Animaniacfootball.blogspot.com - This was no way to prepare for a visit to the neighbours. Not when the game has now become the most significant Manchester derby in history; when Manchester United have somehow allowed what could have been their crowning moment to become what Sir Alex Ferguson now considers the 'decider'.
‘I can’t believe it,’ said an exasperated United manager afterwards.
If they perform like this Manchester City will certainly punish them, the quality of United’s defending costing them the advantage in this most intriguing of title races as well as victory against an Everton side inspired by the marvellous Marouane Fellaini.
‘I can’t believe it,’ said an exasperated United manager afterwards.If they perform like this Manchester City will certainly punish them, the quality of United’s defending costing them the advantage in this most intriguing of title races as well as victory against an Everton side inspired by the marvellous Marouane Fellaini.
Gary Neville called it ‘madness’ afterwards, and it was a fine way to describe an encounter United led 3-1 and then 4-2 until the 82nd minute.
When United scored their fourth, created by Danny Welbeck and converted by Wayne Rooney, Ferguson shook a clenched fist towards the Stretford End.
By the time Steven Pienaar had completed what had seemed an unlikely comeback, United’s manager must have wanted to thump a few people instead. In particular certain members of his back four.
Rafael Da Silva was dreadful; Jonny Evans not much better despite his recent rise in standards. United also lacked their usual finesse and fluency in midfield, as they did at Wigan. On this occasion, however, Paul Scholes was also poor, with Fellaini dominant.
Going forward United were terrific and the manner in which Rooney and Welbeck combined will give them confidence.
Neville likened them to ‘Yorke and Cole at their best’, a fair comparison and one that points to what they can offer England this summer.
But surgery is required at United after this, with Ferguson sure to consider Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in a reshuffled back four. Smalling for Rafael would certainly make sense. In 20 seasons of the Premier League United have never conceded more goals at Old Trafford. This was also the seventh time this season they have conceded three or more.
Clearly, the absence of Nemanja Vidic and their early-season difficulties with goalkeepers have taken their toll. But Ferguson will be in no mood to point to such excuses when the players who remain standing should have been good enough to cope with Everton.
As it was, they paid for a lacklustre opening half-an-hour with the first of two goals for Nikica Jelavic in the 33rd minute. It was a super looping header from Jelavic, just as it was a fine cross from Tony Hibbert, but it also owed much to Rafael’s failure to mark Everton’s Croatian striker in the first place.
United levelled within eight minutes, Rooney joining George Best and Dennis Viollet as the fourth highest scorer in United’s history. It was his 179th in 362 appearances, as he surged ahead of a hesitant Phil Neville to meet Nani’s cross with a glancing header.
It was also Rooney’s 32nd goal of the season, with the goal he scored in the second half taking him beyond Best and Viollet and one shy of Robin van Persie’s tally of 27 in the league for this campaign.
Before then Welbeck had secured the lead for United, scoring a quite brilliant goal in the 57th minute.
First came the feint to wrong-foot John Heitinga, then the curling finish that flew beyond a diving Tim Howard.
Welbeck turned creator three minutes later with a first-time pass that invited Nani — selected ahead of Ashley Young — to lift the ball over the advancing Howard and double United’s advantage.
But within six minutes that advantage had been halved, Fellaini meeting another excellent cross from Hibbert with a stunning volley. United’s response was impressive, with Welbeck spinning away from Heitinga before delivering a perfect ball for Rooney.
The finish was clinical, the advantage back to two goals.
Had Patrice Evra not been denied by the thickness of the post, United would have had a fifth
But no sooner had United’s captain missed than Jelavic was pouncing on a mistake by Evans and Rio Ferdinand. Both men had jumped for the same ball with Fellaini, leaving a gaping hole in the United defence that Jelavic was only too happy to occupy. He scored with ease.
Playing so effectively in that space between midfield and Jelavic, Felliani created Everton’s fourth.
He received a pass from Neville and then turned Evans to feed the ball into the path of the advancing Pienaar. Rafael should have been tracking the South African winger, but missed the run thanks to another lapse in concentration.
Ferguson responded by sending on Jones for Scholes, unleashing Javier Hernandez from the bench four minutes later.
It did not give the Mexican much time and in the end it was Ferdinand who went closest to winning this contest, forcing a good save from Howard with a powerful strike.
As angry as Ferguson will be, this was typical of the teams he produces. They are thrill seekers, adrenaline junkies, players who never seem to want to make life easy for themselves.
But still they will wonder how they have contrived to leave themselves in this situation.
(source : www.dailymail.co.uk)
