Aston Villa 0 : 0 Man United

Man United had their first goal-less encounter this season at the Villa Park courtesy of a defiant display by the resurgent Aston Villa. It was a late kick-off and with that United had the chance to take advantage of knowing the results of its title rivals - this time fortunately there were stalemates both at Stamford Bridge and Anfield. And United had a golden chance to cut the gap by taking full points against a team that hasn't won at home against United for the last 15 years! But it wasn't going to be as easy as the history suggested. Aston Villa were coming off a confident 2-0 win against Arsenal and have looked like serious contenders to break into the top-four this season.

Well, when you're talking about Man United having a goalless draw, you're bound to think that they might have missed a number of chances. But it wasn't the case. Aston Villa looked ever so resurgent. It was a match that really didn't have too many easy chances. It was a hard-fought game with both teams wrestling for possession and I have to say United didn't look the most comfortable side they're used to be. To make matters worse, United had a forward line consisting of Rooney, who'd just come off a 10-day illness break and Carlos Tevez who was filling in for the injured Berbatov and both were looking quite off the pace. Add to that, Ronaldo wasn't allowed to play with any freedom as he was double-marked by Reo Coker and Milner. Villa's strength in this match was their ability to close United's players and almost choked United from playing their natural free-style game.

Agbonlahor perhaps had the best chance for Villa in the first half, which was really a half chance according to me while United's was a Ronaldo strike from about 25 yards that really tested Brad Friedal. Second half was not much different. United pressed hard for a goal. Rooney had the best chance of the match when he could have volleyed Carrick's smart overhead pass, but the not-so-fit forward hardly troubled the goal-keeper with his shot. No goals notwithstanding, most of the match was played with quite some flair by both the sides, specially in the mid-field but they lacked the vision to take it into the opponent's penalty box and come up with one last killer ball. The match ultimately ended in a goal-less stalemate, which almost seemed to be the order of the day.

Arsenal 2 : 1 United

Well United have floundered again. Football is a funny game. The whole week preceding
the big match at the Emirates, none of the so-called experts in the ESPN panel thought Arsenal would get anything out of the game. And they pretty much had enough reasons to think so. But look what's happened now - Arsenal have come out with an almost resounding victory.

United have had a raw deal with the fixtures this season. A tough game following each of their 6 league games in the Champions' league. It was obviously going to be a tough task to travel back from a tough fixture at Celtic last wednesday to play early on Saturday against Arsenal. Yes, Arsenal had a rather poor start to their season. But how can you completely rule out a team like Arsenal in such a high-profile fixture.

The game had a quirky slowness to it at the start unlike the last year when both teams played at a frenetic pace throughout the 90 minutes. Arsenal didn't look like a team that was missing quite a few of their key players. But it was United which could have had their noses in front had Wayne Rooney taken a couple of chances that fell his way.

It was Samir Nasri who opened the scoring for Arsenal around 22nd minute and Arsenal seemed to be running high after that point. United looked to bounce back with some good attacking play but lacked a killer last ball. They looked quite dangerous on the numerous corners they had garnered but to no avail. When play started in the second half, Arsenal scored 3 minutes later through a beatifully created goal, again through Nasri, this time the Frenchman coming up with a thunderous strike past Van der Sar. United pressed for goals all through the rest of the match.
The game had some of the most beautiful football played with the game becoming a complete end to end affair. While United just couldn't get a convincing chance for most part, Arsenal had plenty of chances on the counter-attack to put the game to bed but they failed to take any. United ultimately had to concede defeat in the end. United's only consolation was a Rafael goal in the injury time. The 18-year old's goal was a treat to watch!

It's been that kind of a season for United. They've looked better than last season on paper. And they've dominated all of the matches they've played and yet dropped lot of points. Not converting most of the chances created has been the real worrying part. Inspite of the addition of Berbatov and the fine form Rooney has been in, we somehow have let games slip and not recovered well enough under pressure. Though we've had most of the difficult games early in the season (we've finished playing the rest of top-four away from home already), it's a pain to see us 5 points off the league leaders at this point in the season. United have to keep themselves hungry for more and not rest on the success of the last 2 seasons to be in shape to gain anything this season. We also need to find a better way of accomodating the 3 strikers in the squad - Tevez has been an absentee for most part and I believe he needs to be give more starts so that he remains fresh and hungry for goals. Aging Van der Sar's form is another cause for concern, because he's not been looking too effective in front of the goal and is quite prone to errors. We've got a lot of work to do!

United 4 : 3 Hull City

How funny football can be! Hull City, who were promoted to Premier League from the Championship after a 104 year gap had been ruling the roost being the giant killers of the season untill they ran into Chelsea at home, where they were beaten quite comprehensively a few days back. And last night when United had thought that they had pretty much put their encounter with Hull, at home, to bed the unthinkable almost showed up - Hull scored two goals and gave United a real scare. And honestly, I had breathed a huge sigh of relief when United ended the game with all 3 points.

Hull have been a revelation this season. Being the last team to qualify through play-offs (The top 2 teams from Championship qualify directly while play-offs involving the third to sixth placed clubs decide who takes the third slot), they've enjoyed brilliant success beating the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal away. And what more, they had come to Old Trafford on an undefeated away run! Going into this game, they fielded a side that suggested they were not going to be daunted by the task of taking on the European champions at their home. United pretty much fielded their strongest side, suggesting they were not taking the Tigers any easy. But inspite of all that, one somehow knew it wasn't going to be tough for United. And that's how it panned out, at least 3 minutes into the game. Ronaldo had his first shot on goal and it was 1-nill with hardly any sweat dropped.

Ronaldo just looked like he was carrying on from where he had left againts West Ham. But with a goal up so early, United did what Sir Alex has been talking them against, dropping their guard. They seemed to be doing just that, taking things easy and that paved way for a Hull revival. Cousin, their record signing came up with a brilliant header to make the match really interesting. That equalizer woke up United a little and they were up pushing hard for the lead. And at Old Trafford, when United does that, they invariably score which is just what happened. Carrick joined the thick of the action and his shot found the inside of the bar and into the net it went. It was business as usual for United from then on. Ronaldo scored his second on 44th minute, this time of a set-piece, a well directed corner from Nani. So things looked pretty much hunky- dory for United at the break.

Second half saw United making it 4-1 with Nemanja Vidic being the scorer this time, again through a set-piece, a Rooney corner. Usually when United are playing with such a scoreline against their names, specially at Old Trafford, a victory is just a matter of eventuality. But for a change it wasn't to be . United again seemed to drop their guard and consequently ended up conceding soft goals. First it was Edwin Van der Sar who needlessly came off his line to stop the Hull City sub Mendy, who brilliantly chipped the ball over him for a goal. Then it was Rio Ferdinand who clumsily brought down Mendy inside the box to result in a Giovanni penalty. Giovanni, the wily Brazilian who has a nack of scoring goals against United, converted the penalty and suddenly there was a scare at Old Trafford with about 10 minutes to go. Hull valiantly put their numbers forward in search of an equalizer. But United somehow clung on to slender lead. And I have to tell you, the last few moments made for quite a nervous viewing.

I guess United have shown that they can get quite complacent at times, specially against the so called weaker sides. This season, it has resulted in United dropping quite a few points. The loss against Liverpool, draws at Everton and Chelsea had all seen United leading at some point in time and then conceding goals. May be it's something that's set in as a result of being champions last two seasons and it's something we really have to curb. Nonetheless, in the hindsight United did score 4 brilliant goals and looked on top most of the time. Ronaldo was just brilliant. Anderson again was excellent in the midfield. Rooney looked a shade out of touch but could still have had goals and was hardworking anyway.

There were interesting results elsewhere. Tottenham came back from behind to win against league leaders Liverpool, which was such good news to hear. Liverpool being looked at as title challengers is a little ambitious and we all know they have a tendency to drop points as the season progresses. That result, after Chelsea's loss to Liverpool at the Bridge means United are effectively just 2 points adrift of the league leaders. It's Arsenal away next weekend. And what a match that could be, given that Arsenal could be hungry for points after suffering another humiliating defeat, this time at Stoke.

United 2 : 0 West Ham

Well, it was as good as a walk in the park for United last night. Two first half goals from "that boy" Ronaldo were enough to seal the fate of West Ham in what was easily a one-sided affair minus the goal riot.

West Ham were missing several key players including Dean Ashton, their premier striker and once a United target. They've had a lot of good players leaving early this season including Bobby Zamora and the influential midfielder Nobby Solano. What more, Alan Curbishley has been replaced by Franco Zola at the managerial post. Add to that, they'd been on a 3 match losing streak coming to Manchester which meant that they'd never look like a threat to United. For United, Tevez started alongside Berbatov with Rooney sitting on the bench.

The match was fought and won well within the first half. United looked to terrorise the Hammers right from the start, typical of such games at Old Trafford. Nani looked brilliant to start with on the left and so did Ronaldo, almost playing like a co-striker. The first goal came as early as the 14th minute as United heaped pressure on the West Ham defense with Ronaldo poaching on a Nani cross to put it smartly past the West Ham keeper Green.
The second goal was an absolute treat, with a touch of Berbatov genius written all over it.
An Anderson pass seemed to be going well past the touchline which Berbatov brilliantly stepped over and took it past the covering defender. He then made a lazy run into the West Ham box and put it in the path of Ronaldo who had a tap-in to make from about 3 yards!
The goals came inside the 30th minute and the match seemed to be over by then. Though United kept creating more and more chances, they didn't really capitalize on them.

United looked pretty laid back in the second half, as pointed out by Sir Alex in his post match conference or there could so easily have been a goal feast. Yet, 3 points in the kitty, to erase the disappointment of Goodison Park was enough at the end of the day.
Among the performances, Anderson for me was the most impressive in the mid-field. It looked as if he was running the show all the time with most of United's attacks being orchestrated by him from the mid-field. What a replacement we have for Scholes! Young Rafeal looked good on the right-back but was a touch disappointing. Tevez didn't have much to do after having his first start in the last 7 games.

My Man of the Match : Christiano Ronaldo

United 4 : 0 West Brom

West Brom were easily the weakest opposition United were facing this season. But that didn't really guarantee United a walk in the park. Because West Brom haven't exactly been easy pushovers in the Premier League. They've were promoted as Championship winners, they were a side known to play quality attacking football and what more, they were just one point shy of United's tally befor kick-off! Nonetheless, given United's rise in terms of results and the confidence after a difficult start, a goal-feast was not a unfair expectation from the Red Devils at Old Trafford against a side like West Brom.

United were off their blocks quickly and were looking to score every time they went forward. Rooney had been in great form for club and country recently and he only seemed to be carrying on as the game progressed. He came up with a sublime finish inside the first half but was denied of that goal by the ref who thought he had brought down a defender before scoring - something that looked like a very harsh decision. Nevertheless, United kept pressing for lead with some typical good attacking display. Rooney had couple more chances before half time, but failed to capitalise - first his header was kept out by the Baggies keeper Carsson while in another instance he couldn't only come up with a tame shot while a decent one could have fetched hime a goal. But you could see that the Englishman was dictating play all through the game like a mid-field maestro - even Ronaldo wasn't exerting half the amount of influence.

Second half wasn't too different. United kept pressing for the first goal. The first did come - around the hour mark and through none other than Wayne Rooney himself. He made a brilliant run from the left and cut in and thundered a shot past a wrong-footed Carsson. That was enough to open the flood gates. United went on to score 3 more goals from there with Rooney was the provider for the two of those goals. The second was scored by Ronaldo who made a brilliant run past the West Brom back-four to intercept a smart Rooney through-ball. Berbatov came up with a brilliant reflex goal to score the third, something he made look ominously easy. And Nani scored the fourth on the counter-attack, this time Rooney again being the provider.

So, in the end it was quite a comprehensive victory for the title holders with an ominous score-line. The match was probably all about Rooney with him looking in such brilliant form - both in scoring goals and dictating the play in the opposition box. His performance eclipsed other good performances - Fletcher was brilliant in the mid-field along with Giggs who looked completely at easy playing as a central midfielder. Ronaldo and Berbatov chipped in too while the defense didn't have anything close to even a tough time.
With Chelsea and Liverpool securing good victories, the fight in the top four is becoming really well-contested, especially with Liverpool winning crucial, hard-fought matches. But the good thing for United is we have played two of our toughest away matches already!

Blackburn 0 : 2 United

Blackburn have been a side on a bit of a slide. With one of their best managers Mark Hughes gone and a few of their best players last season absent they haven't been in the best of form this season. So, inspite of United having a not-so-impressive record at Ewood Park, I somehow knew it wasn't going to be a difficult task for United to comeback with all 3 points.

The good news at the start of the game was the surprise inclusion of Wayne Rooney in the starting eleven as he was considered doubtful for the past few days. But he was being played on the right with Berbatov and Giggs upfront - yet another experiment from Sir Alex! But that hardly mattered given the impressive movement United players produced for most of the match which meant Rooney would enjoy quite a time in front of the Rovers' goal. United were on their way right from the start and the team seemed almost like a set combination with the likes of Berbatov and Ronaldo seemingly more comfortable. Unlike the last time, Rooney looked much more comfortable playing on the right this time in coordination with Brown who had some great runs as the match progressed. The first few chances of the match fell to Vidic and Fletcher, both of whom had bright chances to open the scoring but were not successful. Blackburn weren't too defensive to say the least - Santa Cruz and Derbyshire made some pretty impressive runs into the United defense, the latter came close to scoring early on only to be denied by Van der Saar.

United looked more and more potent as the first half progressed, inspite of rainy conditions. And they deservedly got the first goal on the 30th minute - Rooney's incisive cross found Browne at its end to head it in past a distracted Rovers' keeper Jason Browne. Though there were appeals against the goal they weren't heeded to, much to the dismay of the home team. With a goal scored, United's game seemed to have progressed into another level. It won't be unfair to say that the Blackburn goal was a scene of constant bombardment from then on!

Second half was no different for United. Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov looked at their menacing best. Ronaldo, who seems to have regained full fitness made some great runs but didn't have that razer sharp finishing he seemed to possess in tons last season. Nevertheless, Ronaldo did succeed in having a hand, becoming the provider of the second goal which, by the way was an absolute beauty. He made a brilliant run on the right while Rooney made a smart run through defenders to intercept Ronaldo's pass and then came up with a sublime finish to find the roof of the net. Rooney could have had another, moments later, but his shot was agonisingly just over the bar. Tevez, who came on late into the match as a sub for Rooney also came close to scoring - but could only hit the post! Berbatov too came close to scoring - he missed a good chance to add to his tally. United could have had so many more. And in the end, the tally of 2 probabaly didn't do United the justice their game deserved!

So the saga of United's flight to the top continues. The team is looking more and more settled with every game. Everybody who's coming in is producing brilliant football - like Brown did in this game! It's hard to find any negatives in United's armoury right now - a sound defense, robust midfield - even in the absence of Carrick, Hargreaves and Scholes! and an enviable attack. The bench strength is another asset we possess at this point in time. I guess, United will go from strength to strength from here on. We are a team on song!!!

Man Of the Match : Wayne Rooney

United 2 : 0 Bolton

United
(Ronaldo (pen) 60, Rooney 77)


The United bandwagon finally seems to be up and running. The first convincing victory of the season that, in the end, left fans like me asking for more.

I think, with the presence of 3 world class strikers in Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov and the possibility of just 2 of them getting to start, it's always a guessing game as to who'll start and who'll be benched! This time it was Berbatov and Tevez who got to start. Berbatov being a target man is bound to get more starts than Tevez and Rooney. With the difficult away fixtures over(which had caused United to be at 15 in the table before the start), United were expected to get back to winning ways. I'm sure that had put enough pressure on the United players. And teams like Bolton, who come to Old Trafford hoping to get a point at best, relish such situations and start with tight defensive formations. Ironically, it was Bolton who started the game brightly and kept good possession for the initial 10 minutes until United started to exert their influence on the game. To start with, some of the passing was a little rusty. And you could say the it was a team settling down, in terms of players getting to be comfortable with each other which meant we weren't as convincing inspite of the huge amount of possession. Our attacks, though bright, seemed to be lacking the tooth. Bolton on the other hand settled down to playing a defensive game and happy to break on the counter attack. Ronaldo, Anderson and Berbatov came close to scoring in the first half. But it was Bolton who could have had the lead, when Muamba found himself clear in front of the goal, with only Van der Saar to beat, but couldn't quite capitalize on that easy chance.

Come second half, United looked to be inching closer and closer to the goal. Ronaldo increasingly looked menacing. Berbatov also seemed to be coming into his own. But just as United were finding it frustrating to not find the net inspite of the chances created, the referee almost sympathized with us and awarded a penalty against Muamba, a decision which was described as "the most shocking in Premier League" by the commentator. Replays showed the defender to have won the ball! Ronaldo stepped in and coolly put it past Jaaskaleinen. With a goal in the kitty, the United players seemed to shed the nerves that seemed to be growing before the goal and settled down to entertain the crowd. At the hour mark, it was Scholes' and Rooney's turn to come in. And what a difference that made. United looked like scoring every time they attacked. The play looked trademark Old Trafford style. That phase saw Rooney score his first goal for United this season. A nice back-heel from Ronaldo helped Rooney cut in from right and put it into the corner with some ease! Though United couldn't really add more to the 2 goal lead, there was enough entertainment for the spectators to be go home happy. United's season was finally up and running.

Of the players, Evra was great all through the match, making menacing runs through Bolton on the left. Anderson was another player who looked superb - the Brazilian's passing sometimes was just beautiful. Ronaldo seems to be back into his form now. He was undboubtedly my man of the match. Another good thing was the sign that Berbatov is settling down. Though he didn't score any, he did come close. His combination with Rooney looked marvelous to say the least. Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were just brilliant when they came on. Things look so similar to last season for United -the initial struggle and the comeback later on. But this season has had a tough set of fixtures which means we're in better shape than the table suggests. From now on, it can only be trouble for other teams!

Man of the Match : Christiano Ronaldo