They said Villa was fast becoming a fortress. They said Villa would at least snatch a point off United if not all three. And by the half time whistle, all of those voices had been silenced! Little had they realized Villa had been beaten by United in their last 19 or so meetings in all competitions. And this time it wasn't going to be any different. The young Villa team had to succumb to the quality United possessed.The match began in a lively fashion, with the confident Villa team which possesses great pace upfront, making it very clear they were going for a victory. You have to commend Martin O'Neil for blooding youngsters like Agbanlahor, Young and Moore all of whom are very lively and that makes their team quite a handful at times. And that showed right away, with Villa putting a lot of pressure on United early in the first half. It also yielded them a great result - they were in front when Agbanlahor headed off a teasing cross from Young. Villa kept probing and they could have been 2-0 up so easily, at least on two occasions. That seemed to have spurred up United. And what a way they came back into the match. In about 10 mins, the game was turned on it's head and completely in favour of United. Nani, who looked very sharp throughout, put in a neat cross for Rooney to waded through a seemingly "sleeping" Villa defence and tap in for an equalizer. Minutes later, Tevez's had a probing run through defenders to find Rooney with some space, and Rooney responded with a clever finish. And in the dying moments of the first half, Rio Ferdinand's innocuous looking shot at goal was kicked into the Villa net by their own defender. Suddenly, it looked like game over!
Second half saw Villa's worries only get accentuated. Rio Coker was sent off for a second yellow and their goal-keeper red-carded for bringing down Tevez. Amazingly, Rooney missed the penalty, in turn denying himself a hat-trick. Yet, United just seemed to be making merry against a nine-man Villa. Giggs got his first goal of the season off a deflection. Rooney could have got at least two more goals, albeit with some luck. Tevez too had a few chances. Most of second half action looked life a walk in the park for United.
In the end, it was a great victory - simply because we scored 4 goals coming from behind and away, against a team which has been doing very well at home. The highlight of the match for me was the way Tevez-Rooney partnership worked. It was delightful to watch two of the most creative players in the league create chance after chance for each other. Their one-two's are a treat to watch. And with time, they're only going to improve and will be more dangerous. Though Tevez did spurn a few chances, he more than played his part at the front. Nani was another player who looked very comfortable, an effort worth appreciation as he was filling in for Ronaldo. Pique looked good at the back too. And we can surely bank on the talented defender whenever situations demand his role.
Keep it going United!
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