Manutd.com report: Man Utd 5 - 2 Tottenham Hotspurs
an Der Sar
Rafael de Silva (O'Shea 70') - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra
Nani (Tevez 46') - Carrick - Fletcher (Scholes 60') - Ronaldo
Berbatov - Rooney
scorers:
Ronaldo 57' pen, 68
Rooney 67', 71'
Berbatov 79'
Another magnificent game for all ages as Man Utd overcame a 2-0 half-time deficit to roar back into the match with 5 goals to win this thrilling encounter.
Man Utd had great rhythm in the 1st half led by Nani, who had a good game actually in a surprise start. Tottenham did well to capitalize on their home team's shambolic defensive performance though. No doubt the players were given a rollicking at half-time and they fired on all cylinders after the break even if it was kickstarted by a questionable penalty decision.
The penalty may have caused doubts in the minds of the Tottenham's players, but they still had a 2-1 lead. But they could not hold on to their lead as they crumbled under the relentless Man Utd pressure to fall by the wayside.
And have no qualms about that, it was a dominant and high-octane Man Utd pressure as Tottenham struggled against the Red tide in the 2nd half. If a game can be called a game of two halves, this game was it.
The main statistics said it all by the end of the match, Man Utd had 13 shots on target compared to Tottenham's 4. Man Utd were that good in the 2nd half.
Credit to Tottenham though for having had the nerve to push Man Utd back up agaist the walls and if they can ever take heart from this performance, it is that they are likely contenders next season if they continue to be in inspired form more consistently especially against the smaller clubs in the league.
Man Utd may have self-combusted with their awful display in the 1st half but fans of the club would be familiar by now that Man Utd are capable of overturning a result when times are critical; they were 3-0 down against the same team some seasons ago, when they also needed a result then, till a David Beckham-special saw them fight to a 5-3 win.
Ratings:
van Der Sar (6): Unfortunate victim in goal at the 1st half, was a bystander in the 2nd half.
Rafael (7): Was a regular feature on the right flank.
Evra (7): Again had a solid battle with Aaron Lennon, and lost the war, surely the pacy winger is the Frenchman's worst adversary, but Rooney's tactical shuffle in the 2nd half worked wonders as the left-back shared defensive duties with the team player.
Vidic (7): No-nonsense display and suffered with the rest of the team in the 1st half.
Ferdinand (7): Even with 2 goals down, the defender can be counted upon to keep things tight at the back. It was just one of those days when the team did not turn up to play.
Nani (7): Yet another step towards the exit door perhaps after his subsitution. Is not making as great a impact as his older Portugese counterpart Ronaldo. But he was brilliant in this game really.
Ronaldo (8): Scored twice and returned Rooney's favour with a classy assist of his own.
Carrick (7): Was challenged for the foul that led to the penalty but was otherwise under-utilized as Man Utd opted for a more direct approach in the 2nd half.
Fletcher (6): Was a threat going forward and tried to get involved where he could till being replaced by Scholes.
Rooney (9): Scored and made twice and the best player for Man Utd in recent weeks combined all that with an impressive display as a true team player to defend as well. Fantastic footballer.
Berbatov (7): Tad lucky with his goal and respected his ex-club with a muted celebration. The Bulgarian held the ball well.
Subs:
Tevez (8): Did not score but what a substitution by the manager as the stocky No.32 caused tremors in the 2nd half. If only he was not a world-class superstar featuring for one of the best national teams in the world with a sky-high market value (read: Ole Solskjaer).
Scholes (6): After the great limelight of making his 600th appearance in midweek, the star took a backseat slotting beside Carrick, and together, both were less prominent as Man Utd attempted to go for the jugular.
O'Shea (6): Brought on for the tiring Rafael and was more than an able replacement.
~akim~
Rafael de Silva (O'Shea 70') - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra
Nani (Tevez 46') - Carrick - Fletcher (Scholes 60') - Ronaldo
Berbatov - Rooney
scorers:
Ronaldo 57' pen, 68
Rooney 67', 71'
Berbatov 79'
Another magnificent game for all ages as Man Utd overcame a 2-0 half-time deficit to roar back into the match with 5 goals to win this thrilling encounter.
Man Utd had great rhythm in the 1st half led by Nani, who had a good game actually in a surprise start. Tottenham did well to capitalize on their home team's shambolic defensive performance though. No doubt the players were given a rollicking at half-time and they fired on all cylinders after the break even if it was kickstarted by a questionable penalty decision.
The penalty may have caused doubts in the minds of the Tottenham's players, but they still had a 2-1 lead. But they could not hold on to their lead as they crumbled under the relentless Man Utd pressure to fall by the wayside.
And have no qualms about that, it was a dominant and high-octane Man Utd pressure as Tottenham struggled against the Red tide in the 2nd half. If a game can be called a game of two halves, this game was it.
The main statistics said it all by the end of the match, Man Utd had 13 shots on target compared to Tottenham's 4. Man Utd were that good in the 2nd half.
Credit to Tottenham though for having had the nerve to push Man Utd back up agaist the walls and if they can ever take heart from this performance, it is that they are likely contenders next season if they continue to be in inspired form more consistently especially against the smaller clubs in the league.
Man Utd may have self-combusted with their awful display in the 1st half but fans of the club would be familiar by now that Man Utd are capable of overturning a result when times are critical; they were 3-0 down against the same team some seasons ago, when they also needed a result then, till a David Beckham-special saw them fight to a 5-3 win.
Ratings:
van Der Sar (6): Unfortunate victim in goal at the 1st half, was a bystander in the 2nd half.
Rafael (7): Was a regular feature on the right flank.
Evra (7): Again had a solid battle with Aaron Lennon, and lost the war, surely the pacy winger is the Frenchman's worst adversary, but Rooney's tactical shuffle in the 2nd half worked wonders as the left-back shared defensive duties with the team player.
Vidic (7): No-nonsense display and suffered with the rest of the team in the 1st half.
Ferdinand (7): Even with 2 goals down, the defender can be counted upon to keep things tight at the back. It was just one of those days when the team did not turn up to play.
Nani (7): Yet another step towards the exit door perhaps after his subsitution. Is not making as great a impact as his older Portugese counterpart Ronaldo. But he was brilliant in this game really.
Ronaldo (8): Scored twice and returned Rooney's favour with a classy assist of his own.
Carrick (7): Was challenged for the foul that led to the penalty but was otherwise under-utilized as Man Utd opted for a more direct approach in the 2nd half.
Fletcher (6): Was a threat going forward and tried to get involved where he could till being replaced by Scholes.
Rooney (9): Scored and made twice and the best player for Man Utd in recent weeks combined all that with an impressive display as a true team player to defend as well. Fantastic footballer.
Berbatov (7): Tad lucky with his goal and respected his ex-club with a muted celebration. The Bulgarian held the ball well.
Subs:
Tevez (8): Did not score but what a substitution by the manager as the stocky No.32 caused tremors in the 2nd half. If only he was not a world-class superstar featuring for one of the best national teams in the world with a sky-high market value (read: Ole Solskjaer).
Scholes (6): After the great limelight of making his 600th appearance in midweek, the star took a backseat slotting beside Carrick, and together, both were less prominent as Man Utd attempted to go for the jugular.
O'Shea (6): Brought on for the tiring Rafael and was more than an able replacement.
~akim~
No comments:
Post a Comment