeck swapped passes with the young Italian and slotted the ball to the Argentinian forward who was lurking in the left of the box, but Tevez's control was loose and the chance went begging.

Ben Foster almost conspired to gift Louis Saha a goal. The English keeper tried to navigate the Frenchman as he closed but caused himself all sorts of problems, as Saha slid in to challenge the ball ricocheted off the forward and somehow ended up in the keeper's gloves.

Welbeck had a pair of good opportunities in the box, the first played in from the left saw the United youngster hit across the ball first time and it deflected off Joleon Lescott for a corner, squirming narrowly wide of Tim Howard's left hand post.

The second followed good build up play from Tevez and he slid Welbeck into the left hand side of the box, the Englishman sliced his left footed shot and looked dismayed with the Argentinian's pass despite its precise weighting.

Everton were pushing forward, demonstrating their attacking prowess and keeping good possession but couldn't find the telling final ball, Steven Pienaar in particular showing real quality in his approach play.

Macheda showed a piece of class, controlling a difficult pass from Tevez well and immediately spotting the darting run forward of Welbeck, the Italian weighted the pass perfectly into the right hand side of the penalty area, Welbeck struck the ball first time with his left foot, skewing his strike well wide of the target.

The second half began with Everton continuing to press forward, their first real chance of the half came to Tim Cahill who picked the ball up 25 yards from goal, the Australian midfielder steadied himself and let fly towards Foster's bottom right corner. The English goal keeper was equal to the strike and pushed it clear of the danger zone.

Tevez was becoming increasingly involved in the Red Devils' forward play, dropping back into midfield to collect the ball and turn at the Everton defence. His inventiveness lead to a free-kick on the right for Manchester United that was over hit by Anderson, wasting the opportunity.

As United were temporarily reduced to ten men due to an injury to Fabio they had two excellent opportunities to open the scoring. Tevez broke on a solo run powering beyond Lescott in the Everton defence, the England international managed to recover and stole the ball from Tevez at the crucial moment.

Park Ji-Sung also had a good chance, the South Korean was played in by Anderson on the right and jinked past Leighton Baines in the penalty area. Showing excellent footwork the winger got the ball onto his left foot and hooked the ball towards the near post, missing the target by inches. Howard looked to be beaten.

United were pushing for a goal as Darron Gibson smashed the ball goal wards from range towards Howard's top right hand corner. The American keeper did well to palm the wide as the ball looked to swerve late making it difficult.

Welbeck was also making a pest of himself, cutting in from the left and beating Phil Jagielka in the penalty area. The English attacker went down rather easily under minimal contact as Howard closed the striker. Mike Riley waved away penalty claims.

The young Englishman engineered the next meaningful chance of the game in the 82nd minute. Facing up to Tony Hibbert at right back Welbeck cut inside and unleashed a curling effort that veered towards the far top corner. Howard could only watch as the ball zipped inches over the crossbar.

Everton won a late free-kick on the right flank as Pienaar was fouled by substitute Patrice Evra, the ball was swung into the box and Fellaini conceded a cheap free-kick at the back post challenging the struggling Foster.

There were no further chances and the 90 minutes finished without score. Extra time followed and Macheda was replaced by Dimitar Berbatov, the Bulgarian's first contribution was to send a misplaced pass tamely out of play.

Pienaar was brought down by substitute Paul Scholes and the resultant free-kick was lobbed into the left hand side of the box towards Cahill. The Australian controlled expertly on his chest and turned Rafael Da Silva brilliantly, striking a left footed effort goal wards Foster did well to save with his feet and clear the ball from danger.

Everton were showing real ambition in the first half of extra time, with Cahill driving down the left and curling in a ball towards Fellaini in the box. Vidic was on hand and did well to block the Belgian's effort on goal.

The Red Devils' looked dangerous on the break, Anderson drove at the Toffees' defence and slotted Berbatov into the left side of the penalty area. The Bulgarian checked back and played the ball back towards Welbeck who was arriving on the edge of the box, as the ball arrived the Englishman took an air shot and missed the ball completely.

The second half of extra time saw Everton almost score immediately, Baines attacked down the left and cut the ball back to substitute James Vaughan who was alone in the box. The youngster hit the ball first time and Nemanja Vidic deflected the ball wide, a goal kick was given.

Manchester United were awarded a soft free-kick as Cahill span Vidic and the Serbian defender stumbled. Everton were two on one attacking the United goal but the referee awarded a free-kick for ah innocuous foul on the defender.

The Red Devils' were pressing for a winner towards the end of the game, Evra won his side a corner in the 115th minute and took it himself. Everton stayed resolute and knocked it out for a retake, the Toffeemen defended this second set piece soundly as well.

Everton charged down Foster following a loose back pass and blocked the keeper's clearance. Foster tried to see the ball out of play on the left but conceded a foul in doing so. It was swung in by Baines and Vidic did well to nick the ball away from the arriving Cahill at the back post.

It was the last meaningful action of extra time, and the game would be decided on penalties.

Penalties

Cahill – MISS...blazed over
Everton 0-0 Manchester United
Berbatov – MISS...saved by Howard
Everton 0-0 Manchester United
Baines - GOAL
Everton 1-0 Manchester United
Ferdinand – MISS...saved by Howard
Everton 1-0 Manchester United
Neville - GOAL
Everton 2-0 Manchester United
Vidic – GOAL
Everton 2-1 Manchester United
Vaughan - GOAL
Everton 3-1 Manchester United
Anderson - GOAL
Everton 3-2 Manchester United
Jagielka - GOAL
Everton 4-2 Manchester United

EVERTON WIN 4-2 ON PENALTIES!

Everton will play Chelsea in the FA Cup final on 30th May.

Rooney: Everton Still My Number One Club

2009-04-19T18:35:00.001+08:00

The England international insists he still loves the team he supported as a boy

Ahead of Manchester United's clash against Everton in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, Wayne Rooney has revealed he still has an affection for his former club.

The 23-year-old grew up supporting the Toffees before rising through their youth ranks to play in the first team between 2002-2004.

Since his £25.5 million move to Old Trafford, the England international striker has been jeered by some of the Merseyside outfit's supporters, while he has taunted them by kissing the Red Devils badge.

However, the Croxteth-born star is adamant that he still holds Everton close to his heart.

"I always want Everton to do well. It's always a bit strange when I face them, because they're the club I supported growing up and then played for," Rooney is quoted as saying in The Daily Mail.

"There's always banter between me and the Everton fans, but it doesn't run too deep for me.

"Theirs is the result I still look out for first and I've said before that I'd love them to finish second in the Premier League to us.

"I'm looking forward to Sunday's game. I've got a lot of family going down to London for the match and there'll be mixed feelings whatever the outcome but hopefully we can get through to the final."

Rooney also suggested that Toffees fans should think twice before aiming abuse in his direction, as it will only backfire.

He said, "All the stick I get makes me want to do better, but it doesn't bother me that much now."

Sir Alex Ferguson Set To Rotate Manchester United Squad

2009-04-19T14:14:00.002+08:00

The Red Devils' boss feels some of his players need a rest after the recent hectic schedule.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has stated his intentions to rotate his squad, responding to claims that he could play the same team that beat Porto on Wednesday night.

The Red Devils' boss described those who believed that he could play the same team as "off their heads."

The first-team squad is set to have a completely different look for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final game against Everton, with Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs set to miss out, with Edwin van der Sar and Dimitar Berbatov set to join them.

The United boss certainly made his intentions clear when speaking to The Daily Express.

"When I pick my team, no matter what it is there will be critics voicing a concern about me not playing my strongest team," said Ferguson.

"Not everyone agrees with changes. There are some supporters who want me to play my best team every game. That is impossible. If you look at Wednesday's game you are off your head to think I could play the same team again."

The 67-year-old also said that football has become tougher, meaning players need more rest in between games.

"I am in a difficult position because we have got so many hard games coming up," continued Ferguson. "Somewhere along the line I have to make changes.

"The speed of the game has changed.

"Look at how fast the Premier Division is. The intensity of the matches is the reason English teams have a head start in Europe."

Despite this recent news, Ferguson said he still sees the FA Cup as a massive trophy to win.

"Hand on heart, the FA Cup is important.We don't want to have a defeat at this time of year. No matter what the defeat is, we have to answer for that."

The Red Devils are still on course for an unprecedented quintuple, but face some stiff challenges in all competitions, and with their form the worst it has been all season, it will be up to the players to prove themselves capable of accomplishing that magnificent record.

FA Cup Preview: Manchester United - Everton

2009-04-19T01:40:00.002+08:00

A mouthwatering clash between two giants of the FA Cup

What: The FA Cup Semi Final
Who: Manchester United v Everton
When: Sunday, 19th April, 16:00 BST
Where: Wembley, London

Wembley Way

Sir Alex Ferguson’s antipathy towards the manager of Liverpool reignited on Friday, but he must now discard the entente cordial with Everton manager David Moyes.

The two Scotsman clash at Wembley for a place in the FA Cup final. Ferguson comes into this match on the crest of a wave after the disciplined victory over Porto in mid-week.

Facing a possible exit from the Champions League after a disappointing performance at Old Trafford, United looked re-born in Portugal.

In control from the kick-off, a 40-yard rocket from the boot of Cristiano Ronaldo was enough to claim safe passage to a semi-final double header with Arsenal.

A defence, which had previously conceded ten goals in four games, looked solid in its resolve once again, with the return of Rio Ferdinand.

Ferdinand and centre-back partner Nemanja Vidic will need to be at their best to repel an Everton attack that gave them a torrid time earlier in the season.

Ferguson will also need to shuffle his pack to ensure his team navigate their way through a gruelling fixture list.

Expect Ben Foster, Rafael Da Silva and Carlos Tevez to take their places on the Wembley pitch. Italian golden boy Federico Macheda could also feature.

Even at half strength, the Red Devils should still have too much for the Merseysiders. However, with a man of Moyes’ tactical nous in the opposite dug out, the performance against Porto must be repeated, rather than the embarrassing loss to Liverpool.

Ride-ing to Success

Everton manager David Moyes is sure to use history as an incentive to fire his players up for the clash with Premier League leaders Manchester United.

He will know that in the 1995 FA Cup final, a Paul Rideout goal won the trophy for the underdogs against a dominant United side.

Yet again, the odds are stacked in favour of the Mancunians. Moyes will be banking on the new Wembley to have as positive effect on the players of today, just as the original stadium had more than a decade ago.

Everton have provided stern opposition for their North West neighbours this season. A hard fought draw at Goodison Park and a narrow defeat at Old Trafford have been registered in a pair of matches where the Toffees rarely seemed second best.

The meeting in Merseyside saw the champions ruffled by their hosts in a frantic and physical second half performance. A repeat showing is needed if they are to dump the Reds out of the FA Cup.

Moyes will certainly not be looking to replicate the shambolic defending that featured in last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Aston Villa.

Thrilling for the neutral, but painful for the Scotsman, his side twice threw away a two goal cushion to draw with the Villains.

England men Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka must rediscover their defensive vigour if the deadly United frontline is to be denied. Without it, the possibility of any Everton player joining Rideout in Everton folklore is remote.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United:

15th April vs. Porto (A) won 1-0 (CHAMP LG)

11th April vs. Sunderland (A) won 2-1 (PREM)

7th April vs. Porto (H) drew 2-2 (CHAMP LG)

5th April vs. Aston Villa (H) won 3-2 (PREM)

21st March vs. Fulham (A) lost 2-0 (PREM)

Everton:

12th April vs. Aston Villa (A) drew 3-3 (PREM)

5th April vs. Wigan Athletic (H) won 4-0 (PREM)

21st March vs. Portsmouth (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)

14th March vs. Stoke City (H) won 3-1 (PREM)

8th March vs. Middlesbrough (H) won 2-1 (FA CUP)

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United:

Darren Fletcher re-joins the squad after shaking off a hamstring strain. Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick travel, after recovering from knocks picked up against Porto.

Wes Brown (foot) returned to reserve team action on Monday after a long layoff. Owen Hargreaves (knee) is continuing his rehabilitation from surgery.

Last starting XI (vs. Porto): Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Carrick, Anderson (Scholes 78), Rooney, Berbatov (Nani 68), Ronaldo.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Neville, Evans, Tevez, Macheda.

Squad: Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Rafael, Fabio, O'Shea, Evans, Ronaldo, Anderson, Scholes, Fletcher, Gibson, Carrick, Park, Nani, Giggs, Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov, Macheda.

Possible starting XI: Foster, Rafael, O’Shea, Vidic, Evans, Park, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Scholes, Rooney, Tevez.

Everton:

David Moyes has a decision to make on whether to start the game with Louis Saha (stomach virus). The Scottish manager cannot call on Jo, as he is cup tied, or long term absentees Victor Anichebe (knee), Mikel Arteta (knee), Yakubu (knee) and Nuno Valente (knee).

Nigerian international Joseph Yobo is fit again and James Vaughan makes the trip, after recovering from the latest in a long line of knee injuries.

Last starting XI (vs. Aston Villa): Howard, Hibbert (Jacobsen 65), Lescott, Jagielka, Baines, Osman, Neville, Cahill, Pienaar, Fellaini, Jo (Saha 81).
Subs Not Used: Nash, Van der Meyde, Castillo, Rodwell, Gosling.

Squad: Howard, Hibbert, Lescott, Jagielka, Baines, Osman, Pienaar, Neville, Rodwell, Fellaini, Cahill, Yobo, Saha, Vaughan, Nash, Gosling, Jacobsen, Van der Meyde, Castillo, Baxter.

Possible starting XI: Howard, Hibbert, Baines, Lescott, Jagielka, Osman, Pienaar, Neville, Fellaini, Cahill, Saha.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United: Wayne Rooney is the name on everyone’s lips when these sides meet. The ex-Everton idol burnt his bridges with the Goodison Park faithful long ago. Unleashed from the shackles of his wing position on European nights, Wazza could inflict more pain on his former team with a dominant display up front.

Everton: Lumbering oaf or goal scoring midfielder, the jury is still out on Marouane Fellaini. The ‘Big Fella’ has struggled to consistently replicate the form that prompted David Moyes to spend £15m on him but has had an above average first season in England. He scored the equaliser against United at Goodison Park and, if he can repeat the trick at Wembley, hero status will be secured.

PREDICTION

After the victory on Wednesday night, the Manchester United winning machine of a month ago could be back on track.Everton will try to derail them, but without the artistry of Mikel Arteta, they won’t be able to unlock the Red Devils’ defence.

Manchester United 1-0 Everton

Sir Alex Blasts ‘Arrogant’ Rafael Benitez

2009-04-19T01:32:00.001+08:00

In the latest round of sparring with the Liverpool boss, ‘Fergie’ has revealed his disgust at ‘Rafa’s’ antics during the Reds’ Premier League fixture against Blackburn Rovers last weekend

anchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was somewhat sidetracked when looking ahead to his side’s FA Cup semi-final fixture against Everton on Sunday. From discussing the merits of the Goodison Park club, he turned his attentions to taking another swipe at Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

Meanwhile, David Moyes' good work at Everton continues to get recognition as Ferguson acknowledged that the Toffees are a side built on hard-work and spirit - two commodities that, he feels, should not be underestimated.

Ferguson continued by stating that Moyes has built a team that will one day be destined for silverware success, however, he will be doing all he can to ensure that they have to wait a little longer as his Red Devils square off against Moyes' men on Sunday.

He told United's official website, "My problem for Sunday is that we are facing a very hungry team. David has to win a trophy, and that’s the way he is feeling. I know he is, and this is a big opportunity for him. That’s what we’re facing: a very hungry team, and a very hungry manager. We know what we’re up against.

"Moyes has a young squad that will get better. The young players he has in the team, allied to the ones he has brought in, have a good future. He’s done a great job.

"Moyes has been there for five years now and he has built a good football club. Irrespective of what Rafael Benitez says – he called them a small club – they are a big club. But that just points to [Benitez's] arrogance.

"There’s one thing about the arrogance he has shown. But one thing you can’t forgive is his contempt for [Blackburn Rovers manager] Sam Allardyce last week. When Liverpool scored their second goal against Blackburn; he made a gesture which suggested the game was finished. It was absolute contempt and I don’t think Sam Allardyce deserved it.

"Sam is a guy who has worked so hard for the League Manager’s Association and looked after young players in the game. He didn’t deserve that. He had to play a team that was weakened, and to get that kind of contempt… I don’t think any other Liverpool manager would have done that," he concluded.

Cristiano Ronaldo Says He Took Ferguson's Criticism On Board

2009-04-19T01:25:00.003+08:00

The World Player of the Year exemplified how to take criticism in stride.

Manchester United's Portuguese phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo says that he accepted Sir Alex Ferguson's recent criticism of him.

Earlier this week the Red Devils boss revealed to News of the World that he had spoken to the 24-year-old about his on-field petulance and insisted he will not accept such behavior. Ronaldo, in turn, responded by booking United's place in the final-four of the Champions League with an absolutely sensational long-range strike away to Porto.

"It is not a problem," Ronaldo was quoted as saying on Sky Sports News.

"I always respect the manager and coaches because I want to learn. If he says that, it is because he thinks it is true.

"But I think I have been playing well and I have scored a few important goals," he added with his trademark cheeky grin.

United's number 7 went on to underline that Wednesday's victory at Oporto has kept their dreams of the quintuple alive.

"We have an opportunity to win everything and we are very confident that we can," he added.

"We did not play fantastic in the last five or six games but we expect the next ones will be better because of what we did last night."

Dimitar Berbatov Discounts Arsenal As A Threat

2009-04-17T09:23:00.001+08:00

The suave Bulgarian just doesn't think the Gunners are good enough to challenge the Red Devils European dominance.

Manchester United centre-forward Dimitar Berbatov seems in little doubt that his team will progress past Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final and, despite him respecting the Gunners' quality, thinks that the Mancunians' determination to retain the trophy will see them through.

"The Arsenal games are going to be great for everybody to watch and I know it is going to be difficult," he told Sky Sports News. "They are a great team. But we are Manchester United, so I think we are going to win.

"We are determined to defend this trophy and the fact we now have to face another English team makes it a little bit different. But we should still be confident."

The Bulgarian also took the time to praise his team Cristiano Ronaldo, the man whose stunning long-range strike against Porto secured the Red Devils' semi-final berth, as well as helping them become the first English side to win in Porto. He also felt that the defence, boosted by the return of Rio Ferdinand, was rock solid.

"It was a very special goal," he added. "Cristiano gives everything he can in every game. Sometimes you need a special player to do something out of the ordinary. Cristiano delivered.

"Our defence is incredible. They have been tremendous for us all season and deserve so much credit for their performances.

"The major reason we are in the position we are at the moment is because of our defenders and I want to thank them."

Ferguson Compares Manchester United's Porto Task To 1999

2009-04-17T09:17:00.000+08:00

The Scot is backing his players to overcome what appears to be an uphill challenge.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is backing his team to overcome Porto in the Champions League tonight, calling on them to draw inspiration from their semi-final triumph against Juventus in 1999.

With the Red Devils on for the treble, it looked like the European Cup had escaped them when, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Old Trafford, they went 2-0 down to La Vecchia Signora in Turin.

However, led by captain Roy Keane, United fought back to win the game 3-2, and the Scot is confident his team can produce a similar performance at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday.

"It was Roy’s greatest moment. He was unbelievable for us that night, though the team also played fantastically well," Ferguson recalled of the momentous Juve fixture.

"This is a similar situation to the Juventus tie and we have a lot of players who can step up to the plate.

"We’ve players who can win the game. Winners, match-winners on the big occasion — and that’s really important.

"These players have to remember where they have been in the past, the performances they have produced, and realize they have a great opportunity.

"Their record in this competition over the last two years has been outstanding. Now here against Porto we have to match our expectations and standards, the required standards of Manchester United."

Spalletti: Rooney Would Be The Perfect Striker For Roma

2009-04-16T19:00:00.002+08:00

The Giallorossi boss made some interesting comments at the conclusion of last night’s Champions League matches.

Luciano Spalletti and his Roma side have very little to play for this season, as last weekend’s 4-2 defeat in the Roman derby, all but ended their hopes of attaining qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Despite this though, and despite the lack of Italian involvement in the competition, the boss of the Giallorossi took some time to speak with Giorgio Porro, a man who hosted a Champions League wrap show on Sky last night.

Spalletti was asked several questions on the night, including his thoughts on the most recent matches, as well as the lack of faith in young players in Italy.

“All of the teams that progressed deserved to do so in my opinion,” Spalletti declared on the Sky program.

“Arsenal were much better technically than Villarreal, whilst Manchester United are a team of great quality, however they were made hard to work for it by Porto.

“I think that the lack of youth in Italy could be a reason behind why none of us are still playing in the competition. There are many Italians though who do focus on the youth and their development.

“What is crucial for us is the fact that it isn’t easy to place them in an environment where they can make mistakes. We need to find a balance between the environment, as well as a place where we can allow them to best develop their character.”

Spalletti was later questioned about who he felt were some of the key players still present in Europe’s premier competition, and in his eyes one of those is Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.

“Rooney is a quality player, who has great will and determination to perform every time he steps onto the football field.

“He is outstanding, and would be the perfect striker for my club, or for any club.”

Player Ratings: Porto 0-1 Manchester United

2009-04-16T08:06:00.003+08:00

Man Utd became the first ever English side to win at the Estadio Do Dragao on Wednesday evening, securing a 1-0 victory to book a Champions League semi-final berth.

Porto

Helton 6 - The 'keeper made a couple of good point-blank stops, but he lacked concentration at other times and was immune to gathering at the first attempt. Was never tested as he might have been, although he made a crucial save from Ronaldo late on.

Sapunaru 6 - Had a decent first half, punctuated by one fierce drive at goal. Won a key header to deny Giggs, but replaced by Tomas Costa late on.

Rolando 6 - Almost caught out Van der Sar with a header as Porto tried to rally. Defensively, he made a couple of key interceptions.

Alves 8 - Solid enough at the back during the opening period, but sent a free-kick and a header wide at the other end. Continued to get better after the break, however, dominating his airspace at the back. Was thrown further upfield far too late.

Cissokho 7.5 - The highly-rated left-back was strong as United started well, and positive as Porto started to make headway. Perhaps just edged on-off personal battle with Ronaldo, but left it a tad late to start really getting forward.

Lucho Gonzalez 6 - Stretchered off to be replaced by Mariano after half-an-hour. It was a massive blow for the hosts.

Fernando 6.5 - The midfielder ate up space and put in a good, undistinguished shift.

Meireles 7 - Decent at either end early on, he tracked back well to halt Rooney on a couple of occasions and whipped in a good free-kick which found the head of Alves. Covered a ridiculous amount of ground, more than anyone else on the park, but did a lot of complaining throughout.

Lopez 6.5 - A key part of Porto's attacking game after their slow start, he was involved in most of their creative play and went close with an acrobatic effort. Resorted to professional fouls during the second half, and spurned a great opportunity at the death.

Hulk 5.5 - His movement was good, as expected, but he failed to control through-balls on a couple of occasions. Fired a free-kick on target just before the hour mark, but was generally very wasteful.

Rodriguez 5.5 - Keen to get the ball forward, but his passing was wayward at times. Displayed a good turn of pace, but was hooked for Farias after 64 minutes.

Subs: Mariano scored the leveller at Old Trafford, and was busy again, going close with a header and producing a good cross for Lopez. Farias wasted a chance late on and Tomas Costa did not really make much of an impact.

Manchester United

Van der Sar 6 - The veteran had a great first half, looking very confident. However, he was suddenly all over the place as the game reached its conclusion.

O'Shea 6 - The Irishman covered lot of ground and set up Vidic, who should have scored. Quiet but effective during the second period.

Ferdinand 7 - Cleared fit to play at the last minute and, although he's clearly not 100 per cent and had to rely on Vidic or O'Shea at times, he was cool and composed generally.

Vidic 7 - The stopper was the first in the book, catching Lopez, and it got worse when he somehow missed the target from three yards before half-time. He improved after the break through and was usually in just the right position to snuff out any blossoming threat.

Evra 5 - Had something of a mare at left-back. Booked early in the second half and given the run-around by Mariano.

Anderson 6.5 - A key man early on, tackling well and retaining the ball. Replaced by Scholes, though, as Ferguson sought experience.

Carrick 7 - Was hobbling at one point, but recovered to put in a lot of running. Alongside Anderson and then Scholes he was part of a midfield unit which really limited the Portuguese.

Giggs 8.5 - Had a fine effort well held by Helton during the first half. Had to track back more after the break, though, as Evra continued to struggle. Wherever he went, though, he oozed class.

Ronaldo 7.5 - Scored an early 35-yard screamer which was just what the doctor ordered. Explosive in bursts, popping up in different positions. Went close on another couple of occasions and had a reasonably simple and effective game.

Berbatov 6.5 - The usually laconic Bulgarian was in the mood in Portugal, putting himself about uncharacteristically. However, he faded badly and was hooked for Nani.

Rooney 8 - Started on the right, for a change, and worked hard as you'd expect. Despite walking the yellow card tightrope, he was always in and around the action, attempting a couple of decent efforts.

Subs: Nani was borderline dreadful when he came on, but Scholes was a welcome addition as United endured a nervy last few minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo Wondergoal Sees Manchester United Through

2009-04-16T08:00:00.001+08:00

A stunning 40-yard goal from Cristiano Ronaldo was enough to see Manchester United past FC Porto and into last four of the Champions League at the Estádio do Dragão.

FC Porto 0-1 Manchester United

A stunning 40-yard goal from Cristiano Ronaldo was enough to see Manchester United past FC Porto and into last four of the Champions League at the Estádio do Dragão.

The visitors got off to a dream start through Ronaldo’s goal on just six minutes and spurned a golden opportunity to score a second through Nemanja Vidic just before half-time.

The second half was a much better one for Porto as they had more of the play, but they struggled to create many clear opportunities and United held firm to progress.

The Red Devils now meet Arsenal in the semi-finals after the Gunners defeated Villarreal in the night’s other quarter-final tie.

United made four changes from the side that started the 2-2 first leg draw at Old Trafford. Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, Ji-Sung Park and Jonny Evans all made way with Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand coming in.

Porto, on the other hand, kept the same starting XI who impressed in that match with their coach, Jesualdo Ferreira subject of a touchline ban.

The visitors got off to a dream start in the sixth minute through a magical goal from Ronaldo. The World Player of the Year controlled a pass from Anderson a full 40 yards out, took aim, and smashed a shot past helpless home goalkeeper Helton into the top corner.

Bruno Alves had Porto’s best effort of the early stages - just missing the target with a 30-yard free-kick on 20 minutes that had van der Sar scampering across his goal-line in an attempt to cover.

The Portuguese side came close again five minutes later as they began to get a foothold in the game. Lisandro López swivelled and shot straight at van der Sar after being fed by Cristian Rodriguez inside the United penalty box.

Alves had another chance when he headed Raul Meireles’ free-kick narrowly wide, before Lucho Gonzalez was substituted due to an injury as United rounded off the half with two good opportunities.

First, Berbatov found space on the right and sent in a cross that found Giggs at back post. The Welshman’s well-timed volley was fumbled initially by Helton before the Brazilian gathered at the second attempt.

The Red Devils had a glorious opportunity to make it 2-0 a minute before the half-time interval. It fell to Vidic after John O’Shea had flicked on Giggs’ near post corner, but the Serbian defender could only divert the ball over the crossbar from close-range.

After the break, Meireles came close for the hosts as he shot just wide from the edge of the area after Patrice Evra lost possession, before Hulk struck a free-kick straight into the arms of van der Sar from a promising position.

The home side huffed and puffed but were struggling to create clear goal-scoring opportunities and United were happy to soak up the pressure and attempt to counter-attack when the chance to do so presented itself, with Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney coming close with late long-range attempts.

They did have to survive two scares before the end, though. In the 78th minute, Porto defender Rolando saw his header fall just wide after escaping attentions of O’Shea from Meireles’ corner, which van der Sar had mis-judged the flight of.

Then, on 85 minutes, substitute Mariano Gonzalez sent a low cross into the congested United box to give López the chance to shoot from 10 yards. However, the Argentinean could not generate enough power on his effort and the Red Devils held on for victory.

Alex Ferguson Trusts Manchester United Players To Beat Porto

2009-04-15T09:08:00.000+08:00

The Red Devils' supremo has faith in his troops to secure a semi-final berth tomorrow night in Portugal.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has highlighted his team's fine record in this season's Champions League, and avowed his faith in his players to become the first English side to beat Porto on Portuguese soil and so progress to the semi-finals of the continent's premier club competition again.

United face Porto tomorrow night in the second leg of their quarter-final tie, with the encounter poised at 2-2, giving the Portuguese outfit an advantage on away goals. Ferguson feels that his players are just the men to turn that advantage around though, and score the goals necessary to see them through.

However, he does feel that Porto currently hold a clear "edge" in the tie.

"So far we're undefeated in it this season," the Scotsman said of his team's current Champions League campaign.

"We have to take great credit for that, and the players in particular. They have performed.

"The one area which we are disappointed in was losing the last minute goal in the last game, and that has put a definite edge towards Porto for the advantage.

"It's still a big job to do."

Despite the size of the task confronting them though, Ferguson concluded by asserting his faith in the players at his disposal.

He said, "I'm going to trust these players of mine because they deserve that trust."

Sir Alex Ferguson Warns Cristiano Ronaldo Over His Petulance

2009-04-14T16:32:00.001+08:00

The Manchester United boss has had to lay down the law to his star man.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he has spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo about his on-field petulance and insisted he will not accept such behavior.

The Portuguese striker has cut a frustrated figure at times this season and was guilty last weekend of conceding possession and then remonstrating, whilst Aston Villa went up the other end of the pitch and scored.

Speaking to the News of the World, the Scot insisted he would not put up with such poor behavior and admitted he had spoken to his star player about the issue.

“No, I don't accept that he will give goals away because of the player he is. I speak to him about it. I don't accept that from anyone,” explained Sir Alex.

“In European football, in particular, you give the ball away and it takes a long time to get it back. It has always been a big part of our strategy and philosophy in Europe - keeping possession of the ball.”

The United boss also revealed that he believes Ronaldo’s frustrations stem from the fact that he feels he is not getting enough protection from referees.

“It's really important. He's not immune from that. He always feels he's not getting the proper protection and I think that maybe in quite a few cases he is right, and a few cases he is not right,” said Ferguson.

“It's hard when a player who wants to entertain all doesn't get everything his way. You can't get everything your own way. He understands that, and there's not a problem with that.”

Sir Alex insisted that his No. 7 was aware of his faults but that he needed to remind him from time-to-time, although the 67-year-old stopped short of revealing exactly what he has said to Ronaldo.

"It's just a frustration that he feels that he doesn't get the decision and he gets upset about it. I think obviously he doesn't enjoy that and he knows he's letting himself down more than anything.

“He holds his hands up, I have had to remind him about that but I'm not getting into what has been said.”

Wonderkid Federico Macheda Rattles Sbragia's Sunderland

2009-04-14T10:08:00.002+08:00

Following a disappointing display midweek Manchester United struggled to get past a dogged and determined Sunderland side. They needed the magic touch of Federico Macheda, who scored the winner after being on the pitch for only 46 seconds. The story book tale continues.

Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United

Having been knocked off the Premier League summit by Liverpool earlier this afternoon Manchester United travelled to Sunderland's Stadium of Light knowing that a win would take them back to the top of the league. Despite suffering back to back Premier League losses Manchester United have won 12 of their last 14 league outings and are undefeated in 13 top flight games against the Black Cats. Sunderland, for their part, need to start collecting points quickly if they are to avoid the drop.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was in an aggressive mood, fielding a front three of Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney. Cristiano Ronaldo was left to warm the bench alongside recently disappointing Patrice Evra.

The Champions were right at Sunderland from the outset. Rooney, playing on the left of the trident, picked the ball up on the edge of the Sunderland box and sent his curling effort just wide of keeper Craig Gordon's far post. There was barely a minute on the clock.

Sunderland won a free-kick a few minutes later, it was taken by Andy Reid and seemed to be a fairly routine catch for Ben Foster but the young England stopper spilled and was scrambling to recover. Luckily for United fans Foster managed to smother the ball before it crossed the line.

Just as Sunderland were starting to settle into the game the Champions took the lead. After having a Nemanja Vidic header cleared off the line minutes earlier Rooney found himself attacking down the right flank in the 19th minute. Wazza floated a sublime cross into the box for Paul Scholes, the veteran midfielder made contact and his glancing header flew into the top corner leaving Gordon with no chance.

The Red Devil's defence was looking far from solid despite the return of Vidic, the Serbian international got mixed up with Foster on a back pass and almost gifted Carlos Edwards a goal. Unfortunately for the Black Cats the Trinidad and Tobago man couldn't quite connect with the loose ball as it trickled agonisingly past the United goal.

Despite their league position the home side were showing a wealth of ambition, Anton Ferdinand sent in a cross for his defensive counterpart Calum Davenport whose header rolled inches wide of the United post. Minutes later and former Manchester United trainee Phil Bardsley drove down the right flank and found Kenwyne Jones with his low cross, the powerful forward could only direct his effort inches wide of the post.

Sunderland were all over the visitors, Djilbril Cisse controlled the ball on the edge of the box following a scramble in the area. The Frenchman smashed the ball goalwards and Foster did well to tip the ball over the bar.

Moments later and Edwards showed good footwork to beat his marker on the right and drilled in a low cross that catches a boot and rattles the inside of the far post. Foster was static and Sunderland were ruing the approaching half time whistle as they were dominating the game.

As the half drew to a close Park Ji-Sung drove in from the right and unleased a curling drive that only just missed the top left hand corner of the goal. It was a wonderful effort.

It remained one-nil to United at half time, the second half started with a fine strike from the outstanding Rooney. The ball broke to the England international on the edge of the box and striking the ball first time it rocketed just shy of the top right hand corner. Gordon was an observer.

Ironically, just as the Red Devils were looking comfortable Sunderland pulled level in the 55th minute. The equaliser was scored by Jones and it was a straight forward goal for the Black Cats. Teemu Taino nut-megged Gary Neville and drove to the byline, the Finn whipped in a lovely cross with his left foot and Jones rose high at the back post. Foster flapped at the effort and the rebound was rifled home by Jones. One-one at the Stadium of Light.

The equaliser invigorated the visitors, Tevez picked up the ball 30yards from goal and laid the ball off to the approaching Scholes who lashed the ball goalwards. The English maestro caught the ball wonderfully and it zipped towards Gordon's bottom right hand corner, Scholes had just cut across the ball and it swerved wide of the post at the last moment. Unlucky.

Tevez was involved again moments later as he was played through by a cute ball from Berbatov, the Argentinian rounded the keeper but Bardsley was in to block his first effort on goal and persisted in tracking the energetic forward to deny him a sniff with his second effort. Great defensive work from Sunderland.

Sunderland were still showing ambition, a throw in from the right was allowed to bounce by the United defence and Cisse attempted a wonderful overhead strike, the Frenchman caught it beautifully and rippled the side netting. Replays showed it was incredibly close to sneaking in the near post and Foster hadn't reacted at all.

United threw on Federico Macheda with 15minutes left to play and 46seconds later the young Italian gave the Red Devils the lead! Michael Carrick unleased an effort towards the bottom left hand corner from 20yards and Macheda was alert enough to redirect it towards the bottom right hand corner. It seemed to be deliberate and Gordon was left stranded, two-one to United. It was Macheda's first touch of the ball!!

It was a knock out blow for the Black Cats and they failed to muster any kind of threat after falling behind for a second time. Despite a spirited display Sunderland remain in a perilous position whilst Manchester United reclaim their place on the summit of the Premier League, defensive problems still plague the side.

Ferguson makes Ronaldo plea

2009-04-14T09:38:00.000+08:00

Sir Alex Ferguson has told Cristiano Ronaldo: "You can't get everything your own way."

The Manchester United winger has cut a frustrated figure at times this season and was guilty of giving the ball away in the lead-up to goals for Aston Villa and Porto in the last week.

Ronaldo was the key figure in United's march to the Barclays Premier League and Champions League double last season but manager Ferguson has made sure the Portuguese star knows what is expected.

He said: "No, I don't accept that he will give goals away because of the player he is, I speak to him about it. I don't accept that from anyone.

"In European football, if you give the ball away it takes a long time to get it back.

"He always feels he's not getting the proper protection from referees and I think that, maybe, in quite a few cases he is right, and a few cases he is not right.

"It's hard when a player who wants to entertain doesn't get everything his own way. But you can't get everything your own way. He understands that and there's not a problem with that. It's just a frustration that he feels he doesn't get the decision and he gets upset about it.

"I think, obviously, he doesn't enjoy that and he knows he's letting himself down more than anything. He holds his hands up. I have had to remind him about that but I'm not getting into what has been said."

Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool

2009-03-15T00:34:00.003+08:00

Liverpool hauled themselves back into the Barclays Premier League title fight with a decisive crushing of 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Merseyside giants battled back from a goal down to defeat the leaders in clinical fashion, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard turning the match on its head before the break, with Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena easing Liverpool well clear before the end.

In contrast, it was an day to forget for Nemanja Vidic, who gifted Torres the equaliser before being sent off against Liverpool for second time this season as Benitez's side reduced United's lead at the top to four points, albeit having played a match more.

It represented Liverpool's biggest win at United since 1936 and could yet trigger an amazing title race revival.

Liverpool were the ones who needed the win and there appeared an extra sharpness about them from the start, especially Torres who gave the Red Devils defence a torrid time.

Once Jamie Carragher had recovered his composure after being unsettled by a sudden switch to right-back because of Alvaro Arbeloa's late withdrawal, they had the edge in vital areas, the hosts no better than their nervy first-half display against Inter Milan in midweek.

Indeed, it was a surprise when United went ahead.

Pepe Reina read Carlos Tevez's through ball for Park Ji-sung well enough but came out too quickly for his own good. When the South Korean nicked the ball away, the Liverpool keeper could not stop.

And though Reina pleaded for leniency, referee Alan Wiley correctly pointed to the spot.

Ronaldo is not the type of player to waste such opportunities and duly dispatched his 17th goal of the season.

Had Sir Alex Ferguson's men been able to hold their advantage for a decent length of time, the visitors might have panicked. But five minutes later Liverpool were level thanks to a rare mistake from Nemanja Vidic.

The Serbian has been virtually foot perfect this season, so much so that he is favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year award.

But first Vidic let Martin Skrtel's long punt forward bounce when he could have headed it back into the Liverpool half quite easily. Then, he failed to deal with the loose ball, allowing Torres to nip in and streak clear, beating Edwin van der Sar with clinical efficiency.

Conceding one goal was amazing enough for the Red Devils, yet before half-time Liverpool had scored again.

Hull City were the last team to score more than once against United in Premier League combat - and that was four and a half months ago.

But when Torres tried to send Gerrard racing into the box and Patrice Evra mis-timed his tackle, the Liverpool skipper was able to convert his penalty with the same confidence Ronaldo had shown earlier.

Gerrard's glee was obvious. And Liverpool's lead was fully deserved, condemning Ferguson to his first interval rallying call in league combat at Old Trafford all season.

The Scot injected a greater sense of urgency into his team, even if there was no improvement in their retention of the ball.

Carrick in particular was having a pretty bad day, twice putting his side in danger with wayward passes.

United at least managed to generate some momentum, with Tevez almost getting on the end of a Wayne Rooney knock-back and then rolling a shot on the turn just wide.

Ferguson waited until less than 20 minutes remained before he made the introductions of Dimitar Berbatov, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

It is the kind of strength Benitez does not have and one of the major reasons why Liverpool have found themselves on the wrong end of a 14-point swing in fortunes since United returned from their Club World Cup campaign in Japan just before Christmas.

What Liverpool have managed to do this season is beat Chelsea and United, against both of whom they have now registered 'doubles'.

Any hope United had, evaporated within a minute of Ferguson's spectacular triple substitution as another woeful first touch, again from Vidic, left the Serbian little alternative other than to haul down Gerrard.

For the second successive match against Liverpool, it brought Vidic a red card and he was still making his way down the tunnel when Aurelio curled home a superb free-kick.

And Liverpool were not finished as Andrea Dossena lobbed Van der Sar in the final minute to complete a memorable win.

Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool : Player rating

2009-03-15T00:29:00.004+08:00

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1127/player-ratings/2009/03/14/1155033/player-ratings-manchester-united-1-4-liverpool

Manchester United

Van der Sar 5.5 - His net took a beating, but to be honest his defenders didn't do him any favours. Perhaps now that the clean sheet record has gone, the floodgates have opened. The veteran could have perhaps made some attempt to save Aurelio's free-kick – the third goal.

O'Shea 6.5 - Was perhaps the least culpable of a United back-four which crumbled today. Stood up well to Riera and then Dossena, at least until the substitute put the icing on the cake.

Ferdinand 5.5 - Rio started well enough, mopping up behind the more beleaguered Vidic. His afternoon would soon become a disaster too, though. He was booked for a challenge on Kuyt and failed to deal with the long ball which played in Dossena.

Vidic 4.5 - The Serb had the strength to marshal Gerrard early on, but then things went completely wrong. He was out-muscled by Torres after dithering, leading to the leveller. The Spaniard well and truly won the battle between the two, although it was the pace of Gerrard which led to him being sent off for hauling down the midfielder.

Evra 5 - The left-back's deliveries weren't forthcoming and then, on the defensive end, he was done by Gerrard for pace. Only he can explain why he chose to dive in, gifting the Reds' skipper the spot-kick chance which he duly concerted.

Ronaldo 5.5 - CR7 wasn't at his best during the first half, despite opening the scoring with a powerful penalty. On many occasions he chose not to shoot from promising free-kick situations – although this could have been instigated by the coaches. He was a passenger during the second half, wandering around with his head down and failing to produce anything worthwhile.

Carrick 5.5 - Had a decent battle with Lucas, which he initially looked to be winning, although his opponent grew into the game. Otherwise, his deliveries were unpredictable, leading to his substitution.

Anderson 5.5 - The Brazilian was in for his energy, but didn't really justify his selection. Had one superb moment, turning swiftly before playing in Park, but was eventually hooked for Scholes.

Park 6.5 - One of the players who gets pass marks, Park's energy was crucial at times. He scampered through to win United's penalty and was busy early in the second half, before United capitulated.

Rooney 7.5 - United's best player by a country mile. He was always chasing lost causes and turning lemons into lemonade, hacking countless wayward crosses back into the danger area. Wherever he was asked to play, and it really did vary, he looked dangerous. He should be more than a utility man, though.

Tevez 7 - Another who worked hard, he played the telling pass which led to United's opener. The Argentine was involved in numerous near things, but the ball wouldn't really fall for him.

Berbatov, Giggs and Scholes came on in a triple change, but 'Pool scored the fourth almost immediately. It was too little, too late.

Liverpool

Reina 5.5 - The 'keeper shouldn't have come off his line to challenge Park and was duly punished for bringing down the wide-man. He guessed the right way, but Ronaldo's power was his undoing. He was also lucky not to gift Tevez a poacher's goal, initially fumbling a Ronaldo free-kick. Thereafter, his team took the pressure off his goal with a masterclass performance.

Carragher 6 - Was forced to play at right-back to accommodate Hyypia and started well, bravely blocking Park's early blast. However, his lack of pace was exposed on more than one occasion and he was eventually booked for a foul on Tevez. Like Reina, would have been relieved to see the rest of the team take the Red Devils by the horns.

Skrtel 7 - It was his ridiculously long ball from his own area which released Torres, assisting Liverpool's equaliser. Although he was booked, it was nevertheless a solid display.

Hyypia 6.5 - A late inclusion to the starting XI after Arbeloa pulled up with a hamstring problem during the warm-up. He did what he had to do, always seeming to be in the right areas and using all his experience.

Aurelio 7 - Covered for his centre-backs well, but his afternoon was set alight by his glorious free-kick, which put the game beyond doubt.

Mascherano 6.5 - The midfielder was booked for persistent fouling after a typically grimy game in the engine room. Perhaps not at his best, but he put himself about well.

Lucas 7 - He let Carrick get away, gifting the England international a good shooting opportunity. However, he was generally assured and eventually came out on top in terms of his battle with Carrick. Scrapped well late on to keep the Reds in pole position.

Kuyt 5.5 - It was a quiet game for the Dutchman, who somehow managed to let a 4-1 win over United at Old Trafford pass him by!

Gerrard 8.5 - Picked up where he left off in midweek. His positive runs were always a problem and they paid dividends when Evra brought him down before half-time, allowing him to dust himself off and convert to put the Reds in front. He was through on goal, forcing Vidic to haul him down and receive his marching orders.

Riera 4.5 - The Reds looked to him early on, but he couldn't make a telling contribution and was hooked.

Torres 8 - Playing without a painkilling injection, unlike in midweek, Torres was again superb. He out-powered the dithering Vidic to tie things up and, although his lack of fitness started to tell, he was always dangerous until Rafa took him off.

Dossena 7 - came on to score with a great chip, making it two off the bench in a week. Babel and El Zhar also looked lively in limited minutes.

Greg Ptolomey, Goal.com

Premier League Preview: Manchester United - Liverpool

2009-03-14T00:55:00.002+08:00

This week's English action kicks off with the undisputed pick of the round as Rafa's Reds travel up the East Lancs Road in the hope of keeping their title dreams alive

Kick-off: Saturday, March 14 2009, 12:45 GMT. Old Trafford, Manchester.

In The Bag?

For Manchester United, a win this weekend would all but guarantee them a third consecutive Premier League crown. They already sit seven points and a game in hand ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea, so three points against their North West rivals would all but decide the title race.

Funnily enough, the Red Devils began 2009 as outsiders on the domestic scene. Their sojourn in Japan for the Club World Cup - and the stuttering form of Luiz Felipe Scolari's Blues - allowed the men from Merseyside to gallop clear at the tabletop at the turn of the year.

But a run of 11 straight league wins since Boxing Day has seen United reclaim their perch at the summit of the standings. They will hope to continue that trend when they host the Reds on Saturday lunchtime, and none more so than Scouse striker Wayne Rooney.

"I grew up an Everton fan, my whole family are Everton fans and I grew up hating Liverpool – and that hasn't changed," the former Goodison Park hero said on Thursday.

"I think coming to Old Trafford will be a difficult game for them. They know they need to win, they need the three points. I'm sure they will be up for it and we certainly will be too.

"It will certainly end Liverpool's chances if we win and that's why we're looking forward to it."

United come into the clash in high spirits and surrounded by talk of a 'Quintuple' after their Champions League triumph over Inter, but their upcoming opponents should take even more confidence from their midweek exploits.

All Or Nothing

You wouldn't have known Liverpool were struggling for form if you watched their demolition of Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.

Having grabbed a 1-0 win in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to an air-tight defensive display, the Mersey giants then proceeded to put four unanswered goals past a helpless Iker Casillas in the return fixture, thus booking their sport in the quarter-finals.

However, as is so often the case with Rafael Benitez's side, their European efforts are in no way reflective of their domestic situation. For example, the impressive victory in Spain two weeks ago was followed up immediately by a disastrous 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough. Many would would tipping a similarly sluggish showing at Old Trafford this weekend.

Liverpool haven't fared especially well in their arch-rivals' den over the past few years; in fact, the last time they returned with three points in league play was in 2004, when Danny Murphy was the hero. However, they are yet to lose against a Big Four opponent this term, and they will hope to replicate their 2-1 victory over Sir Alex Ferguson's champions at Anfield earlier in the campaign.

The Reds, who have won just three league games since their 5-1 mauling of Newcastle United at the end of December, are well aware that defeat against United would end their title chase once and for all. And Martin Skrtel has assured the Kopites that they will be going all-out for the win.

The Slovakian centre-half, who starred against Los Blancos, said recently, "Any result other than a win would mean a definite end to our title hopes.

"Despite the point difference, we are going into the match with the goal of winning. We will see if we can do it but, one thing is for sure, we are in a good mood after beating Real."

And as United would draw level with Liverpool on 18 English championships should they win this season, there is no lack of motivation for Benitez's boys.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United

Mar 11 Man United 2-0 Inter (Champions League)
Mar 07 Fulham 0-4 Man United (FA Cup)
Mar 04 Newcastle 1-2 Man United (Premier League)
Mar 01 Man United *0-0 Tottenham (Carling Cup)
Feb 24 Inter 0-0 Man United (Champions League)

Liverpool

Mar 10 Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid (Champions League)
Mar 03 Liverpool 2-0 Sunderland (Premier League)
Feb 28 Middlesbrough 2-0 Liverpool (Premier League)
Feb 25 Real Madrid 0-1 Liverpool (Champions League)
Feb 22 Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (Premier League)

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United

Ferguson's defence remains light on personnel, with Gary Neville, Wes Brown and Rafael da Silva all sidelined, but Rio Ferdinand is expected to start after coming through Wednesday's win over the Nerazzurri unscathed. The very capable Jonny Evans will be on stand-by.

Rooney is likely to partner Dimitar Berbatov in attack, although Carlos Tevez - who scored at Anfield in October - may well feature in some capacity.

Possible XI: Van der Sar - O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra - Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs - Berbatov, Rooney

Liverpool

Albert Riera should return to the starting lineup after missing the midweek mauling of Madrid through suspension. Ryan Babel will most probably make way, despite a bright showing against the Merengues.

Danish defender Daniel Agger is still hampered by a back problem, but Yossi Benayoun - who hasn't played since scoring at the Bernabeu last month - is a chance to make the squad as he recovers from a hamstring problem.

Possible XI: Reina - Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio - Mascherano, Alonso - Kuyt, Gerrard, Riera - Torres

PLAYER TO WATCH

Manchester United

After his controversial comments during the week, all eyes will be on Wayne Rooney as he attempts to kill off Liverpool's title hopes. The 23-year-old is perhaps not in the finest form of his career, but everyone knows what the former Evertonian is capable of.

Liverpool

At the other end of the park, Fernando Torres will be aiming to notch up his first strike against Man United. The ex-Atletico Madrid star has already shrugged one monkey off his back this week by netting against his old crosstown rivals, and he'll be the man the Reds look to as they attempt to re-enter the title race on Saturday.

PREDICTION

The Mancs must fancy themselves to effectively close the book on their rival Reds' domestic campaign. A draw would do them little harm, while the visitors cannot afford anything but a win. With the virtual threat of elimination hanging over their heads, Rafa's mob might well produce a continental-class performance - but don't count on it.

Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool

Inter's Stankovic Looks Ahead After Manchester United Loss

2009-03-14T00:52:00.001+08:00

The Nerazzurri servant believes his side should look forward, rather than dwell on missed opportunities

Inter have been knocked out of Europe's premier club competition by Manchester United, but Serbian international Dejan Stankovic insists they still have plenty to play for.

"It's a real shame, because the [early Nemanja Vidic] goal did not cut us off at the knees, but it did come too soon. However, we played a good match, because everyone expected Inter to do nothing, instead we created opportunities," he explained in an interview with Inter Channel.

"We need to roll up our sleeves, even if we were waiting two-and-a-half months for these fireworks. We must not throw away the championship."

Inter have a seven point lead atop the Serie A standings and face Fiorentina this weekend.

"The Champions League is a closed chapter now, but we can take positive aspects from this game and eventually resume the journey.

"Now, we have the challenge against Fiorentina, a very important match, considering the break due to national commitments at the end of March. These are crucial upcoming games, let's move forward with our heads held high," concluded the ex-Lazio player.

Stankovic and his teammates kick-off against the Viola on Sunday evening at the San Siro in Round 28 of Serie A action.

Player Ratings: Manchester United 2-0 Inter

2009-03-14T00:30:00.003+08:00

Early goals in each half from Nemanja Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo saw Manchester United through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Goal.com rates the performers...

MANCHESTER UNITED

Van der Sar 6 - The veteran Dutchman didn't have a great deal to do in all honesty. Inter's golden chances were missed, as opposed to saved.

O'Shea 6 - The defender had a bit of a roller coaster ride. Mario Balotelli caused him no end of problems during the first half, and the Irishman conceded a number of free-kicks. He also should have scored or played in Berbatov as he charged through.

Ferdinand 6 - Didn't look fully comfortable, fitness wise, and lost track of Ibrahimovic on a couple of occasions.

Vidic 7.5 - Gave United a dream lead by making a fool of Vieira and glancing his header into the net. From then on he was solid and composed, although Inter did get their act together.

Evra 6.5 - Overlapped Giggs all night, but wasn't really utilised properly. Did what he had to do, including a crucial head-flick with the taller Ibrahimovic lurking.

Ronaldo 8 - In Italy, he turned in his best performance in recent memory. Here he scored his first Champions League goal of the season with a powerful header, but he never quite reached the heights of the first-leg, although he always gave Inter something to think about.

Carrick 5.5 - It never really happened for Carrick, who was below par. Although his early corner assisted Vidic, he gave the ball away too often thereafter.

Scholes 5.5 - It wasn't Scholes' best game by any stretch of the imagination. His passes never really came off and he lacked composure at key times, uncharacteristically. Hooked for Anderson.

Giggs 8.5 - Like the first leg, the wily Welshman was heavily involved. During the first half he had a couple of hairy moments with arrogant flicks that went nowhere, but by and large he was stunning as captain. He drifted all over the place and was instrumental in setting up the second goal.

Rooney 7.5 - Rooney more often than not ends up stuck on the left in Europe, but he made the most of it on the night. His tracking back stopped Maicon from marauding on a couple of occasions, although he was eventually booked for his troubles. Like Giggs he was keen to drift inside.

Berbatov 6 - Was close to pulling out at the last minute after pulling up in the warm-up, and it showed throughout. Should have scored on the hour mark.

Subs:

Park Ji-Sung tracked back well in place of Rooney and Anderson replaced Scholes. These were merely fresh legs, and not tactical replacements.

INTER

Julio Cesar 7 - His defence couldn't really cope with the aerial threat, but from direct shots he did well to beat the ball to safety.

Maicon 7.5 - You know what you're going to get with Maicon, and he was Inter's main threat throughout. He ran for 90 minutes and, although he had to be covered by the centre-backs, he was more valuable as a winger.

Cordoba 7.5 - Was surprisingly good, getting across to cover in wide areas. However, he was less assured with the ball in the air.

Samuel 7.5 - He dealt with Ronaldo quite well, although he was booked eventually for giving him personal attention. Still one of the better performers, getting things moving from the back and making key interceptions, even though he wasn't expected to play.

Santon 6 - It was a massive test for the youngster and he was exposed at the second goal, losing the ball in a key area. Otherwise, it's clear that we'll see him again at this level.

Zanetti 6.5 - Foraged for scraps and worked hard without ever really making a big splash.

Cambiasso 7 - Played some quality passes and was usually available to link up. However, he never really imposed himself as he might have. He put in a good shift, but could have made a bigger difference.

Vieira 4 - The former Arsenal man was completely bamboozled at the first goal and never really got going. Hooked for Muntari at the interval.

Stankovic 6 - The midfielder curled a shot wide during the first half and might have done better with a close-range effort which had bounced in front of him. However, he was making good runs and was hooked for Adriano too early.

Ibrahimovic 7 - The Swede should have scored at some point during the contest. One chance went into the turf and hit the bar, one shot whizzed across goal and wide - he never really had the conviction. However, he brought others into play and was untouchable at times.

Balotelli 7 - Had a good game overall, although he faded badly. The youngster gave O'Shea massive headaches during the first half and produced a couple of passes of real quality. He was better on the left than when he popped up on the right, however.

Subs:

Adriano was unlucky to hit the post just after coming on, Muntari had a frustrating second half and was booked, and Luis Figo was given a few minutes at the end.

Ryan Giggs Signs New Manchester United Deal

2009-02-13T22:09:00.001+08:00

Thirty five-year-old Ryan Giggs has been a key member of Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United squad this term, performing well when called upon and offering his experience to a largely young side.

The Welsh wing wizard has provided five assists in the Premier League and decisively netted his first goal at the weekend, separating the Red Devils from West Ham United. In the aftermath, he's been earning lavish praise.

Earlier today, he told the Daily Mirror that he "won't be retiring", confirming that talks were ongoing and that he's enjoying life at Old Trafford more than at any other point during his career.

Now, it's been confirmed that the talks have been successful and Giggs has inked a deal which will keep him playing until June 2010.

He told the club's official website, "I feel fit and I'm enjoying my football more than ever.

"I want to be a part of this exciting young team and achieve even more success."

Boss Fergie added, "Ryan is a true professional of the game. He's an inspiration to any young kid who wants to become a footballer.

"He is like a young boy in the way that he plays and, although he wants to play every game, he understands that using his experience when it matters is a benefit to him and the team.

"It would be easy for him to be complacent after all he has achieved, but he isn’t. That's why the club wanted to extend his services and use that experience."

Man United Resolute On Carlos Tevez Permanent Deal Even As Man City Loom

2008-10-08T07:16:00.001+08:00

Manchester United have dismissed speculation over Carlos Tevez’s future at Old Trafford, and stressed that they are on the right track to sign the Argentina forward permanently.

The 24-year-old former Boca Juniors, Corinthians and West Ham United ace has established himself as a key player in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, for his energetic displays after having joined the Red Devils in a two-season loan deal in 2007 summer.

Tevez is now keen to sign a long-term deal with the Red Devils and a price-tag of £30million has been reported for the proposed transfer if United want to keep him. Recently there was speculation that the move may be delayed and Tevez, who is also reportedly a target for cash-rich Manchester City, getting frustrated following summer-arrival of Dimitar Berbatov. However, the current Premiership and European champions have refuted the rumours.

“(Chief executive) David Gill told the papers in South Africa in July that we would hope to conclude a deal with Carlos before the new year,” said a spokesman.

“That is still our aim. The clocks haven't even gone back yet, so to talk of delays is nonsense. Both the club and Carlos are relaxed about the situation.”

http://mpejal.myminicity.com/

United's Foursome Are Awesome, Says Ince

2008-10-07T13:39:00.000+08:00

Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Ince believes that Manchester United's attacking quadrant of Wayne Rooney; Carlos Tevez; Cristiano Ronaldo; and Dimitar Berbatov is awesome.

Sir Alex Ferguson has assembled a mouth-watering strike force consisting of an Englishman; a Portuguese; an Argentinian; and a Bulgarian worth a total of £70million. Should Ferguson extend Tevez's stay permanently, then that figure would rise to £95million.

It it an attacking quadrant that would be the envy of many a sane manager, none more so than former United player and current Blackburn Rovers boss Paul Ince - whose side lost to the Red Devils 2-0 at the weekend.

When pressed about how he prepares his side to defend against such potent talent, he replied: "It’s scary, isn’t it? You can spend all week, as I have done, discussing tactics and personnel."

"I probably thought about playing 20,000 different teams. But when a team is that good, sometimes you can’t do anything about it," he is quoted by Manutd.com as saying.

"We tried hard and went in there with a lot of confidence. But they are so good. They’re a fantastic team, they always play with pace and wingers and they’re a joy to watch at times."

"Even so, I was proud of my lads. We’ll learn from this game... When United play like that they’re awesome. People were saying they weren’t playing well — but they have so much quality."

"When you can bring on Tevez from the bench, who would probably cost more than our entire first 11, that just shows what you are up against," the rookie Premier League manager concluded.

Alan Dawson
http://mpejal.myminicity.com/

Van Der Sar Returns to the international fold

2008-10-07T13:26:00.000+08:00

Edwin Van Der Sar is to come out of international retirement to after being persuaded by the Dutch FA - the KNVB.

Van Der Sar last played for Holland in the 3-1 defeat at the hands of Russia in Euro 2008. Holland were widely praised for their wonderful counter attacking football against the likes of Italy and France in the group stages - but will ultimately defeated by a Arshavin led Russia.

Current Dutch number one, Maarten Stekelenburg, has a shoulder injury which is why Bert van Marwijk has called upon the legendary Dutch goalkeeper - who has won to date 128 caps.

Other United players to be called up to their national sides are Nani and Ronaldo (both Portugal), Manucho (Angola), Brown Rooney and Ferdinand (all England), Park (Korea Republic).

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Player Ratings: Blackburn 0-2 Manchester United

2008-10-05T17:57:00.003+08:00

Wes Brown and Wayne Rooney gave Manchester United a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers

BLACKBURN ROVERS

Brown: 8.0 - May feel aggrieved about the goal but made some excellent saves to keep the scoreline respectable. Tipped Giggs’ shot onto the bar and denied Rooney twice and Berbatov in an excellent display.

Ooijer: 6.0 - Had his hands full with Rooney and Berbatov and simply couldn't get close enough to the visitors' frontmen.

Samba: 4.0 - Found United’s pace and movement a problem, lost Rooney completely who could have added a third but dinked his shot over and a lack of concentration let in Berbatov shortly afterwards.

Nelsen: 6.0 - Committed and tried to drive his team onwards at 2-0 down with a surging run forwards.

Olsson: 5.0 - A mistake let in Brown and Berbatov in the first half and he looked shaky whenever United ran directly at him. Got nowhere near Ronaldo for United’s second.

Emerton: 6.5 - Excellent pass early on opened up the United defence for Derbyshire and not afraid to have a hit. Worked hard and was one of Rovers’ better performers.

Tugay: 5.5 - Fairly anonymous in truth, which is unlike him. Rovers needed his drive but he simply couldn’t provide it and was subbed early.

Warnock: 5.0 - Set up Santa Cruz once with a fine pass but that was about all he offered.

Pedersen: 5.5 - He offered relatively little and an ineffective performance was ended by Ince just before the hour mark.

Derbyshire: 6.0 - Forced Van der Sar into a good early save but seemed to disappear from the match after that and had little involvement in the second half.

Santa Cruz: 7.0 - His very presence seemed to worry the United back four and he tested Van der Sar on occasions but needed far more support. Hobbled off early in the seond half.

Substitutions

Roberts: 5.0 - Replaced Santa Cruz but didn’t have a sniff.

Treacy: 5.0 - A well wide late shot was about all he offered:

Andrews: n/a - Made little impact.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Van der Sar: 6.0 - Decent stop from Derbyshire and one from Santa Cruz was just about all he had to do all evening.

Brown: 7.0 - Scored the goal and initiated several attacks on the right hand side, may well keep Gary Neville on the bench a while longer.

Ferdinand: 7.5 - A great block on Santa Cruz in the first half after Van der Sar could only parry Derbyshire’s drive and kept Rovers in check all night.

Vidic: 7.5 - Blackburn may object about the part he played in Brown’s goal but defensively he was superb.

Evra: 7.0 - Set up Ronaldo who should have scored with a typical attacking foray down the left and defensively had very little to do.

Ronaldo: 7.5 - Was well marshalled in the first half but swapped flanks in the second and looked a lot happier on the right. Set up Rooney for United’s second with a fine run and cross and almost allowed Tevez to make it three.

Fletcher: 7.0 - Put an early chance wide but his passing and tracking back were first class and ensured Scholes wasn't missed.

Anderson: 7.0 - Neat and tidy, kept possession well and helped United dominate midfield.

Giggs: 7.0 - Had a great shot tipped onto the bar and his passing was immaculate all evening. Given the night off once Rooney had scored United’s second.

Berbatov: 7.0 - Some lovely through balls set up both Fletcher and Rooney and some superb touches showed signs that he is starting to settle. Yet Ferguson will expect much more for his money.

Rooney: 8.5 - A surprise inclusion after seemingly picking up an injury against Aalborg but continued his good form. Crossed for Brown to open the scoring and added a second with a fine strike.

Substitutions

Tevez: 7.5 - A cute pass put Ronaldo in and he almost made it three but his shot hit the post.

O’Shea: 6.0 - Allowed Evra to have a rest and wasn’t tested.

Park: 6.0 - A late substitution and had little time to make an impact.

Gill Clark

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Blackburn 0-2 Man United Match Report

2008-10-05T17:54:00.001+08:00

Defending champions Manchester United tamed Blackburn Rovers as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side scored once in each half in the Premiership game at Ewood Park on Saturday.

The victory took Sir Alex Ferguson’s side up into sixth place with 11 points from six games. Rovers remain on 10 points after seven games.

Wes Brown and Wayne Rooney were the goal-scorers on a wet evening in Lancashire. United had good chances in the first half, but failed to convert as Nemanja Vidic and Darren Fletcher missed the target.

Paul Ince’s side also had their share of opportunities, but no-nonsense defending by Vidic earlier on saw the Serbian clear the ball to safety before Santa Cruz could get to it after Derbyshire’s shot was blocked by Van der Sar. Emerton then had a long-range effort whizzing past the rival goal.

United took the lead in the 30th minute when defender Brown headed home off a cross by Wayne Rooney, but Rovers goalkeeper Jason Brown felt aggrieved that the whistle had not gone for what he would term impediment by Vidic. The Rovers goalkeeper, who has stepped in for injured Paul Robinson, had done well until then making a couple of good saves.

Santa Cruz forced a save from Van der Sar within seconds of the start of the second period, but Blackburn were jolted soon after as the Paraguay striker picked up an injury and was replaced by Jason Roberts.

Rooney made it 2-0 in the 64th minute for the Red Devils with a clinical finish from the in-form England ace set up by Portuguese star Ronaldo, who himself missed a few opportunities as he failed to hit target.

The home side could have fallen further behind had goalkeeper Brown not rushed off his line to make a sliding tackle to prevent Dimitar Berbatov from rounding him in a one on one situation in the 74th minute.

A rare threat from Rovers in the second half, came in the 80th minute when Emerton blasted a first-time volley off Derbyshire’s cross, towards the target but Vidic came up with a crucial block.

At the other end, substitute Carlos Tevez struck his fierce low shot onto the post after Ronaldo had set up the Argentina international.

Teams:

Blackburn Rovers: Brown, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Olsson, Emerton, Kerimoglu (Andrews 68), Warnock, Pedersen (Treacy 58), Derbyshire, Roque Santa Cruz (Roberts 50).

Substitutes not used: Bunn, Mokoena, Villanueva, Fowler.

Man United: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra (O'Shea 71), Ronaldo, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs (Tevez 66), Berbatov, Rooney (Park 77).

Substitutes not used: Amos, Nani, Rafael Da Silva, Evans.

Referee: Steve Bennett.

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Premier League Preview: Blackburn Rovers – Manchester United

2008-10-03T09:34:00.002+08:00

Out of the Master’s Shadow

You can guarantee that when Paul Ince took over the Blackburn Rovers job from Mark Hughes, games such as this Saturday’s against the club he represented with such distinction during his playing career was one of the first he looked for when the fixture list was released.
Indeed, the concept of even facing the Premier League and European champions must have seemed a long way away this time last season when he was guiding Milton Keynes Dons to the Football League Two title. Ince, though, has taken the giant leap to the Premier League in his stride if recent results are anything to go by.

Beginning with a barnstorming opening-day victory at Goodison Park against Everton, ‘the Guv’nor’ should be very pleased indeed to see his Rovers team sitting in a comfortable seventh place in the table after claiming further wins at home to Fulham and away at Newcastle United.

The ex-Inter Milan player has also, importantly, managed to add some further quality to the Blue and Whites squad. His signing of Paul Robinson seems to have re-invigorated the much-maligned goalkeeper, right-back Danny Simpson has been an astute loan singing from this Saturday’s opponents, whilst the Latin flair and technical skills of Chilean Carlos Villanueva has lit up the Rovers attack.

Such an impressive start to his Premier League career has certainly allowed Ince to cast aside any of the doubts that were sent his way upon his ascension to the Ewood Park hot-seat.
However, there aren’t many bigger tests for a manager than when Manchester United come to town.

However, Ince has inherited a team that has performed well above expectations against the Red Devils in recent years, with Rovers pinning back United’s title hopes last season in a hard-fought 1-1 draw as well as recording a David Bentley-inspired 4-3 win in 2006.
If the former Reds idol can continue this impressive run on Saturday, then you can be sure that Sir Alex Ferguson will have to crack a wry smile at yet another one of his protégés coming back to haunt him.

With or Without Wayne

There are some players who have an uncanny knack of finding the back of the net every time they walk onto a football pitch, whilst there are others who seem to be in a constant cycle of hot and cold spells when it comes to getting their name on the score-sheet.

That Wayne Rooney seems to fit so firmly in to the latter category will make the news of his potential absence from this game even harder to take for United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Rooney had looked to be coming back to his effervescent best in the Red Devils’ last two games, scoring a beautifully crafted goal against Bolton Wanderers and setting United on their way to an elementary 3-0 Champions League win against Aalborg with an uncharacteristically composed finish.

Furthermore, the mid-week jaunt in Denmark dealt a much more serious blow to Ferguson’s playing stock with the news that Paul Scholes will be out of action until 2009 due to the knee ligament damage he picked up in an innocuous challenge against AaB. The Oldham-born playmaker may not be the player that he once was, but anyone who saw his cameo appearance against Bolton Wanderers couldn’t have failed to recognise the quality and finesse that Scholes adds to the United midfield.

This latest injury will also exacerbate a problem position for United this season due to the continuing fitness issues for Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves, as well as the poor form of Anderson since his return from Olympic duty with Brazil. Blows such as these though will have been compensated by Dimitar Berbatov’s two goal salvo against the Danish champions.
The tall Bulgarian will be an important figure if the Red Devils are to come away from Ewood Park on Saturday with all three points.

Victories against their North West neighbours have though been scarce in recent years, a fact that Sir Alex Ferguson will no doubt be aware of when he rues the loss of his inspirational No. 10 for this match.

FORM GUIDE

Blackburn Rovers

27th September vs. Newcastle United (A) won 2-1 (PREM)

24th September vs. Everton (H) won 1-0 (CARLING CUP)

20th September vs. Fulham (H) won 1-0 (PREM)

13th September vs. Arsenal (H) lost 4-0 (PREM)

30th August vs. West Ham United (A) lost 4-1 (PREM)

Manchester United

30th September vs. Aalborg BK (A) won 3-0 (CHAMP LG)

27th September vs. Bolton Wanderers (H) won 2-0 (PREM)

23rd September vs. Middlesbrough (H) won 3-1 (CARLING CUP)

21st September vs. Chelsea (A) drew 1-1- (PREM)

17th September vs. Villarreal C.F. (H) drew 0-0 (PREM)

TEAM NEWS

Blackburn Rovers

Rovers will be without the services of Paul Robinson (calf) as he is still a week away from a return to action. The ex-Tottenham man joins long-term injury absentee David Dunn (shin) on the Ewood Park treatment table. Defender Danny Simpson will also be in the stands for this game - he is ineligible as he is a loan signing from Manchester United. Australian international Vince Grella (calf) should though be available to Paul Ince for the visit of the Premier League champions.

Last starting XI (vs. Newcastle United): Brown, Simpson, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Emerton, Olsson, Tugay, Derbyshire (Ooijer 84), Roque Santa Cruz (Roberts 84), Villanueva (Fowler 62).
Subs Not Used: Bunn, Pedersen, Andrews, Treacy.

Squad: Brown, Bunn, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Emerton, Ooijer, Pedersen, Grella, Andrews, Treacy, Olsson, Tugay, Villanueva, Derbyshire, Roque Santa Cruz, Roberts, Fowler.

Manchester United

The ease of the Red Devil’s mid-week victory in Denmark has come at a cost with Paul Scholes (knee) out of the first-team frame until January. The veteran player joins team-mates Owen Hargreaves (knee) and Michael Carrick (ankle) on the sidelines to leave Sir Alex Ferguson short of central midfield options. There is better news for Gary Neville, however, as he should return for the short trip to Blackburn after being rested against Aalborg. Wayne Rooney (ankle) does though remain a serious doubt for this game after his early withdrawal against the Danish champions. Injuries to goalkeepers Ben Foster (knee) and Thomas Kuszczak (knee) will mean that Ben Amos retains his place on the United bench.

Last starting XI (vs. Aalborg BK): Van Der Sar, Rafael Da Silva (Brown 66), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes (Giggs 16), O'Shea, Nani, Berbatov, Rooney (Tevez 59).
Subs Not Used: Amos, Anderson, Park, Evans.

Squad: Van Der Sar, Amos, Rafael Da Silva, Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Giggs, O'Shea, Nani, Anderson, Park, Fletcher, Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Blackburn Rovers

After being sporadically linked with United over the summer, Roque Santa Cruz will want to show Sir Alex Ferguson his true worth. The Paraguayan powerhouse was a constant thorn in the side of the Red Devils when the two teams met at Ewood Park last season, giving Rovers the lead with a trademark header, and Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic one of the toughest tests they received during United’s glorious campaign. A repeat of such a dominant display will give Paul Ince every chance of claiming his first major Premier League scalp.

Manchester United

With his two goals against Aalborg in mid-week, Dimitar Berbatov started to pay back the huge transfer fee that brought him to the club. Strikes against Danish minnows will, however, be quickly forgotten by an expectant United following if the Bulgarian doesn’t continue to get his name on the Red Devils’ score-sheet. Football fans are a notoriously fickle bunch though, and if the ex-Tottenham man caps off a promising week with a match-wining strike against Blackburn Rovers you can bet that any of their initial misgivings will be quickly forgotten as they celebrate another three points.

PREDICTION

Ewood Park has never been a fruitful hunting ground for Manchester United, with one win in their last three visits to Blackburn standing testament to this fact.

The task for Sir Alex Ferguson has also grown even harder in the last few days with Paul Scholes’ worrying knee injury and the fitness doubts surrounding a rejuvenated Wayne Rooney.

Bearing this news in mind, Rovers manager Paul Ince should have his troops fired up on Saturday to give his former manager’s charges a real test of their Premier League winning credentials.

Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Manchester United

Matt Monaghan

Premier League Manager Of The Month - September 2008

2008-10-03T09:26:00.002+08:00

SEPTEMBER RESULTS

3rd Rafael Benitez (Liverpool (2nd - 14pts)):

September: 7/9pts

Looking at Liverpool's September prior to any ninth-month ball being hit, Benitez - and the red side of Liverpool in fact - would have accepted an offer of a seven out of nine point haul. With a visit of Manchester United, Stoke City, and a short trip to Goodison Park to take on Everton, who would have thought that the points dropped would have come in the central fixture? The Manchester United triumph was made even more meritorious considering the absence of key personnel: talismanic and influential captain Steven Gerrard, and the emphatic and unforgiving Fernando Torres. To follow that up with a dissappointing draw irked Liverpudlians due to the questionable striking off of a Steven Gerrard set-piece, but business resumed with a convincing twosome from Torres in the Merseyside battle with Everton - a victory that ensured Benitez would claim his seventh derby win. Liverpool - like the other Premier League clubs battling on four fronts this season - had a congested schedule due to an away Champions League trip to Marseille, and a visit of Crewe Alexandra in the Carling Cup - both of which ended with a Liverpool win, but the extra 180 minutes of football did little to tire Liverpool's legs. Robbie Keane has even begun to settle into north-western life as his audacious assist set up Torres in the derby clash. Rafa Benitez has recently said he can smell a title challenge in the air, and states it is reminiscent of the whiffs from his glory, glory Valencia days, he has also promised to bin his rotation policy in favour of a mainstay spine meaning October could be an even more fruitful month for the Spaniard.

2nd Martin O'Neill (Aston Villa (3rd - 13pts)):

September: 9/9pts

Martin O'Neill has enjoyed the full support of a loyal fanbase wherever he has gone to manage, and this unswerving faith in the Northern Irishman stretches back as far as his Wycombe Wanderers days when the home support consistently chanted: 'Martin... Martin, Martin: Give us a wave!' To which he always complied. One man that O'Neill refused to wave goodbye to though is Gareth Barry, and the Villa boss' man management skills have come to the fore as Barry's coquet summer sojourn with Liverpool now seems a distant memory as the versatile midfielder returned to his prime mid month. O'Neill guided Villa to three Premier League wins out of three with a hat-trick of 2-1 victories over Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, and Sunderland. The Spurs win was followed up with a Uefa Cup win leaving the Villans topped up with self assurance but running on empty. The former Celtic boss though significantly strenghtened his side over the summer and Villa's depth was put to the sword. Tony Mowbray, ahead of the West Brom game, gave an admiring glance O'Neill's way when he admitted that: "You have to admire the talent," refering to Villa's rising English quarter. The midlands side then put the Carling Cup loss to QPR to one side as they overcome Roy Keane's Sunderland. As September came to a close, Villa maintained their Champions League spot. Only Manchester United and Arsenal scored more than the clarets last term, and Villa are level pegging on goals scored with top of the league Chelsea.

1st Phil Brown (Hull City (6th 11pts)):

September: 7/9pts

A worthy winner of Goal.com's Premier League Manager of the Month. Phil Brown and his Tigers responded in a 'beau ideal' fashion after their 5-0 August humbling from Wigan Athletic. Their September results read like a title contending side's, not one that was deemed to be battling relegation: a 2-1 away win over Newcastle United; a 2-2 home draw with Everton; concluding with a historic 2-1 away win over Arsenal. While squad rotation has not worked in the past for third placed Rafa Benitez, tinkering seems to be providing a more favourable outcome for Phil Brown. Gabonese international Daniel Cousin, on his second appearance of the season, scored the winner against Arsenal. Throughout the game at the Emirates, Brown remained tactically spot on. He changed a winning tactic ahead of the clash, and boldly played Giovanni behind his strikers in a 4-3-3. Ian Ashbee helped run the midfield and pacey Gunners winger Theo Walcott was largely ineffective as he was not allowed to run the lines like he has in the past, instead being forced to cut inside, where a waiting pack of defenders - led by Michael Turner - would block his path. Hull City remain the only side in the history of the Premier League to maintain an unbeaten record away from home, and are only the second team to have left Ashburton Grove with three league points.

www.goal.com

Rooney Fitness Worry

2008-10-03T09:00:00.002+08:00

Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney is doubtful for this weekend's Premier League clash with Balckburn Rovers, but should be fit for England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Rooney limped out of Manchester United's 3-0 win over Aalborg in the Champions League midweek, and the club have released a statement confirming that the player will be sidelined this weekend through an ankle injury.

United are due to face-off against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, and it is extremely unlikely that Rooney will take part.

Fabio Capello, the England manager, will be hopeful that Rooney recovers in time for the World Cup qualification double header against Kazakhstan and Belarus on the week of the 11th of October.

However, Rooney's club are optimistic about his prognosis, and insist that he will be ready for national service.

A statement from Manchester United reads: "Wayne has an ankle injury and is considered doubtful for Saturday's game against Blackburn, but he should recover in time for England's forthcoming matches."

Peter Staunton

2008-09-27T20:59:00.000+08:00

History Repeating?

Whilst it is hard not to be dubious when it comes to considering omens, United’s glorious 2007/08 campaign got off to a faltering start before it kicked in to life around this time last year with a 4-0 home thrashing of Wigan Athletic.

For those of a mystic persuasion though, it is hard to not see signs of history repeating as United struggle to gain any momentum once again after a series of poor results in the early weeks of the season.

To increase the feeling of déjà vu, North West opposition in the guise of Bolton Wanderers are also entering the Theatre of Dreams at a time when the Reds are desperate for a sacrificial lamb to give themselves a kick start.

Indeed, shambolic defending at Anfield, insipid attacking play against Newcastle and Villarreal, plus a no show in the UEFA Super Cup final had been all United had to show for their season until last weekend. However, a rallying display against ‘Big Phil’ Scolari’s Chelsea saw the Red Devils be the better side for large parts of a game that ended 1-1 after Salomon Kalou’s 80th minute equaliser.

If United play anywhere near as well on Saturday then the kind of winning run needed to ignite this Manchester United side could very well begin in earnest.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s midweek start against Middlesbrough should also add some much needed dynamism to a United attack that has struggled in his absence. The Portuguese has been sorely missed, with the Red Devils taking until last Tuesday’s Carling Cup fixture to score more than one goal in a game.

Such offensive impotence has not been on show at title rivals Chelsea and Arsenal. As such, the Sir Alex Ferguson’s charges must swiftly re-discover the cavalier attitude of 2007/08 if any more major silverware is to be added to the Old Trafford trophy cabinet come the end of May.

A Win & A Prayer

There weren’t many teams that beat Manchester United last season. To the joy of the Bolton Wanderers faithful, however, the Trotters were one of the few sides that did. That the 1-0 win over the Premier League and European Champions at the Reebok Stadium wasn’t a fluke result adds even more to the achievement.

Although normality was resumed when the two sides met at Old Trafford with the Red Devils easing to a 2-0 victory, the Bolton players should be able to draw on the confidence that home win created when the teams meet on Saturday.
Manager Gary Megson should also be able to point to Bolton’s promising performance last weekend against Arsenal. The Trotters took the lead in the game through a Kevin Davies header, and matched the Gunners in a heated contest that finally ended 3-1 to the North London club.

The tenacity that flows through Bolton was again on show against Arsene Wenger’s side, with a trademark challenge from goal scorer Davies sending Gael Clichy to the floor and the Arsenal bench up in the air in anger.

The post match comments of club captain Kevin Nolan condoning such play certainly didn’t help matters, and there can be little doubt that Sir Alex Ferguson will be watching out for any wild tackles after Rodrigo Possebon’s unfortunate incident against Middlesbrough in midweek.

As Bolton fans will be aware though, the return of Johan Elmander and Matt Taylor to the Bolton line-up will add some much-needed quality. These two players have more than enough to make their mark on this game in a much more civilised way than Davies did against Arsenal, however, and could help Bolton repeat the famous win they recorded against United last year.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United

23rd September vs. Middlesbrough (H) won 3-1 (CARLING CUP)

21st September vs. Chelsea (A) drew 1-1 (PREM)

17th September vs. Villarreal C.F. (H) drew 0-0 (CHAMP LG)

13th September vs. Liverpool (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)

29th August vs. Zenit St. Petersburg (N) lost 2-1 (UEFA SUPER CUP)

Bolton Wanderers

20th September vs. Arsenal (H) lost 3-1 (PREM)

13th September vs. Fulham (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)

30th August vs. West Bromwich Albion (H) drew 0-0 (PREM)

26th August vs. Northampton Town (A) lost 2-1 (CARLING CUP)

23rd August vs. Newcastle United (A) lost 1-0 (PREM)

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United

The Old Trafford crowd can expect the big hitters of the first team to be unleashed by Sir Alex Ferguson for the visit of Bolton after the reserves mid week Carling Cup exertions. Serbian centre back Nemanja Vidic will undoubtedly be part of the squad after his one game suspension was served against Chelsea. This leaves Michael Carrick (ankle) and Edwin Van Der Sar (knee) as the only star names left on the Old Trafford treatment table.

Last starting XI (vs. Middlesbrough): Amos, Rafael Da Silva, Vidic, Brown, O'Shea, Nani, Possebon (Gibson 72), Anderson, Giggs (Manucho 84), Welbeck, Ronaldo (Tevez 61).
Subs Not Used: Zieler, Cleverley, Gray, Eckersley.

Squad: Kuszczak, Amos, Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Evans, Vidic, Evra, Rafael Da Silva, O'Shea, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Scholes, Anderson, Ronaldo, Giggs, Park, O'Shea, Nani, Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez, Manucho.

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton expect club record signing Johan Elmander (hamstring) and ex-Portsmouth player Matt Taylor (broken toe) to be fit for the short trip on the M61 to the Theatre of Dreams. Promising centre-half Gary Cahill will also join this pair in the Wanderers team after the completion of the three-match ban he picked up against Northampton Town in the Carling Cup.

Last starting XI (vs. Arsenal): Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Shittu, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Joey O'Brien (McCann 61), Smolarek (Riga 56), Muamba (Vaz Te 81), Nolan, Gardner, Davies.
Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Hunt, Helguson, Cohen.

Squad: Jaaskelainen, Al Habsi, Steinsson, Shittu, Taylor, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Hunt, Joey O'Brien, McCann, Smolarek, Riga, Muamba, Vaz Te, Nolan, Cohen, Gardner, Elmander, Davies, Helguson.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United: After marking his first start of the season with a goal, Cristiano Ronaldo will now be ready to start taking main stage in United’s charge up the table. The Portuguese international isn’t firing on all cylinders just yet, but you can be sure that his speed and outrageous skill means that the Bolton defence will be in for a testing afternoon on Saturday.

Bolton Wanderers: For Bolton to stand any chance in this game then Fabrice Muamba’s ball-winning skills will be vital. The ex-Arsenal player will need to call on all the lessons he learnt from Patrick Viera to ensure he is a constant thorn in the side of United’s classy midfield. If this happens then the foundations of a potential upset could very well be laid by the England U21 international.

PREDICTION

With United’s world-class squad finally coming together as we enter the last days of September, it really is hard to see Bolton taking anything from this game.

The Wanderers may have been impressive during their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, but it will take a lot more than that if they are to repeat the previous season’s victory over the Red Devils.

Manchester United 2-0 Bolton Wanderers

Matt Monaghan

Fergie’s Latest Fledglings

2008-09-25T10:41:00.002+08:00

The Carling Cup may have its critics as a competition but the 50,000 strong crowd at Old Trafford on Tuesday night were thoroughly entertained as a youthful Manchester United side strode to a 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough. Matt Monaghan investigates

For many of these spectators the names on the United team sheet would have been completely alien to them due to their lack of first team exposure. However, as the high standard of football produced by the Red Devils will attest to, this match won’t be the only time that these players are selected to play at the Theatre of Dreams.

Ben Amos

The last few months have been exciting times for 18 year old goalkeeper, Ben Amos. Promoted to the United first team squad for their pre-season tour of South Africa, the youngster made his debut in the friendly against Portsmouth in August.

The England U18 international followed this up on Tuesday night with his first competitive start for the club. Amos acquitted himself well when called upon, and was unlucky to be beaten by a deflected Adam Johnson strike.

The Macclesfield born player’s ambition to make this more than a one off appearance was made abundantly clear to ManUtd.com in a recent interview. "Hopefully I’ll fight it out for a first-team place," he said. "That’s my aim, to play for the club. I wouldn’t be here otherwise."

Jonny Evans

Not many 20 year olds can say they’ve been part of a defence that was victorious against Spain. Even fewer players can say a game of that magnitude marked their international debut for their country.

However, this is just the scenario for Northern Ireland centre back Jonny Evans. The Belfast born youngster hadn’t even played a competitive game for Manchester United when as an 18 year old he was selected to play against the Euro 2008 champions.

Such promise was repeated in two loan spells at Sunderland where his steady presence made Black Cats boss Roy Keane desperate to acquire Evans on a permanent basis.

Sir Alex Ferguson was though quick to turn away the advances of his former captain, with Evans’ assured display in United’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge last weekend proving his judgement to be correct.

Rafael Da Silva

Manager’s with the pedigree of Sir Alex Ferguson are notoriously hard to please and are often sparing with their praise. Thus, when Ferguson described Rafael’s debut against Peterborough United in August as “a sensation” then the Manchester United faithful became genuinely excited at the prospects for their young full back from Brazil.

Rafael more than followed this Peterborough performance up with an energetic second half run out against European heavyweights Juventus the following week. The ex-Fluminese player delighted the Old Trafford crowd with his speed up and down the United flank, and set up Paul Scholes with a delightful cross that really should have been converted.

With Gary Neville creaking along at 33 and Wes Brown yet to cement his position at right back, such displays make it certain that Rafael should get many more first team opportunities like this in the future.

Rodrigo Possebon

When Rodrigo Possebon looks back on his first competitive start for Manchester United, his memories will undoubtedly be soured by the horrific challenge inflicted upon him by Emanuel Pogatetz.

However, before the Austrian’s 66th minute challenge, the Brazilian had controlled the midfield with all the poise of a much more experienced player.

Never hurried when in possession of the ball, he played the match at his own pace, whilst at the same time using his 6ft 1” frame to exert himself physically on proceedings.

Such qualities saw Manchester United more than happy to pay a fee of $3.5 million to Brazilian club Internacional in 2007 where he had grown up with A.C. Milan hot shot Alexandre Pato.

Whilst Possebon may yet to have made as big an impression as his illustrious former team mate, the fact that United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described the player as “having a chance” hints he will be given games to do so once he recovers from Pogatetz’s rash tackle.

Danny Welbeck

Of all the first team players that have come through the Manchester United academy during Sir Alex Ferguson’s long reign, not one striker has made an indelible mark on the club.

Indeed, you have to go all the way back to Mark Hughes’ prodigal emergence in 1983 to see a centre forward making the grade at Old Trafford.

For Manchester born Danny Welbeck, the 25 years that have passed since that moment shows the scale of the challenge as he bids to cement his place in the United squad.

Welbeck does though have “a big future” according to his manager, as well as a tall, languid style not too far removed from Nigerian legend Kanu or new team mate Dimitar Berbatov.

The 17 year old impressed with these abilities against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, but to stand a real chance of following in the Manchester City manager’s footsteps he must begin to convert opportunities like the one on one he spurned against the Teessiders.

Matt Monaghan

GIGGS SENSES CUP CATALYST

2008-09-25T00:07:00.001+08:00

Ryan Giggs can sense the familiar momentum starting to build at Manchester United - which is bad news for Saturday's opponents Bolton.

After taking encouragement from successive draws against Villarreal and Chelsea in the Champions League and Barclays Premier League respectively, United finally got the win they craved by beating Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

It might only have been the Carling Cup and they might only have been facing 10 men for the last 20 minutes following Emanuel Pogatetz's disgraceful challenge on Rodrigo Possebon but for United, the win could take on far more significance than merely booking a place in the fourth round.

"We have had a tough start," acknowledged Giggs.

"We didn't play well at the beginning of the season but over the last week or so we have played some really good stuff.

"This team is capable of going on a run and winning 10 games on the trot. Hopefully that run has started now and we can carry it on against Bolton."

Unlike 12 months ago, when, much to Sir Alex Ferguson's frustration, the Red Devils folded on home soil against Coventry, there were plenty of positives.

Five younger members of the Scot's squad showed promise, a few older ones, including Giggs, got some valuable match practice under their belts, while Cristiano Ronaldo got his name on the scoresheet for the first time since last May's Champions League final.

Unfortunately, it was all overshadowed by the horror tackle on Possebon.

The young Brazilian had been patrolling central midfield in outstanding fashion and was starting to trigger thoughts of just how long Ferguson could keep him out of his starting line-up when Pogatetz made his crass lunge.

Thankfully, the Middlesbrough skipper did not break the 19-year-old's leg as originally feared.

However, Possebon may have suffered ligament damage and is facing the prospect of a spell on the sidelines.

"It was very high," said Giggs of Pogatetz's tackle.

"The ball wasn't up there. The ball was on the floor and he went over it.

"Rodrigo suffered a really bad, deep cut but hopefully he will be okay because he did really well."

Possebon's drive in the middle of the pitch helped United win the midfield duel and with Giggs relishing the chance to run at a Middlesbrough defence for whom only David Wheater really shone, the hosts could have been coasting at half-time.

Instead, they only had Ronaldo's effort to show for their efforts, although the Portugal international's header, similar to the one he produced in the Luzhniki Stadium, was a poignant one given his tumultuous summer.

"No-one wants to lose Cristiano," said Giggs.

"He is such a special player, as he proved again.

"He scores all sorts of goals, which is why he is such a danger. He looks really sharp and it is great to have him back."

Ferguson must now decide whether, with another hour under his belt, Ronaldo is ready to be let loose on Bolton, the team he made his United debut against in 2003.

The same is also true of Anderson, who has looked out of sorts since returning from Olympic duty with Brazil, although Ferguson detects the South American is nearly back to his best again.

"There is no doubt Anderson felt the effects of being in China," said the United boss.

"When he played his first game at Portsmouth the adrenalin kept him going but since then he has been pretty low.

"Now it seems he is back to his usual self, which is great to see."

Giggs too is eager to make a contribution.

At 34, the Welshman has virtually come full circle, using the League Cup as valuable match practice whereas at the start of his illustrious career it was to show his ability, which has never seriously been in question.

With 764 appearances to his name, Giggs is edging his club record way beyond Sir Bobby Charlton to a level it is impossible to imagine anyone ever reaching.

And his 145th goal - a delightful chip 11 minutes from time after Chris Riggott had stood on the ball - means he is just five short of becoming the ninth United player to reach the magic 150.

"It was a nice goal," Giggs said of his latest effort.

"I made my mind up quite early. I knew what I was going to do as soon as I went through so all I had to do was stick to it."

No Broken Leg For Man United’s Possebon From Middlesbrough Captain Pogatetz’s Challenge

2008-09-25T00:01:00.001+08:00

Submitted by Niraj Prabhu on Wed, 2008-09-24 10:32. Middlesbrough, Manchester United Player Injury and Suspension News

Rodrigo Possebon has not broken his leg, confirmed Manchester United after the Brazilian midfielder was stretchered off against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night following a challenge from Emanuel Pogatetz.

The Red Devils won the third-round Carling Cup tie 3-1 at Old Trafford, but the joy was marred by the injury, then suspected to be a broken leg, which also saw Boro captain Emanuel Pogatetz sent off.

On Wednesday morning, a club spokesperson told United’s official website: "We can confirm that Rodrigo did not suffer a break to his right leg. He was kept in hospital overnight for observation and to assess whether there was any ligament damage to his knee."

It was the 19-year-old central midfielder’s first start for the Red Devils following his January arrival from Brazilian club Internacional.

http://mpejal.myminicity.com/

Player Ratings: Manchester United 3-1 Middlesbrough

2008-09-24T12:34:00.002+08:00

Manchester United clinched a 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup third round match. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Nani propelled the Red Devils to the win

Manchester United

Ben Amos 6 – The youngster showed a safe pair of hands today against Boro. Could do nothing about the goal conceded against Boro.

Rafael Da Silva 6 – The Brazilian fullback was handed his full debut by Sir Alex Ferguson. And he has done well with a couple of intelligent runs.

Nemanja Vidic 5 – Vidic’s poor header allowed Boro to equalise. The Serbian looks as if he was making first start for Manchester United.

Wes Brown 6.5 – A solid performance from the England international. Made a couple of good tackles.

John O'Shea 7 – A top-drawer showing from O’Shea. Contributed in several of the attacking moves.

Luis Nani 8 – The Portuguese winger was all over the field this evening. Created chances for his team-mates but ended up grabbing a goal himself.

Rodrigo Possebon 6.5 – The Brazilian was superb in the centre of the park and played well with his passes and vision on the ball. But the injury he sustained will be a disappointment for Possebon

Anderson 7 – Good showing from the Brazilian. Was involved in the attacking moves and displayed good distribution on the ball.

Ryan Giggs 7.5 – Skipper for United tonight. The Welshman did well to lead the young side and scored the all-important second goal.

Danny Welbeck 6.5 – Showed plenty of promise with his efforts and shots on goal. However, it may take awhile before Welbeck can make the step up.

Cristiano Ronaldo 8 – His headed goal was brilliant as the Portuguese international looks to regain his form of last season.

Subs

Carlos Tevez 7 – Tireless running from the Argentine. Didn’t score a goal for his efforts.

Darron Gibson 6 – Gibson replaced the injured Rodrigo Possebon. Showed several neat touches and tested the Boro keeper with a couple of shots.

Manucho 5.5 – The Angolan striker appears overawed by the occasion. Two of his shots went well wide.

Middlesbrough

Brad Jones 6.5 – Solid display from the Boro keeper. But Jones had little say about the three goals put past him this evening.

Justin Hoyte 6 – A determined showing from the former Arsenal man. But that’s all about it for Hoyte.

David Wheater 4 – His poor first touch allowed Nani to score United’s third goal. Not the best of displays from the Boro defender.

Emanuel Pogatetz 5 – Rightly deserved his red card for his horrid tackle on United’s Rodrigo Possebon.

Andrew Taylor 5.5 – Decent play from the youngster.

Stewart Downing 6.5 – Tried to spur his team on with his decisive running and pinpoint crosses. But based on his efforts alone, it was simply not enough.

Didier Digard 5 – Did little to contribute in midfield, except for his horrible shot that went well wide of the goal.

Gary O'Neil 6.5 – Played well with an eye for creating chances, but that’s simply about it.

Mohamed Shawky 5 – Had a largely forgettable first half and was replaced at half-time by Adam Johnson.

Jeremie Aliadiere 5 – Plenty of running but no goals to show for it.

Afonso Alves 5 – The Brazilian had a couple of chances but failed to convert.

Subs

Chris Riggott 4 – His mistake allowed Ryan Giggs to score the crucial goal for United.

Marvin Emnes 4.5 – Did little to contribute to Boro’s play.

Adam Johnson 6.5 – A stunning shot and equalising goal from the substitute.

Jonathan Walker

http://mpejal.myminicity.com/

Fergie Furious With Pogatetz Tackle

2008-09-24T12:28:00.002+08:00

Sir Alex Ferguson has made known his disgust with Emanuel Pogatetz after the Middlesbrough skipper hospitalised Manchester United's Rodrigo Possebon with a horror challenge in last night's Carling Cup clash

United were victorious at Old Trafford, claiming a 3-1 victory thanks to late goals from star wingers Ryan Giggs and Nani.

But celebrations were marred by an ugly incident that occurred just after the hour mark, which resulted in Pogatetz being sent off and Possebon being rushed to hospital.

The United youngster had been about to control of a loose ball in midfield when the Boro left-back launched in with a two-footed, studs-first 'tackle'.

The 19-year-old Brazilian was sent flying through the air before collapsing in a heap and was given oxygen as he was stretchered from the pitch.

Ferguson said in The Sun: “It was a terrible tackle. I have seen a replay of it and I don’t want to see it again.

“It looked a bad one and he has gone to hospital.”

It was Possebon's first senior start for the Red Devils after making his debut as a substitute against Newcastle United on the opening day of the Premier League campaign.

The former Internacional midfielder impressed during pre-season and was expected to feature heavily in cup play this term, but now he looks likely to spend several months on the sidelines with a feared broken leg.

Ferguson added: “The kid was making his first start for us and to get an injury like that was pretty horrendous.

“For 10 minutes, I think everyone was numb and it killed the momentum in the game.

“The thing about these challenges is that the person who has done it always claims innocence. He should have walked straight off.”

Kieran Quentin
http://mpejal.myminicity.com/

Manchester United Sink Middlesbrough

2008-09-24T12:18:00.002+08:00

Manchester United 3-1 Middlesbrough

An opportunistic 79th minute strike from Ryan Giggs saw Manchester United pip Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening, after Adam Johnson had cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo's opener. Nani made it 3-1 in the 93rd minute to add insult to injury.

First Half

It was a mix of youth and experience that Sir Alex Ferguson put out on the pitch, aware that Boro would be no pushovers.

The likes of Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs, Wes Brown and John O'Shea started, as did youngsters Ben Amos, Rafael Da Silva, Rodrigo Possebon and Danny Welbeck.

A certain Cristiano Ronaldo also made his first start of the season, and it was he who broke the deadlock in the 25th minute. After a cagey start, the Portuguese winger showcased his underrated aerial prowess, rising highest to head home a Ryan Giggs corner.

United had half chances through Nani and Ronaldo thereafter, but the former blasted wide while trying to go solo, while the latter was denied by Brad Jones' reflexes.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, lacked creativity up front, and were forced to play second fiddle all half despite some tempting deliveries from Stewart Downing.

Second Half

Sensing that something needed to be changed, Gareth Southgate brought on Adam Johnson at the start of the second half, in place of an ineffective Mohamed Shawky.

It was a touch of genius, as Boro were back level within ten minutes. Downing delivered a curling shot into the United box, which was headed away by Vidic. However, it fell onto the path of Johnson, who let fly a powerful drive that gave Ben Amos no chance at all.

Spurred by that, Boro came looking for the second, ready to rough United up in the final stretch. Sensing his side's tempo drop, Sir Alex replaced a tiring Ronaldo with 'busybody' Carlos Tevez on the hour mark.

However, it was there that the match took a turn for the ugly, with Emmanuel Pogatetz making a nasty challenge on young Possebon. Pogatetz was duly given his marching orders, while play was held up for five minutes as medics tended to the United youngster.

Possebon was immediately replaced by another youngster in Darron Gibson, while Southgate reshuffled his troops, bringing Chris Riggott on for Didier Digard as the match got going slowly.

It would be a long final 15 minutes for Boro, and they were clearly looking to park the bus and hold on to the scoreline. But they would not.

If Southgate's first substitution won him a goal, the second cost him one. Riggott slipped and fell while collecting a loose ball, allowing a prowling Giggs to pick it up and fire home in the 79th minute.

Boro tried to respond, but with one body less and the likes of Vidic, O'Shea and Brown against then, found no joy. An anonymous Afonso Alves was hauled off for Marvin Emnes, but that was no good either, as Nani made the most of the open spaces to score United's third in the 93rd minute.

Neal Glew, Goal.com
http://mpejal.myminicity.com/

Beautiul Place All over The World

2008-09-24T06:25:00.001+08:00

shows all the beautiful place that everyone should go.

read more | digg story

Manchester United progressed to the fourth round of the Carling Cup

2008-09-24T05:39:00.006+08:00

MATCH REPORT

90'+9	The referee blows for full-time. It's been a top-drawer showing from United as they seal victory over Boro with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Nani. Thank you for joining Goal.com's coverage of the game!
	90'+7	There is two minutes left of the nine minutes of time added on. But it appears Boro are not going to pose a threat to United at all.
	90'+4	The 3-1 scoreline suggests that it's all over for Boro. Gareth Southgate's side has tried their best to take the game to United. But the Red Devils have simply too much quality today.
	90'+3	United have kept possession well so far. Wheater makes a mistake looses the ball to Nani. Nani collects the ball and puts it into the empty net. GOALLLLL for Manchester United! 3-1 to United.
	90'	We're into stoppage now as Anderson picks up the ball from the middle of midfield and tries to thread it to Manucho. However, it is well intercepted by Wheater.
	90'	Goal	Nani
	86'	Time is ticking away for Boro, and things are looking in United's way. Anderson releases Manucho with a through ball. But the Angolan just fires his shot wide off left the goal.
	85'	Substitution	Afonso Alves	Emnes M.
	84'	Substitution	Giggs R.	Manucho
	84'	Manucho comes on to replace Giggs. The Welshman has done well this evening, leading the team superbly as skipper. Scored a crucial goal for United as well. Marvin Emnes comes on for Afonso Alves.
	81'	With about 10 minutes or so left in the match, maybe it's time for Southgate to take a gamble on his Dutch striker Marvin Emnes. Or else the tie could go United's way!
	79'	GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a howler from Chris Riggott, the substitute slips and falls just when he collects a loose ball. Riggott's mistake allows Giggs to intercept and the Welshman fires home to restore the lead for United! 2-1 to Manchester United!
	79'	Goal	Giggs R.
	77'	The pace of the match seems to have slowed down by a notch. Just as we were wondering when the next goal is going to come, Carlos Tevez dummies the Boro defence. But Nani's shot is saved by Boro keeper Jones
	75'	O'Shea threads a ball to Gibson from the left. But the youngster nervously blasts the ball wide.
	72'	Substitution	Digard D.	Riggott C.
	72'	Substitution	Possebon R.	Gibson D.
	70'	Play is stopped by the referee for five minutes. Possebon appears to be seriously injured and he is carried onto the stretcher. His right leg is wrapped up and Possebon is in tears. Darron Gibson comes to replace the injured Brazilian.
	66'	Red Card	Pogatetz E.
	65'	Emmanuel Pogatez receives a straight red card from the referee, with his crunching tackle on Rodrigo Possebon. Boro are reduced to 10 men. But it appears to be legitimate challenge on the Brazilian, who fell theatrically initially.
	64'	Loose balls are flying all over the pitch. Both Boro and United have to get their act together, if they're looking for a breakthrough.
	61'	Substitution	Cristiano Ronaldo	Tevez C.
	60'	Cristiano Ronaldo comes off and Carlos Tevez comes on to replace him. To be fair to Ronaldo, the lad has done well, grabbed a goal with his powerful header. Let's see if Tevez can provide an attacking dimension for United.
	59'	Boro and United are now concentrating their efforts in midfield, as the two teams continue to battle for possession. One thing's for sure, the goal from Johnson has sparked Boro back to life!
	56'	GOAL!!!!!!!!!! Boro are level! What a stunning goal from Adam Johnson. Downing delivers a curling shot into the United box, which is headed away by Vidic. But the ball falls into the path of Johnson, who lets fly a powerful shot that gave United keeper Ben Amos no chance at all.
	56'	Goal	Johnson A.
	52'	Nani dribbles down the left flank and into the Boro box. He twists and turns, attempting to beat Hoyte. Nani manages to do so and lets fly a powerful shot which Jones manages to save comfortably.
	51'	Boro are not giving up as yet. The players are still battling hard. Downing tries to probe the United defence with his surging run into the centre of the United penalty box. But he is shadowed by Vidic, who steals the ball off him.
	50'	Ronaldo tries to create a move from the centre of midfield, as he sprints towards the centre of the penalty area. But he is intercepted by the Boro defence.
	47'	Danny Wellback unleashes a right-footed shot from the centre of the penalty area. But his effot is parried away by Jones. Good effort from the United youngster.
	46'	Boro makes a change. Mohamed Shawky is replaced by Adam Johnson. Boro will now attack from left to right.
	46'	Substitution	Shawky M.	Johnson A.
	45'	The first half comes to an end, with Cristiano Ronaldo's goal separating the two teams. And it's a lead thoroughly merited, as Ronaldo's header simply gave Jones no chance at all. Stay with us for the second half!!
	44'	Ryan Giggs tests Boro keeper Brad Jones from the right with a long range shot from 25 yards. But it's well saved by Jones.
	42'	Cristiano Ronaldo attempts to score a second goal with his shot from the left side of the penalty area from 18 yards. But his effort is parried away by Brad Jones. Rafael Da Silva is caught offside.
	40'	Downing takes the ball from the left and delivers a ball into the centre which finds Alves. But the United defence cuts out the move, as Alves looks on frustrated.
	38'	Boro seem to lack creativity in attack. The only player who has impressed so far is Gary O'Neill, who should be given credit with sparking some of the attacking moves.
	37'	Gary O'Neill picks up the ball in the United area, and delivers a pass to Didier Digard. But the Frenchman's shot goes horribly wide above the goal.
	35'	United once again break from the right. Nani who sprints down the right with the ball decides to go for goal himself. But his shot goes well wide!
	33'	United have seemed to have slowed the pace down a little, as the players stroke the ball among themselves.
	32'	Downing with a free-kick from the left and he delivers a cross into the United box. But Wheater's header is well-saved by United keeper Ben Amos!!
	31'	Boro break down the left through Stuart Downing and he is fouled by Anderson, who pulls his jersey and nudges him. Boro earn a free-kick!
	29'	United look to double their advantage as Anderson tries to put pressure on the Boro defence with his trickery down the left. But he just can't find a way through.
	27'	United are spurred on by Ronaldo's goal. Anderson delivers a sweet pass from the left, but there's nobody in the penalty box. Danny Wellback picks up the ball but could do little with it.
	25'	GOALLLLLL! Ryan Giggs takes an inswinging corner from the right and he delivers it to the centre, with the ball meeting the head of Cristiano Ronaldo. He heads it past keeepr Brad Jones. 1-0 to Manchester United!
	25'	Goal	Cristiano Ronaldo
	23'	Giggs releases Wellback on the right, but the youngster is caught offside by the linesman.
	22'	Ronaldo releases Nani on the left, as Nani sprints into the Boro penalty box. But he fails to keep his shot down, as the ball sails across the goal. Possebon picks up the loose ball.
	21'	United have kept possession well so far. But there is no sign of a breakthrough as yet.
	20'	Wigan manager Steve Bruce is spotted in the stands. Gary O'Neill decides to test United keeper Ben Amos with a powerful shot from far, just outside the penalty box. But his effort goes well wide.
	17'	United try another attacking move with Ronaldo collecting the ball from the centre of midfield. But he's denied space by three Boro players shadowing him.
	15'	United try to attack from the left, as John O'Shea delivers a short pass to Anderson. The Brazilian whizzes past his defender and tries to deliver a ball to Cristiano Ronaldo, but it's well cut out by Boro's Justin Hoyte.
	14'	Sir Alex Ferguson looks on sternly from the stands. United are stroking the ball well, as Nani dribbles the ball from centre into the Boro penalty box. But he slams into a wall of Boro defenders!
	13'	A move involving Giggs down on the right at the edge of the area, as the Welshman sets Nani loose into the box. But Nani could only fire his shot straight into the goalkeeper. United are picking up their attacking pace!
	11'	Taylor takes the throw-in but it's an aimless throw as United regain possession. Possebon picks up the loose ball and passes well to Luis Nani, who unleashes a shot from far. But it's well collected by Brad Jones. Good effort from Nani!!
	10'	A wall is formed by the United players. Afonso Aves hits the free-kick and it slams straight into the wall!!
	9'	Afonso Aves turns well and Vidic fouls the Brazilian! A free-kick for Boro just outside the penalty box.
	5'	Southgate will celebrate his 100th match in charge of Boro this weekend. But in the meantime, his boys look really cagey. United have appeared to settle, as they're stroking the ball around, with Brazilian youngster Possebon in the thick of the action.
	2'	Ryan Giggs sprints down the left flank and delivers a dangerous ball into the Middlesbrough box. But the cross is punched to safety by Boro keeper Brad Jones.
	1'	Welcome to Goal.com's coverage of the Carling Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Referee Andre Marriner gets the match underway. United, in their traditional red strip, attack from left to right. Boro, in their blue away strip, will kick off from right to left.
	0	Welcome to Goal.com's LIVE coverage of the Carling Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Middlesbrough! The clash at Old Trafford promises to be intriguing encounter, especially with Gareth Southgate's Boro side looking to clinch a piece of silverware this season. Of course, traditionally United do not place the Carling Cup top of their priority. Sir Alex Ferguson has fielded a youthful side, which is led by Cristiano Ronaldo. Southgate, on the other hand, has opted to field a strong side to take on the Red Devils. What will be the outcome of this match? Stick with us and find out!

Drug Dealer Arrested At Anderson's Home

2008-09-24T04:07:00.001+08:00

A notorious drug dealer has been arrested by Brazilian police at the home of Manchester United midfielder Anderson

The ex-Porto player is not suspected of any wrongdoing, and police stressed that the investigation will not involve him.

Richard Alex da Silva Martins 'Gigi' is thought to be a friend or acquaintance of Anderson and was detained his home in the Menino Deus neighbourhood of Porto Alegre.

Brazilian police had conducted a year-long investigation into the affairs of Mr 'Gigi' but insist that Anderson is totally innocent.

Public Ministry official Ricardo Herbstrich told Zero Hora newspaper: "There is nothing against Anderson in this investigation.

"According to what we have, he is just a friend of the dealer and maybe he doesn't even know he is a criminal."

The agent who manages Anderson's Brazilian business dealings, Paulo Tonietto stated: "The only thing I can say is that Anderson, as well as any other person, can be a friend of whoever he wants, but he is not involved in any crime.

"Anderson is a professional and he will offer an explanation of what has happened soon."

Peter Staunton
http://mpejal.myminicity.com/

Manchester United vs Middlesbrough Match preview(Carling Cup)

2008-09-23T21:09:00.003+08:00

Angola striker Manucho is in line to make his Manchester United debut in their Carling Cup clash with Middlesbrough at Old Trafford.

The African spent the latter half of last season on loan in Greece with Panathinaikos but has now received his work permit and recovered from a broken metatarsal, so should start against Gareth Southgate's men.

Anderson and Nani are also expected to be in Sir Alex Ferguson's 20-man squad, while Gary Neville should also get some more match practice, with Cristiano Ronaldo once again expected to be on the bench as he continues to search for top form after his recent ankle operation.

United have got their nightmare run of games out of the way - now the Premier League better watch out according to Wayne Rooney.

Although yesterday's point at Chelsea is the only thing keeping Sir Alex Ferguson's men above the relegation zone, Rooney knows they have a precious match in hand.

And he also realises in Portsmouth, Liverpool and Chelsea, United have already come through arguably the three hardest away games they will face all season.

Which is why the England man is so bullish about what lies ahead for the Old Trafford outfit.

"That was definitely a point gained for us and was an answer to our critics,'' said the 22-year-old.

"As soon as we saw the fixture list we knew it was going to be a tough start to the season.

"We have just had three really hard games, possibly our toughest of all.

"Now we have got them out of the way, hopefully we can go on a run.''

Middlesbrough top scorer Mido is expected miss the game after pulling out of Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Sunderland with a groin strain.

The Egyptian has four goals to his credit already this season but had to withdraw from the Wear-Tees Stadium of Light clash just 20 minutes before kick-off after breaking down in the warm-up.

With Tuncay Sanli (knee) sidelined for at least another month, manager Gareth Southgate has his fair share of injuries to contend with ahead of the tie.

Jeremie Aliadiere took a kick on the Achilles on Saturday and faces a pre-match fitness test, as does Adam Johnson, who limped out of the game with a sore ankle.

Southgate believes all the pressure is on Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United ahead of the match.

United go into tomorrow night's game with just one win - at Portsmouth in August - to show from six fixtures in all competitions since the start of the Barclays Premier League season.

While the Carling Cup may be very much last on Sir Alex's list of priorities for the season, the vastly experienced Scot will want to end his side's uncharacteristically poor sequence of results at the earliest opportunity.

Should the United boss opt to ring the changes and field a makeshift line-up, Southgate does not believe it puts Boro under extra pressure to claim a result, and lists the non-starters at Chelsea as evidence of the Red Devils' incredible strength in depth.

Southgate said: "When I looked at their squad it was Nani, Giggs, Ronaldo, Tevez, O'Shea, Vidic (who did not start), so it still looks decent to me, so I would have said there is very little pressure on us.''

Asked if it was a good time to take on the champions, he continued: "It is, but you've got to be conscious of their quality.

"I wouldn't imagine too many of the side that played at Chelsea will play against us but by my reckoning that still left them with about 10 internationals when I was writing a possible team down.

"I think they will be strong, there will be players Sir Alex will want to give a game to and he'll want to beat us so we've got to be prepared to face what could well be a star-studded line-up.''

Although Southgate and Sir Alex have had the odd touchline confrontation during recent matches between the side, the Boro boss is still a huge admirer of the long-serving United manager.

He said: "Sir Alex is obviously the person all other managers look up to for what he's achieved and his continued hunger to keep achieving, his phenomenal drive about him as a person.

"He'll be logical about the position they're in at the moment but wanting them to win matches and he'll want to start against us.''

While United have made a poor start by their high standards, the jury is out on Boro's early-season form.

Home wins over Tottenham and Stoke in the Barclays Premier League and a 5-1 Carling Cup thrashing of Yeovil have been offset against away defeats at Liverpool, Portsmouth and, most recently, Sunderland.

Manchester United Vs Middlesbrough

2008-09-23T12:14:00.003+08:00

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has insisted all the pressure is on Manchester United as the two teams prepare to clash at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

United enter the Carling Cup straight in at the third round stage, while Middlesbrough have already hammered Yeovil Town 5-1 in the competition.

Southgate was disappointed to draw United and will not tolerate claims from some quarters that his side should be expected to win the game.

There had been suggestions at Southgate’s press conference today that due to United’s likeliness to rest a number of key players on Tuesday, ‘Boro should be achieving a positive result at Old Trafford.

But Southgate insists that United will have a strong team, whoever is put on to the pitch by club manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

"When I looked at their squad it was Nani, Giggs, Ronaldo, Tevez, O'Shea, Vidic [who did not start against Chelsea], so it still looks decent to me, so I would have said there is in fact very little pressure on us,” he told the press.

"It is a good time to face them, but you've got to be conscious of their quality,” Southgate stated.

"I wouldn't imagine too many of the side that played at Chelsea will play against us but by my reckoning that still left them with about 10 internationals when I was writing a possible team down.

"I think they will be strong, there will be players Sir Alex will want to give a game to and he'll want to beat us so we've got to be prepared to face what could well be a star-studded line-up."

Southgate was also quick to praise Ferguson, a man who Southgate says all the Premier League’s managers look up to and respect.

"Sir Alex is obviously the person all other managers look up to for what he's achieved and his continued hunger to keep achieving, his phenomenal drive about him as a person,” he said.

"He'll be logical about the position they're in at the moment but wanting them to win matches and he'll want to start against us."

Despite winning the Premier League in the last two seasons and the Champions League in May, United’s recent performances in the domestic cups have not been up to their usual standards.

The Red Devils have won just one FA Cup and one Carling Cup since the turn of the millennium, having won four FA Cup’s and a League Cup in the previous decade.

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Rooney says the hard part is over

2008-09-22T22:52:00.001+08:00

Rooney in action at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United have got their nightmare run of games out of the way - now the Premier League better watch out according to Wayne Rooney.

Although yesterday's point at Chelsea is the only thing keeping Sir Alex Ferguson's men above the relegation zone, Rooney knows they have a precious match in hand.

And he also realises in Portsmouth, Liverpool and Chelsea, United have already come through arguably the three hardest away games they will face all season.

Which is why the England man is so bullish about what lies ahead for the Old Trafford outfit.

"That was definitely a point gained for us and was an answer to our critics," said the 22-year-old.

"As soon as we saw the fixture list we knew it was going to be a tough start to the season.

"We have just had three really hard games, possibly our toughest of all.

"Now we have got them out of the way, hopefully we can go on a run."

Despite being just eight minutes away from ending Chelsea's incredible now 85-match unbeaten home record, Rooney still declared himself happy with the outcome, recognising the home side were in charge after the interval even if United were top dogs before the break.

"Chelsea have a really good record here, so although we were in front for quite a long time and did well, a draw was a good result and probably quite fair given how the game went," he said.

"I had a half-chance before they equalised which I might have done a bit better with.

"But it wasn't to be and overall we did well."

Aside from seven bookings, the full ramifications of which will be determined by the FA, United also know some of their key men are nearing full fitness.

Record signing Dimitar Berbatov was starting only his second game of the season, as were goalscorer Park Ji-sung, skipper Gary Neville and midfielder Owen Hargreaves.

And Cristiano Ronaldo has now managed two substitute appearances as well.

The Portugal superstar is clearly still some way below his best, although Rooney is confident it won't be long before Ronaldo is terrorising defences on a regular basis once more.

"It is a great boost for everyone to have Cristiano back," said Rooney.

"He adds a different dimension to our play, so hopefully he can get a few more games under his belt.

"Everyone knows what a great player he is. Once he is fully fit he will soon start producing his best form again."

The partnership between Rooney and Berbatov also showed signs of flourishing, even if Carlos Tevez is unlikely to be left on the bench indefinitely by Ferguson, while the continuing impressive form of Jonny Evans is likely to provide the United boss with a major selection headache should Nemanja Vidic or Rio Ferdinand find themselves missing again.

Quite how many of Ferguson's first-team squad will be in action against Middlesbrough tomorrow night remains to be seen.

In sanctioning the Carling Cup tie just 48 hours after a trip to London, the Scot appeared to be sending out a clear signal that he intends handing opportunities to the likes of Daniel Welbeck as well as his three Brazilians, Rodrigo Possebon and the Da Silva brothers Rodrigo and Federico.

However, some of the more established members of United's squad, namely Anderson and Nani are desperately in need of match practice, while John O'Shea could be involved as well as Angolan striker Manucho, who is in line for his debut.

And though he will almost certainly be excused from duty, Rooney knows Ferguson is bound to feel happier about his team than he did at Liverpool last weekend, especially as Edwin van der Sar's knee injury is not predicted to prove serious.

"We were all very disappointed with that," recalled the Merseysider.

"Chelsea was different. It was a far better display and showed what a good side we can be at times."

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United Facing FA Charges After Chelsea Stoush

2008-09-22T16:37:00.002+08:00

Reports in the press claim that Manchester United could be charged by the Football Association after receiving seven bookings during Sunday's clash with Chelsea

Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and substitute Cristiano Ronaldo all found their way into referee Mike Riley's book during the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

And according to The Sun, the FA may take action against United over their players' indiscipline.

Ferdinand, who was talked his way to a yellow card in the first half, could face separate charges for failing to observe the 'Respect' campaign as he was visibly agitated with Riley's officiating throughout the game.

The United-Chelsea fixture is quickly becoming one of the most hostile match-ups in European football, with controversy consistently marring proceedings both on and off the pitch.

Both clubs could still face sanctions over last season's Battle of the Bridge, when Evra and his team-mates were involved in a racially charged confrontation with members of the Chelsea groundstaff after the game.
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Van Der Sar Injury Not Serious

2008-09-22T06:53:00.003+08:00

Manchester United fans will be relieved to hear that Edwin van der Sar did not suffer a serious injury during the 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

The Dutch keeper had to subbed off during the first half of the hotly contested affair, prompting fears that he would have to sit out for an extended period. This was especially concerning considering that backup goalkeeper Ben Foster has just been ruled out for up to two months due to an injury he suffered while in action for the reserves.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has since confirmed that van der Sar only suffered a superficial injury and should be back for the next league match against Bolton.

“He got some studs in the kneecap and there was a bit of swelling there,” said Sir Alex on the club's official website. “Hopefully he’ll be okay for next week.”

Tomasz Kuszczak, who filled in competently in place of van der Sar , should be entrusted with the gloves when Middlesbrough visit Old Trafford for their Carling Cup clash on Tuesday.
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Player Ratings: Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United

2008-09-22T06:47:00.002+08:00

Chelsea

Petr Cech - 5: Managed to save Ferdinand’s early chance, but was at fault along with Bosingwa for United’s goal. Fumbled Berbatov’s shot, allowing Park to slot home the rebound and hand the visitors an important lead.

Jose Bosingwa - 5: Always a threat in attack whenever he plays, but Bosingwa will be looking back with disappointment in the part he played in Park’s goal. After initially being in a good position, the Portuguese international allowed Evra to out-muscle him and get in behind, eventually leading to a goal.

Ricardo Carvalho – n/a: Was replaced by Alex just ten minutes into the match after picking up a knee injury.

John Terry - 7: After a controversial week of build-up, Terry started the game and captained his side. Didn’t have too much to do throughout the game but did not make any defensive mistakes when he was called upon. Had one excellent charge up the field in the first half, but needs to be a bit more careful in possession at times.

Ashley Cole - 7: Cole played well. United did not get much going in an attacking sense down their right and Cole supported his side’s attacks well, making a few important passes and impressing with some neat touches.

Joe Cole – 7: Drifted in and out of proceedings, but was a threat when he got involved. Some excellent crosses in the second half, one of which seemed to hand Anelka an equalising goal on a plate, but the Frenchman could not covert the chance.

Michael Ballack - 7: A good performance from Ballack, especially when you consider he is not fully match fit at the moment. Regularly in possession trying to force an opening for the home side and was an excellent physical presence in midfield. Came close with two long-range efforts.

John Obi Mikel - 7: Shielded the back four well throughout the ninety minutes, but had been quiet on the ball up until the point where his excellent free-kick was headed into the net by substitute Kalou.

Frank Lampard - 6: Came into the game off the back of some excellent recent performances, but couldn’t really get into this match as much as he would have liked to. Was still neat and tidy in possession though, and continues to be key for Chelsea.

Florent Malouda - 5: Threatened to get in behind the United defence on two occasions with his pace, but did not see enough of the ball to stamp his authority on the game. Sacrificed for the arrival of Didier Drogba at the start of the second-half.

Nicolas Anelka – 5: Anelka came into the game on good form and started positively, consistently getting himself into good positions. Had quite a few chances throughout the game that he failed to take however, and missed a golden opportunity from Joe Cole’s cross after the interval.

Substitutions:

Alex – 8: On for Carvalho after just ten minutes, Alex ensured that the Portuguese international was not missed. Defended superbly throughout the game, making some crucial interceptions and gutsy blocks. Drogba - 6: Came on seconds after half-time and United struggled to cope with his physical presence at times. More to come from him as he plays more games as he returns from injury. Kalou – 8: An excellent substitution from Scolari. Ghosted in unmarked to head home an equaliser and was a real threat to the United defence with his pace and direct running.

Manchester United

Edwin van der Sar - 5: Did not concede a goal, but was not entirely convincing. Flapped at a corner and spilt a long range shot before being replaced by Kuszczak after 40 minutes having being hurt in a collision with Malouda.

Gary Neville – 6: A battling display from Neville. Still working his way back from a long absence through injury and was put under immense pressure by Chelsea at times in the second half. He generally coped well, although was found out for a lack of pace on a couple of occasions.

Rio Ferdinand – 7: The experienced Ferdinand defended well again and guided the youngster Evans through the ninety minutes. Broke forward in the first half and came so close to scoring after being set up by Rooney, but was denied by Cech.

Jonny Evans - 7: Some people may have been surprised by Evans’ selection over Wes Brown, but the Northern Ireland international was not overawed by the magnitude of the game and showed signs that he is a good defensive prospect. Strong in the challenge and well organised positionally.

Patrice Evra – 8: Some excellent play from Evra to create Park’s goal. Was set free by Rooney after a run which had carried him for half of the pitch. He then muscled out Bosingwa before cutting the ball back to Berbatov, whose shot led to the goal. Defended solidly enough at left-back.

Owen Hargreaves – 6: Started livelily on the right and put in a good shift for the team. Faded slightly as the game progressed and Chelsea began to gain the advantage, but United will be glad to see him back and playing regularly.

Darren Fletcher – 7: Full of energy, grew as the game went on. Strong in possession and rarely lost the ball, but just couldn’t quite influence things enough in the final third to give United a second goal. Fletcher is becoming a more important player for United with every game.

Paul Scholes – 6: Was booked in the first half for persistent fouling. Some neat and tidy passing, but not at his creative best in this one, replaced as Ronaldo came on in the 55th minute.

Ji-Sung Park – 8: Scored United’s goal, slotting the ball past Cech after following up well. Worked extremely hard on the wing, tracking back throughout and supporting United’s attacks whenever possible. Justified his selection ahead of Nani on the left.

Wayne Rooney – 7: Produced another unselfish performance for the benefit of the team. Played an excellent pass to spring Evra free in the build up to Park’s goal and proved invaluable chasing back late in the game.

Dimitar Berbatov – 5: Still finding his feet in the red of United. It was his shot that Cech fumbled for the goal, but that was almost the Bulgarian’s only contribution from the ninety minuets.

Substitutions:

Kuszczak – 5: Started with a few decent stops, but probably should have came out to claim Mikel’s free-kick that was headed in by Kalou. Instead, the Pole remained rooted to the goal-line.

Ronaldo - 6: Proved to be a good outlet as United countered, but couldn’t quite score or create what would have probably proved to be a match-winning second goal.

O’Shea - 5: Came on to try and protect United’s one-goal lead, but his side were unable to do that with Kalou scoring a crucial equaliser.

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Chelsea 1-1 Man United Match Report – Kalou Keeps Record Run For Chelsea Going As United Are Held To A Draw

2008-09-22T06:40:00.001+08:00

Substitute Salomon Kalou helped Chelsea secure a 1-1 draw against defending champions Manchester United in their Premiership clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Kalou got the equaliser with just 10 minutes left, after Park Ji-Sung’s first-half goal had United threatening to put an end to Chelsea’s home unbeaten run in the league, which is a record 85 games now, and lasting since February, 2004 when Arsenal was the last team to win a league game at the Blues home..

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Chelsea suffered an injury blow in the pre-match warm-up when Portuguese midfielder Deco picked a thigh strain, as such Germany captain Michael Ballack came into the starting line-up.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s United, who had Cristiano Ronaldo on bench and Dimitar Berbatov in the starting XI, began with a good tempo and seized the control of the game from the word go.

England midfielder Owen Hargreaves lined up on the right side, and made instant impact. His cross saw Darren Fletcher, from a good position, have the first sight of the goal, but the first-time volley was off-target, much due to timely tackle by Ricardo Carvalho.

It was all United for most part of the first half, as the home side surprisingly failed to make much of an impact.

United came close to opening their account when Wayne Rooney tried to catch Petr Cech out of position, but the lob just bounced besides the goalpost and went out of play.

In a rare chance for the Blues in the first 20 minutes, Joe Cole, having a suspected handball in a build-up but flag staying down, failed to keep his shot on target even as Van der Sar failed to get into any sort of position to make a save.

Chelsea had another injury blow as defender Carvalho (knee) went out with Alex coming in as a replacement.

Cech saved his side from falling behind when an adventurous piece of play by Rio Ferdinand saw him continue the run, and Rooney spotting his team-mate in space, crossed the ball to the centre-back. But Ferdinand’s angular shot from right side of the area, struck Cech and went out of play.

Soon after, Park put the Red Devils ahead after Patrice Evra cut back the ball for Berbatov, whose low shot was half-stopped by Cech only to see the South Korean tap the rebound home in 18th minute.

Blues showed the first sign of trying to impose themselves on the proceedings at the half hour mark, but failed to come up with a clear chance. Frank Lampard and Ballack desperately looked to find the equaliser, but their long-range shots did not pose any trouble for the rival keeper.

United keeper Edwin van der Sar suffered a leg injury, and he was replaced by Kuszczak in the 33rd minute.

Scolari sent on striker Didier Drogba at the start of the second half taking off Florent Malouda. The Blues had a change of positions as striker Nicolas Anelka then played from the left even as the home side showed patience in their attempt to build-up attacks.

Ferguson introduced winger Cristiano Ronaldo in the 55th minute for the Portuguese star’s first appearance in the Premiership this season following his recovery from an ankle operation.

The pace of the proceedings pick-up around the hour mark as both sides came up with counter-attacks. However, it was only for a brief period before the tempo slowed down.

In the 66th minute, Chelsea had a superb opportunity to get on level terms as Ballack sent a splendid floater for Joe Cole to race clear from left side. The England winger’s shot was straight into Kuszczak’s body, as he went for glory despite Anelka being in great position.

In another chance in quick succession, Anelka could not turn in a cross from right-back Bosingwa, as the Blues raised their game in search of the equaliser. Soon after, the French striker missed an absolutely open goal as just any kind of deflection would have been good enough for a goal as Kuszczak was not in position following a low cross from Joe Cole.

Chelsea finally managed to get the precious goal as Kalou, who made a clever run to get into space with no one marking him, headed on target in the 80th minute from the six-yard box following a free-kick from deep by John Obi Mikel. The Ivorian forward then could have put his side into the lead, but his shot was deflected for a corner by United skipper Gary Neville.

United defender Alex came up with a crucial block in the 84th minute as Fletcher unleashed a powerful drive at the rival goal, but the Brazilian put his body into the line of the strike to avert the danger to Cech’s goal. The closing stages saw a tense finish as both sides tried to score the winner, but there was no further addition to the scoreline.

Teams:

Chelsea: Cech, Terry, A Cole, Boswinga, Carvalho (Alex 13), Mikel, J Cole, Ballack (Kalou 75), Lampard, Malouda (Drogba 46), Anelka.

Chelsea Substitutes not used: Cudicini, Bridge, Belletti, Ferreira.

Manchester United: van der Saar (Kuszczak 33), Ferdinand, Neville, Evans, Evra, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Scholes (Ronaldo 55), Park (O’Shea 75), Berbatov, Rooney.

Manchester United Substitutes not used:Brown, Giggs, Nani, Tevez.

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Match Report :Man Utd vs Chelsea

2008-09-21T23:30:00.003+08:00

A Park strike early in the first half seemed set to put United on the road to victory, but Chelsea struck back in the second period with a goal from Kalou. There was no end of goalmouth action - not least for the Blues - but the points were shared

90'+4	Full time!! It's ended 1-1 at the Bridge, and Chelsea's unbeaten run at home carries on! It's a fair result to be honest, with United being the better side in the first half, and vice versa. However, it's Arsenal who will be happiest with this result, as Chelsea dropping points means that they remain top of the Barclays Premier League table. There are handshakes all around after a slightly ill-tempered game, and the home fans will go home slightly disappointed, but slightly relieved. United fans will be more worried now, as the result leaves them eight points off the top. Final score at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea 1 Man Utd 1.
	90'+3	Ronaldo with a bicycle kick! It's on target as well, but he took it from 18 yards, and it bounces on its way to Petr Cech.
	90'+1	Rooney with a brilliant defensive header! The ball seemed destined for Drogba's head, but Rooney jumped high enough to head the ball over the Ivorian!
	90'	Three minutes of injury time are all that's left for both sides to look for a winner. They're smiling somewhere in North London at the moment with this scoreline.
	90'	Yellow Card	Cristiano Ronaldo
	89'	Oh dear! Joe Cole has all the time in the world to pick out a Chelsea player from the right flank, but he grossly overhits it, and it's a throw to United.
	88'	The atmosphere is absolutely electric inside the stadium at the moment, and they're, bar a few, expecting a Chelsea winner!
	86'	Patrice Evra becomes the sixth United player to get booked on the day! Fairplay who?!
	86'	Yellow Card	Evra P.
	85'	Alex with a heroic block! Darren Fletcher takes aim and shoots from the edge of the area, but Alex puts his body on the line to block the goalbound shot! Amazing stuff!
	82'	United look pretty vulnerable at the back at the moment, and were at fault for the goal as well, with noone putting any sort of pressure on Kalou. Kusczak must take share of the blame as well. Kalou headed it in from five yards, surely a distance the 'keeper can cover at a cross.
	81'	Kalou again! This time it's well over the bar! He darts in for a loose ball in the United box, but Gary Neville and Johnny Evans combine to put enough pressure on the striker to scoop his shot well high.
	80'	GOAL!!! Chelsea are level through Salomon Kalou!! John Obi Mikel floats in a wonderful cross from a free kick, and with Kusczak staying put, Kalou has the easy job of heading it into the net from five yards! Game on now, and Chelsea are on the prowl!
	79'	Goal	Kalou S.
	78'	Yellow Card	Rooney W.
	77'	United hit the side netting! They counter down the left flank through Ronaldo, and with five teammates in the box, he plays a low cross in for Rooney, who is well past the far post. Cech hasn't got the near post covered though, but Rooney side foots it wide.
	75'	Substitution	Park J.	O'Shea J.
	74'	Substitution	Ballack M.	Kalou S.
	74'	Ballack! Just wide! A decent effort nevertheless from the Germany captain. He spun around and took the shot instinctively from just outside the area. And that will be his last contribution, as he's brought off for Salomon Kalou.
	73'	Anelka!!! Chelsea will not get an easier chance to score!! Joe Cole's cross beats every one and reaches Anelka at knee height with an open goal 4 yards away literally crying out for the ball, but he doesn't make any connection! The ball hits his trailing leg and goes away from goal! Some strikers could have put that away in their sleep!
	72'	Anelka hooks wide! Bosingwa gets a cross in from the right, but the Frenchman makes very little connection on the shot.
	69'	My oh my, what's John Terry doing?! He messes up a simple back pass to Petr Cech, and Cech has to race down the goal line to prevent it from going out for a corner! It's turning into a pressure cooker situation now, with twenty minutes to go. Chelsea's awesome home record is under severe threat.
	68'	The Chelsea wall do their job, and the free kick is deflected out for a corner.
	67'	John Obi Mikel makes his entry into the ref's book for a late challenge on Ronaldo, United have a free kick in Ronaldo range.
	67'	Yellow Card	Mikel J.
	65'	Joe Cole wastes a golden opportunity! A lofted pass sends him well clear of the defence, but he shoots straight at Kusczak! Anelka was unmarked inside the box as well, a simple cut back away!
	63'	Neville lunges in dangerously once again, but this time Ballack wins the ball, but his touch takes it past the goal line before he reaches it!
	61'	We're going at a rate of two fouls a minute at the moment, and this time it's resulted in a Chelsea free kick from a potentially dangerous position, but Lampard hits the first defender. Wasted!
	59'	Berbatov's booked now, for a cynical tug at Michael Ballack. Any red cards today, anyone?
	59'	Yellow Card	Berbatov D.
	58'	Bad tackle from Gary Neville! Anelka muscles past the United skipper near the corner flag, and nutmegs him superbly, before Neville hauls him down with a rash tackle. He's booked for his troubles.
	57'	Ronaldo has a bite at the cherry! He races in to the loose ball outside the Chelsea box, but his left footed attempt rolls well wide.
	57'	Yellow Card	Neville G.
	55'	And he arrives! Cristiano Ronaldo makes his comeback to the Premier League, replacing Paul Scholes. Hargreaves should move into the center of midfield now.
	55'	Substitution	Scholes P.	Cristiano Ronaldo
	54'	Drogba almost gets to Joe Cole's cross, but Ferdinand does brilliantly to block Drogba's path to the ball. Super defending from a player who's at the top of his game.
	53'	Park curls it over the bar! Rooney breaks into the Chelsea half, but he has to turn back in search for support, and Park eventually gets the ball at his feet at the corner of the keeper's box, but curls it well over the bar.
	52'	Cristiano Ronaldo is changing into his shirt now, as United prepare for the inevitable substitution. Meanwhile Chelsea continue to attack with Anelka, who is playing on the left now, but to no avail.
	49'	Ballack whips in a swirling cross from the left wing, but it's too deep for Drogba. Will Chelsea revert to their old style of "direct football", in desperate search of the equalizer?
	48'	Joe Cole tries to place the ball inside the far post from Anelka's cut back, but he miscues it, and Ferdinand intercepts easily.
	46'	And he's on! Drogba comes on for Malouda after some bickering with the fourth official. Apparently, he had a bracelet on which the fourth official didn't take to too kindly!
	46'	Substitution	Malouda F.	Drogba D.
	45'	Welcome back for the second half folks! Didier Drogba is ready to come on at the touchline, but for some reason the substitution's delayed, and the half kicks off.
	45'+3	Half time! The first 45 minutes are up, and it's United who lead through Park Ji Sung's goal. It's been an incident-packed half of football on this sunny afternoon here in West London, with Deco injuring himself during warm up, and the duo of Carvalho and Van Der Sar doing the same during the game. It promises to be a riveting second half, with the likes of Drogba, Kalou, and Ronaldo yet to come on. Join us in 15 minutes for the second half!
	45'+2	Ballack has a go with his left foot from distance, but he scuffs his shot just a touch, and Kusczak collects cleanly.
	45'+1	Park! That was a sweeping counter attacking move by the visitors, but Berbatov's pass to Park was just a little behind him, and his shot after cutting back in is blocked.
	45'	Three minutes of injury time are added on for the first half.
	44'	One for the cameras! Malouda, who was miles offside, goes for the bicycle kick with play halted, and Kusczak sings in the same tune and makes a diving save!
	42'	Ashley Cole claims a corner after his sliding tackle saw the ball ricochet of Hargreaves past the goal line, but it's a foul. It's been an intriguing battle between the two compatriots today.
	41'	Anelka! United lose the ball in midfield, and Anelka is free near the edge of the area on the right, but he opts to shoot from a tight angle when a cross would have been the better option. The ball goes well over the bar.
	40'	Now Kusczak spills it! Alex shoots from distance, and Kuszcak can't collect it cleanly. Ferdinand is there again though, to clear before Anelka could reach it.
	40'	Yellow Card	Ferdinand R.
	38'	Chelsea have been camped in the United half for the last 4-5 minutes, although their possession hasn't led to any real scoring opportunity. United meanwhile, look dangerous on the break.
	35'	Paul Scholes is booked for his second rash challenge. A little harsh for the midfielder, and he needs to be careful now. Lampard gets his head to the resultant free kick, but it loops straight into Kusczak's arms.
	35'	Yellow Card	Scholes P.
	33'	It's been one hell of an eventful half so far, especially when it comes to injuries. The game's getting scrappy too, with a number of rash tackles. One cant help get the feeling that this might boil over.
	32'	Substitution	Van der Sar E.	Kuszczak T.
	31'	Van Der Sar spills the ball in the area! Terry runs all the way upfield and his attempted pass ricochets its way to Van Der Sar, but he can't keep hold of it! Luckily for him, Ferdinand reaches it before any Chelsea player. Van Der Sar immediately signals to bench to be substituted. He seems to have come off worse after the clash with Malouda. Kusczak is putting on his shirt to come on.
	30'	Hargreaves brings Ashley Cole down on the flank, and Riley wants a word, but no yellow card shown there. That tackle seemed to have a touch of vengeance in it.
	27'	Malouda through on goal, he's brought down! No penalty! Malouda and Van Der Sar both make a beeline for a bouncing ball in the area, and Malouda seems to poke at it first before Van Der Sar crashes into him, but the ref doesn't give anything. It would have been a slightly harsh decision anyway, as Malouda's poke did hit Van Der Sar's body.
	22'	United have looked much brighter this half so far, and Chelsea haven't been able to put any real attacking move together. I might be repeating myself, but Deco's loss seems to have hurt their creative play immensely.
	19'	Joe Cole! In a rather impatient attempt on goal, the Englishman shoots from a difficult angle, but it takes a dangerous deflection off his marker and curls just over the bar.
	18'	GOAL!!! United deservedly take the lead!! Evra makes a darting run down the left, into the Chelsea box, and cuts it back for Berbatov, whose shot can only be parried by Cech straight into Park Ji Sung's path, who strokes the ball into the empty net!! It's one nil to United, and rightly so, they've seemed the more stable and balanced side so far.
	18'	Goal	Park J.
	16'	What a chance for United! Rooney is alone against two Chelsea defenders outside the Chelsea box, but he plays in a soft pass to Ferdinand of all who people, who's side footed attempt is deflected over the bar by Cech! The defender made a wonderful run upfield there to get into that one-on-one position against Cech!
	14'	We can inform you that Ricardo Carvalho has gone off with a knee problem, and is even being checked by Chelsea doctors for knee ligament damage. Bad news for Chelsea, this.
	13'	Substitution	Ricardo Carvalho	Alex
	12'	Hargreaves is down with an injury after Ashley Cole's tackle caught him on the foot. But Ricardo Carvalho seems to have injured himself and is going off! Alex is coming on for the Portuguese international in what could be an even bigger setback to Chelsea after losing Deco during warm up. Still no news on what exactly the injury is. More on that in a bit.
	9'	Cole hits the side netting! The match livens up in the spacve of one minute, this time with Joe Cole running through on goal and having a go from the edge of the area with just Van Der Sar to beat, but it's just wide! Van Der Sar was well beaten there.
	8'	Rooney!! Almost so embarrassing for Chelsea! Cech came a long way out to clear a long ball, but it fell straight to Berbatov, whose attempted shot was helped on by Rooney, but it went just wide of the post with Cech tracking back! Close!
	7'	No team is making a real impression in the opening minutes, and it seems like it's going to be one of those cagey affairs.
	5'	Fletcher!! The first real chance of the game sees Darren Fletcher hook his volley wide from Hargreaves' cross into the penalty area! That was sloppy play from Chelsea, as they lost the ball in their own half prior to the attack. Carvalho did just about enough to allow Fletcher an easy shot.
	4'	A great touch from Joe Cole sends Bosingwa racing clear down the right flank, but his cross is too deep for Nicolas Anelka. This might be a test for Chelsea, to lose Deco for such a big game.
	1'	United start brightly with a lot of build up play around the Chelsea box, and Darren Fletcher has a shot blocked as well. The Scot is playing in the center of midfield, with Owen Hargreaves on the right flank.
	0'	Welcome to Stamford Bridge folks, for Goal.com's live coverage of Chelsea vs Manchester United. Chelsea have suffered a huge blow here as Deco injured himself during warm up. Michael Ballack starts in his place (What a blow, eh?), whereas Ronaldo doesn't make the starting lineup for United, and is on the bench alongside Carlos Tevez. Gary Neville, despite the lack of regular football, leads the team onto the field. We're all set for "The Battle of the Bridge", and what a big game this is for United. Lose this, and they'll fall nine points behind Chelsea. Kick off!

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Chelsea (3rd) v Manchester United (15th)

2008-09-21T19:33:00.002+08:00

Sir Alex Ferguson could have both Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo in his Manchester United starting line-up to face Chelsea on Sunday.

Berbatov missed Wednesday's Champions League draw with Villarreal after suffering a knee injury at Liverpool last weekend, while Ronaldo made his comeback in midweek after two months out following ankle surgery.

However, Ferguson confirmed Berbatov is fit again and is also considering whether to hand Ronaldo a place in his side at Stamford Bridge.

Ferguson is without suspended defender Nemanja Vidic, while England goalkeeper Ben Foster is out for six to eight weeks with ankle ligament damage suffered in a reserve team match against Blackburn Rovers on Thursday night.

foot injury

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is in contention to play for 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Luiz Felipe Scolari could start him and take him off in the Barclays Premier League match, or put the Ivory Coast international on the bench.

Michael Ballack has recovered from a foot injury but has only trained properly this week. Michael Essien is a long-term absentee.

squads

Chelsea: Cech, Hilario, A Cole, Carvalho, Terry, Bosingwa, Lampard, J Cole, Mikel, Malouda, Deco, Anelka, Drogba, Di Santo, Ballack, Ferreira, Kalou, Alex, Belletti, Bridge.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, Neville, R Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, O'Shea, Evra, F Da Silva, Ronaldo, Nani, Hargreaves, Anderson, Possebon, Fletcher, Park, Giggs, Tevez, Rooney, Berbatov, Manucho, Welbeck.

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Tevez: We'll Show Them Why We're Champions

2008-09-21T13:41:00.001+08:00

Carlos Tevez has come out with some fighting words ahead of Manchester United's trip to face title rivals Chelsea on Sunday.

The Red Devils have recorded just four points out of a possible nine thus far in the Premier League, with just one win from their opening six matches overall. To make matters worse, Chelsea are already firing on all cylinders and are going to be the team to beat in England on early evidence.

"OK, so we have not started as well as we would have liked, but that will all change this Sunday," Tevez told the Daily Star.

"At Stamford Bridge the real champions will be on show. We all know that Chelsea are out for revenge for what happened in Moscow, but that will cause some anxiety for them.

Should Chelsea get the better of the reigning champions on Sunday, like Liverpool did last weekend, then the Stamford Bridge side will stretch their lead over United to nine points, and the Red Devils will be languishing in the lower reaches of the bottom half of the table. The Argentine striker is having none of it though.

"They will see a reaction from United this weekend. We are not champions for nothing. The match in London is important, but it is not decisive. The winner will receive a huge boost, but that will be it."

United have an ace up his sleeve in the form of fit-again Ronaldo, who played his first game of the season against Villarreal on Wednesday. And Tevez believes the Portuguese winger will prove his worth with a stand-out performance against the Pensioners.

"The return of Ronaldo is crucial for us and is a problem for Chelsea," Tevez added. "The Blues defence will need to take so much care with him that he creates space for everybody else.

"He gives us so much more power in attack. If Chelsea already think they are on their way to winning the title, they are mistaken."
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Chelsea vs Manchester United

2008-09-21T11:37:00.003+08:00

Boss: We can win at the Bridge

Despite United’s slow start and Chelsea’s incredible home record – 84 games since the Blues’ last league defeat at Stamford Bridge – Sir Alex insists his side can return to Manchester with all three points on Sunday.

“It’s not a daunting task for Manchester United to go to Stamford Bridge,” he said. “Not with the ability we have in this team. Chelsea respect that. They know we can win there.

“We don’t want to be nine points behind Chelsea, or anyone else, at this stage of the season. We know we’ve got a big job to do on Sunday and the players will be up for it.”

Sir Alex says Chelsea aren’t quite the force they were at the end of last season when the Blues outplayed United at the Bridge to win 2-1. Certainly, the Reds boss believes there are chinks in their once almost impenetrable armour.

“They’re a little different now without Claude Makalele, who was a very important cog in their machine. And the athleticism and power of Michael Essien is missing at the moment.”

But while Essien – injured on international duty – is ruled out until February, Chelsea possess a new midfielder, and one Sir Alex even considered buying in 2004.

“We did look at Deco when he was at Porto,” the Reds manager revealed. “If you remember, he went to Barcelona for a very large sum of money – it was a fee we didn’t want to get involved in. Plus we had Paul Scholes anyway.

“But he’s a nice footballer – there’s no question about that. He’s a different kind of midfielder to the type Chelsea have had previously. He’s diminutive and clever…

“He’s made a little difference to the way Chelsea play, although I wouldn’t say he’s made them any more effective – they’ve always been effective.”

When asked if he was excited about the prospect of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov together at Stamford Bridge, Sir Alex revealed he was more interested in picking up three points.

“I’m excited about getting my first real win of the season,” he said. “We beat Portsmouth at Fratton Park but we want to get a real good win and get the show on the road again.

“We have a collection of talents here at the club and I have to make sure I pick the right ones. You can’t dismiss the contribution of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez – not with the form they’ve been in.

“It’s fair to say I’ve got selection problems for Sunday – the right kind, mind you.”

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Chelsea v.s Manchester United Preview

2008-09-20T21:12:00.002+08:00

Manchester United go in to the big game on Sunday not having lost back to back Premier League games since November 2001 - ironically a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at home whereas Chelsea have not lost at home since a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in 2004.

United will want to bounce back after the poor performance last weekend which resulted in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool. Chelsea will also want to get their revenge for last season when United went on to beat the Londoners both on the domestic stage and the European stage.

Chelsea will be without Michael Essien, who picked up an injury playing for Ghana and will miss most of the season, but will be with John Terry, who although was sent off last week - won an appeal in the week to allow him to play in the week. The skipper, who missed the penalty that would have won Chelsea the European Cup last season, brought down Manchester City forward Jo on the half way line - which at the time was deemed a sending off offense.

United could well start with both Berbatov and Ronaldo. Ronaldo came off the bench in the 0-0 draw with Spanish outfit Villarreal whilst Berbatov missed the game through injury. United fans will be concerned with their lack of fitness, however will hope for a good performance from the players. One player that will miss the game though through suspension will be Nemanja Vidic, who was sent off at Anfield last weekend. Sir Alex Ferguson is undecided as to who he should replace Vidic with - Brown or Evans. If Brown, Neville will fit in at full back - if Evans is selected again it will probably be Neville at full back if he feels ok after the midweek game.

United last beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in in 2002 with a 3-0 win. Paul Scholes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruud VanNistelrooy were on the score sheet that day. In the Premier League, the clubs have met 32 times with United winning nine times, Chelsea ten and thirteen draws.

The game should be a cagey, close affair with Chelsea going in as favourites. United really need to kick start their season and getting a point at Chelsea should be considered a decent result in the circumstances. A lot will depend on the fitness of Michael Ballack, who has recovered from a foot injury and could well start on Saturday - especially considering how Scholes and Anderson were hurried off the ball last weekend. Ballack was in impressive form towards the end of last and scored a header against United at Stamford Bridge.

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Tevez: I Never Want To Leave United

2008-09-20T14:16:00.001+08:00

Carlos Tevez has revealed that he is loving life at Manchester United and insisted he wants to pen a career-long deal with the club

Tevez arrived at Old Trafford last year amid some controversy, with United taking the Argentine forward on loan from a third party yet avoiding the legal problems West Ham endured after signing him the year before.

The 24-year-old has flourished in the North West, forging a brilliant understanding with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and ending his second season in England with 19 goals and a bucketload of assists.

Hence, Sir Alex Ferguson is eager to tie up a permanent deal for the former Corinthians man, even though Media Sports Investment (Tevez's owners) are thought to be demanding around £34million.

And the Albicelestes star is delighted at the prospect of inking a long-term contract with the Red Devils, insisting he wants to remain with the club for the rest of his career.

Tevez told The Sun: “I cannot ever imagine leaving Manchester.

“I am in the perfect situation. My family is settled and very happy in England and my relationship with the club is perfect.

“Patrice Evra is my closest friend but the feeling I get from all the players is something I’ve not experienced before. I want to get the contract sorted and play for United for the rest of my career.”

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Evans Set To Feature Against Chelsea

2008-09-19T13:04:00.004+08:00

Mancheser United's young defender Jonny Evans is set to start the side's Premier League clash with Chelsea after impressing Sir Alex Ferguson midweek.

The 20-year old looked solid alongside Rio Ferdinand in the heart of the Red Devils' defence as Ferguson's men got their Champions League campaign underway against Villarreal on Wednesday.

With Nemanja Vidic suspended for the clash between last season's champions and runners-up due to his sending off against Liverpool, Evans has proved to be a popular alternative to partnering Ferdinand in the centre, and Ferguson was particularly impressed with the youngster's maturity.

“Nemanja Vidic is suspended and that’s why I played Jonny,” the manager told Sky Sports

The manager added on MUTV: “He was unlucky to hit the inside of the post in the second half and he had another header that went just by the post.

“But he did very well. He’s a young lad and had good experience on loan last season at Sunderland. He’s only 20 but shows great composure, is a good passer of the ball and reads the game very well. We’re pleased with his progress.”

Chelsea's own defence has been boosted by the news that John Terry's dismissal against Manchester City has been revoked, a decision that angered Ferguson who felt it displayed favouritism towards the the west Londoners.
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Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo warns Chelsea 'bullies' to stay clear

2008-09-19T13:04:00.002+08:00

The Manchester United attacker made his first team return on Wednesday from a two-month ankle lay-off, coming on as a substitute against Spanish outfit Villarreal in the Champions League.

The Portugal international is expected to be named on the bench again for the trip to Stamford Bridge to face his former national team boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, with his manager Sir Alex Ferguson cautious to start him so soon after recovering his summer-long injury following surgery in July.

But whether he starts or comes on as a substitute, Ronaldo has told Chelsea he is prepared for whatever defence they have against him.

"I'll do my damage as usual by paying them all back with my goals," said Ronaldo, who won the coveted European Balloon D'or prize after scoring 42 goals last term.

"I know that the attempts to intimidate me on the pitch will start again immediately – but everyone finds sooner or later that it is difficult to make me lose my rag.

"I'll be booted again but I will not kick out when it happens. I'm tough and, again, it's all just part of the spectacle."

United have not endured the best of starts to the Premier League this season, taking four points in their opening three contests, but Ronaldo is not concerned by the form of the Champions and expects Sir Alex Ferguson's men to swiftly embark froward – as they did last year, celebrating both the Premier League and Champions League success.

He said: "There's no problem at all with our form. Last year we started like this, look how we ended up

If United lose, however, on Sunday, they will drop nine points behind their title rivals, Chelsea. But midfielder Darren Fletcher believes Ronaldo's return can galvanise the rest of the squad to get their season going.

Speaking to The Sun this morning, the Scotland international said: "Ronaldo is the best player in the world and any team would miss him.

"Obviously, it was the first game since his injury and he's got back quicker than was expected. That's down to his dedication and professionalism.

"He came on, had a chance and he looked sharp. Hopefully, he can kick-start our season."

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Man Utd

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Report: Manchester United To Sign Corinthians' Dodo

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Dimitar Berbatov Discounts Arsenal As A Threat

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Ferguson Compares Manchester United's Porto Task To 1999

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Spalletti: Rooney Would Be The Perfect Striker For Roma

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Player Ratings: Porto 0-1 Manchester United

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Cristiano Ronaldo Wondergoal Sees Manchester United Through

A stunning 40-yard goal from Cristiano Ronaldo was enough to see Manchester United past FC Porto and into last four of the Champions League at the Estádio do Dragão.

FC Porto 0-1 Manchester United

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Sir Alex Ferguson Warns Cristiano Ronaldo Over His Petulance

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Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool

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Early goals in each half from Nemanja Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo saw Manchester United through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Goal.com rates the performers...

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Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney is doubtful for this weekend's Premier League clash with Balckburn Rovers, but should be fit for England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

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Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur

What: Barclays Premier League, Matchday 34
Who: Manchester United (1st, 74 pts/96 pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (9th, 44 pts/99 pts)
When: Saturday, 25th April, 17:30 BST
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United 3-1 Middlesbrough

An opportunistic 79th minute strike from Ryan Giggs saw Manchester United pip Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening, after Adam Johnson had cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo's opener. Nani made it 3-1 in the 93rd minute to add insult to injury.