The party atmosphere of the first half quickly turned nervy as United hold on for a 3-2 victory to knockout City in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. This match highlighted practically every single Red Devil strength and weakness all in one match.
First, lets revel in the strengths.
Sir Alex got the tactics spot-on with Rooney dropping back into an attacking midfield position, arguably his best position on the pitch, Smalling at center-half with Jones moving wide right, and Welbeck alone upfront, where his size, pace, and ever-improving first touch causes opponents headaches.
Second, United’s attack from wide areas was sublime in the first half, especially the service provided by Valencia on the right, where Kolarov was beaten like a rented mule.
The single-and-critical pass of the entire match came from Antonio’s inch-perfect cross that Rooney adroitly nodded off the underside of the cross-bar to make it 1-0 on the Red’s first real foray into the blue half of the pitch.
The Valencia/Jones and Evra/Nani combination provide the best option to pull defenses apart for United at the moment.
Third, the Red Devils were lethal in front of goal early with Rooney’s aforementioned header and Welbeck’s volley oozing with class. Once United went up 2-0 City were fortunate to only be down 3-0 at half, as Ferguson’s men could have easily been up by four or more.
At half, the discussion revolved around damage control for City, as nobody really thought they stood a chance of making it a game, given the man-advantage and form of the Reds.
But, up steps United’s weaknesses in Technicolor.
First, the Reds make the cardinal mistake of conceding a goal very early in the second half from a set piece just off the area on United’s left-hand side, which immediately lifts City’s play and provides a glimmer of hope for Mancini’s men.
Scoring in the first, say, 10 minutes of the second half is THE only way back in the match the blue moon; otherwise, this match surly ends by a two-or-more-goal differential to United.
Second, the one goal also brings out shaky nerves from the entire back line, especially from Evra, at fault for the foul on Kolarov’s goal and whose knack for getting pulled out of position has become real Achilles heal for the back line.
Too often either Rio of Lindegaard can be seen screaming at the wayward Frenchman, who seems to need some sort of positional shock-collar to hold shape in these matches, or to borrow Gary Neville’s quip about Sideshow Bob, he sometimes plays like he’s controlled by a 10-year-old using a joystick on a Play Station.
Third, Sir Alex’s lack of depth and form in the midfield hath brought Scholesy out of retirement to provide extra cover, leading to all sorts of questions about finances as well as confidence in the current squad.
What must Anderson and Park be thinking when Scholes enters the match before them in the 59th minute?
What did you think seeing Scholesy wearing an unfamiliar number twenty-two as he takes the pitch for his first action all season?
At first glance, surly, happiness for the Reds to see the man who scores goals, yet a twinge of fear because of his potentially poor form and tackling ability in a cauldron of a match. A HUGE gamble by the gaffer, surly crossed many a mind amidst the joy of seeing the ginger-haired-assassin.
Scholes’ ability to play keep-ball paid dividends in the last ten minutes, but bringing him on with 30+ minutes to play proved too risky, as his turnover ultimately led to City making it 3-2 with 25 now-edgy minutes left in the contest.
Thus, even Ferguson got his substitutions out of order, as you wonder if Anderson had come on first and Scholes second, would United have conceded another goal? We’ll never know, but the risk-reward-ratio seemed out-of-whack even for the most die-hard Sir Alex supporter.
Ultimately, though, United did win a huge match to knockout the title-holding, noisy neighbors after two horrible matches.
Full credit goes to the Reds and Rooney for the victory. The number ten answered his critics on a huge stage and demonstrated why he’s a world-class player, as he willed United into the lead with their first opportunity and emphatically kissed the Red Devil Crest yet again in front of City supporters.
So, United move on to the FA Cup’s fourth round at Anfield after ending City’s bid for silverware – a brilliant, brilliant outcome despite the nervy journey.
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Back at you after the Bolton match. Cheers.
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