United on top, Scholes remains top dog

Manchester United have climbed to the top of the table by beating Stoke City at the Britannia stadium. United dominated the match and most of the play was played in the final third United’s pitch. The old guards, Giggs and Scholes, once again tunred on the screws, rolled back the years and helped their side gain three points after Chelsea lost their first game of the season, rather unexpectedly, against Wigan.

Highlights of Man United vs Stoke City

Highlights of Chelsea vs Wigan Athletic

Tony Pulis in the post match interview quipped that Scholes was the best player on the pitch by a country mile and the latest premier league statistics back that up revealing the astronomical passing percentage that Scholes has. Times ran an article stating how Scholes still remains the premier mid-field maestro in the league

Scholes remains top dog

Derby Delight for United

Goals and Highlights of Manchester Derby

It was not just a game of three points, it was not just any other derby game between the Manchester teams, this was a game to show intent, to gain an upper hand, bragging rights in Manchester. For all the hype created prior to the fixture, it did not disappoint one bit, did it?There were heated pre-match exchanges between both the camps, one trying to dismiss another, the other trying to stand up to be counted. Whilst Sir Alex called City ‘noisy neighbours’, Mark Hughes warned Sir Alex that he would help City knock United off their perch.

United started brightly, opened the scoring within the first two minutes. Evra caught City’s defense unaware and Rooney showed his strength to brush of two challenges to slot home his sixth goal of the season. After that, it was all about United and really looked up for it until a Ben Foster howler which allowed City to get back in the game. Foster has the talent to challenge for United’s and England’s No.1 jersey but he isn’t doing himself any favours by committing such school boy errors. He has the tendency to make a howler for every three good saves. City were gifted a goal and their three man mid-field started to get a hold of the mid-field. De-Jong and Barry were able to influence the flow of the game from there on in the first half. Chances were fluffed at both ends and the easiest undoubtedly fell to Tevez. He had a full view of the goal but could not find the target as he hit the post. That was a moment that vindicated Sir Alex’s decision to let him go, for all the terrier like attributes that he possess, he lacks real quality in front of the goal to demand such high fees and wages.

United started the second half as they did in the first, scored through a Darren Fletcher header. But United’s lax defending once more allowed City back into the game. To Bellamy’s credit, it was a screamer but a shot which should have been blocked in the first place. Bellamy is a right-footed player and O’shea should have closed him down and allowed him to run down the left. United got right back at City and the introduction of Valencia brought more directness to their play. Valencia pinned back Bridge and this stretched Man City’s mid-field as Ireland and De-Jong had to venture on the wide positions. Evra and Giggs, who was outstanding, created havoc on the left side. United played through the middle in the first half and were over run by City’s mid-field. Giggs started to hug the touch line in the second half and that stretched City which inturn allowed Fletcher and Anderson to boss the mid-field. Giggs bombarded City’s defense with cross after cross and United should have wraped up the match but for Given’s saves from Berbatov. Fletcher found the net again thanks to a pin-point cross from Giggs. That should have sealed all the three points for United. Rio Ferdinand, this time, made the howler which were associated with his West-Ham days and presented Bellamy with a chance to equalize. City were delighted with the equalizer and decided to settle for a point, they kept hoofing the ball into United’s half. Inexperience and cowardice cost them. Giggs brilliantly found Owen at the edge of the box in injury time and Owen duly obliged coming up with a wonderful finish in a nervy situation. He was bought to finish off matches under such situations and that is any player’s true worth not the transfer fee that they demand.

As Sir Alex described, it definitely was the best derby ever and one to savour for the United fans.

Owen stole the headlines but the stars of the day were undoubtedly Fletcher and Giggs. Giggs was by far the best player on the pitch that day. He rolled back the years and delighted the fans with his mazy runs. He skinned Richards, fourteen years junior to Giggs, time and again. If Giggs continues the season the way he started it, one wonders if he might win the player of the year award again this year.

Community Shield Review

Chelsea clinch this season’s community shield in a nervy and controversial contest at the New Wembley and also get their first victory against United in a penalty shoot out. Though the Shield has always been viewed as a glorified friendly, it gives a good indication as to how the teams would shape up for the following season.

Manchester United started the proceedings well and dominated Chelsea for the better of the first half. Losing Ronaldo did not take the sharpness in their attacking play as they could get behind Chelsea’s defence repeatedly and would have wrapped up the match bar the profligacy of the United players and the superb saves from Cech. Nani looked like a man possessed and was out there to stake his claim as the ‘New Ronaldo’. He put United into lead with a blistering drive after beating his man Ivanovic who had a torrid time dealing the Nani-Evra axis before being substituted at half time. United dominated the mid-field rendering Lampard to be a peripheral figure for Chelsea. Rooney- Berba partnership looked promising and linked well with Nani and Park.

Chelsea got into the game in the second half with retaining possession and controlling the mid-field. Ancelotti replaced Ivanovic with Bosingwa and that mitigated the threat caused down the left flank by Nani and Evra. Lampard got more involved as the clock ticked by and Anelka found himself in good positions down the left flank. Chelsea got their first goal courtesy to a number of reasons, Drogba’s presence in the box, Foster’s inability to punch out the ball clear and Nani’s lax defending in not following Carvalho’s run into the box. Chelsea got a hold of the match after their first goal and controlled the proceedings until a controversial incident which marred an otherwise fair game. Moments before Lampard celebrated the second goal, Ballack had gown down from an innocuous shoulder barge from Evra and Chris Foy stopped play when Evra found himself in a dangerous position. Chris Foy, comically though, decided to let the play continue when Ballack intentionally elbowed Evra in his face moments later which in turn led to Chelsea attackers finding themselves 3 against 2 at the edge of United’s box. The decision looks even more controversial when the replays show that the incident happened right in front of Chris Foy. So much for the referees’ consistency and so much for the ‘Respect Campaign’.

That sparked some of the United players who were mediocre at best until then in the second half. Rooney came up with a fine finish in injury time after being put clear by a superb through ball from Giggs. That equalizer took the match to the penalty shoot outs and sub par kicks from Giggs and Evra had ensured that Chelsea lifted the Community Shield for the 09/10 season.

Community Shield goals and penalties