Scholes' Screamer Set Up Moscow Date

Manchester United 1 - Barcelona 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Scholes (15)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Brown, Evra (Silvestre 90), Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes (Fletcher 77), Park, Nani (Giggs 77), Ronaldo, Tevez

What a nerve-wrecking end to the game. I almost peed my pants watching it. We hung on resolutely against waves of Barcelona attacks to set up an all English finals in Moscow.

Before the game started, there was already bad news. Rooney and Vidic were both ruled out via the injuries sustained over the weekend. The game itself didn't start off too brightly either. Just as in the first leg, Barcelona commanded the midfield and controlled possession. And just as in the first leg, did little with it.

A rare foray forward, caught the Barcelona defense in sixes and sevens, and a weak clearance found its way to Scholes. Not needing a second invitation to shoot, Scholes sent a screamer, curled into the top right hand corner. It was a majestic goal, worthy of a match winner. Scholes had definitely won a starting place in the finals on merit.

The rest of the game was mostly spent in United's half as Barcelona pressed for the all important equalizer. However United did have the better chances created on the counter.

In truth, it was a poor game played by both teams in terms of attacking. There was very little cutting edge attacking play. The difference was in the defence. We contained better than the Spaniads and won as a result. That said, it was still tension-filled last 15 or so minutes.

Looks like I need to start doing previews, since it helped break the jinx. ;o)

History Is Not On United's Side

3 days after the Battle of the Bridge and I'm still fuming, spewing venom at anyone foolish enough to remind me of the game. It's no wonder I have so few friends.

Given our recent perfomances and results, I've decided to write a preview for tonight's game, just to break the routine and hopefully bring about a change in fortune. Yes, I admit it's rather superstitious on my part, but I'm willing to try anything at this point in time. (I even have my lucky red underwear on standy-by).

Come to think of it, this isn't really going to be very much of a preview. I received an email from a reader, someone who shares my fears. Secretly I think he utterly hates me by sending me more doom and gloom (just kidding).

Anyway before I ramble on and bore the pants off everyone, here are the contents of the email:

Surely the big night at Old Trafford will see them through?

Don't bet on it — Manchester United have never reached a European Cup Final via a second leg at Old Trafford.

They failed in 1957, 1966, 1969 and 1997. In 1968 and 1999 they relied on away wins at Real Madrid and Juventus.

But 0-0 away from home in the first leg was not a bad result, was it?

Overall, 70 per cent of European teams who have secured 0-0 draws in first leg knockout ties away from home have qualified for the next stage.

United's success rate is 25 per cent, having failed to progress in three out of four ties: Volgograd (1995-96), Monaco (1997-98) and Real Madrid in (1999-2000). They did beat Panathinaikos in the 1991-92 European Cup-winners' Cup first round.

OK, let's broaden it. What about Fergie's United record if they fail to score in any European away leg?

It gets worse... they are almost invariably knocked out. Just look at this list: 1993-94: 0-0 at Galatasaray; out on away goals. 1996-97: 0-1 at Dortmund; then 0-1 at home; out 0-2 agg. 1997-98: 0-0 at Monaco; then 1-1 at home; out on away goals. 1999-2000: 0-0 at Real; then 2-3 at home; out 2-3 agg. 2000-01: 0-1 at Bayern; then 1-2 at home; out 1-3 agg. 2006-07: 0-3 at Milan; out 3-5 agg.

The sole exception?

A 0-0 draw in Porto in 1997 after winning the first leg 4-0.

But isn't history on United's side on this, the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster?

Even that may not be particularly encouraging: if United fail tonight, Ferguson's record will be identical to that of Sir Matt Busby: 1 final, 1 win; 5 semi-finals, 4 lost.

Doesn't look too encouraging does it? At least on the bright side, should we by some luck get into the finals, our record there is flawless.

United Pays The Price Of Pussying Out

Chelsea 2 - Manchester United 1
Scorers
Chelsea: Ballack (45, pen 85)
Manchester United: Rooney (57)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Vidic (Hargreaves 14), Brown, Silvestre, Carrick, Fletcher, Anderson (O'Shea 65), Nani, Giggs, Rooney (Ronaldo 63)

What a disgusting way to play. Fergie has completely lost the plot, playing 4-5-1 again. Despite all the talk of taking the game to Chelsea, we slumped over and allowed Chelsea to take it up our arse. If we were going to puss out of this game, we might as well not show up and save Vidic and Rooney their injuries.

Once again we played scared and allowed Chelsea free rein all over the park. Instead of a predator going for the jugular, we played the role of the lamp waiting for the slaughter. With a full 90 minutes of practise against Barcelona in midweek, we were went one better and actually lost this game.

We were under so much pressure that Vidic had to risk putting his head to Drogba's knee early in the game. He suffered a possible concussion and a a few good teeth for his efforts. Someone should have sent him the final script before hand, then maybe he wouldn't have needed to risk so much for a fruitless exercise.

It was just a matter of time before Chelsea scored. And score they did, right at the half time whistle. Ballack rose unmarked and headed the ball beyond VDS. The defense was in shambles, but at the rate Chelsea were banging on the door, it was just a matter of time before they broke through.

Despite being one down, the second half wasn't much better. Chelsea always looked the likelier team to add to the scoreline. We were honestly shit. Anderson and Silves were the probably the only people on the pitch who actually cared about the scoreline. Rooney was suffering a hip injury and was signalling to the bench for help. Everyone else would have done just as well not to turn up.

Yet against the run of play, we equalized. Somehow Rooney latched onto a poor backpass and hit the ball past Cech, while still suffering from the hip injury. It was a beautifully taken goal, but make not mistake, it was a gift from Chelsea. We never looked close to scoring before then.

With a draw on the cards, Fergie went back to wuss mode, not that he really switched away from. He took off Rooney for Ronaldo, and Anderson for O'Shea (?!?!!?!?).

Chelsea on the other hand brought on Anelka and Shevchenko. And they reaped their reward when Carrick handled the ball in the area, his only notable contribution to the game. It was debatable if it was a penalty, but it really didn't matter. We simply didn't deserve anything from this game. Ballack stepped up and won Chelsea the game.

There was a generous amount of last minute goal mouth action as we tried to do too little too late. There was even time for a fracas on the pitch between the players both on and off the pitch. WTF was it all about didn't really concern me. What mattered was that we played like pussies and got fucked exactly where it hurt.

More damning is that after all the criticisms of Arsenal bottling it, we're not much better. The only difference is that we have the players to actually win games, whereas our manager and his ASSistant were busy gift wrapping the trophies to the opponents.

I'm finding it more and more difficult to have faith in Fergie's decisions. He's pussed out one too many times this season. Many times we got lucky and came away with a result. Lyon, Barcelona, Liverpool, Spurs, just to name a few. Even again lesser opponents like Blackburn and Boro, we were lucky to come away with something.

What makes this result worse is that the remaining two games we have are by no means done deals. We face West Ham at home, and we all know throughout the years, just what a jinx they are. Then we face Wigan away on their terrible pitch. Because of the state of their pitch, they've come away with the scalps of some big guns.

I'm absolutely not keen to face Barcelona this Tuesday. Strangely a part of me is actually wishing we crash out to save the embarassment of losing to either Chelsea or Liverpool in the finals.

Other game notes:

Nani - Woefully selfish. How the fuck he remained on the pitch instead of Anderson is beyond me. All our break-aways were single-handedly undone by him. He has the potential to be a great player, but it's going to take a long long time for that to happen. I'm willing to give him 3 years, afterall it took Ronaldo took 3 years to be the player he is now.

Anderson - Possibly our best player on the pitch today. He's the only one who stood toe to toe with the Chelsea midfield. Everyone else paled in comparison to his industry.

Van der Sar - Same story as last season. Somehow towards the end of the season, his kicking just goes to the dumps. It gave us nervous moments although it didn't hurt us in today's game, but it's certainly something to look out for in the next few games.

Carrick - What can I say? I didn't even notice that he was on the pitch until the penalty incident. Looks like Invisibleman is back.

Uninspiring, Dull Game

Barcelona 0 - Manchester United 0

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Brown, Evra, Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Park, Ronaldo, Tevez (Giggs 85), Rooney (Nani 76)

I had a ridiculously long day today, and really should have gone to sleep. The game being played at such an ungodly hour in Singapore only made it more exhausting. Yet it was the semi-finals against Barcelona. Given the attacking prowess on display from both sides, it was a game that should have had goals written all over.

We had returned to Nou Camp, a place of happy memories. The last time we came here, we plundered Europe's greatest silverware against all odds, despite playing some of the most uninspiring football. The result, though, was anything but uninspiring on that night.

Today, we came facing the hosts, and came away with a goalless draw, putting out some of the dullest football we've played all season. Despite the embarassing amount of talent put up by both sides, it churned out some of the tamest displays.

The game started with so much promise when United were awarded a penalty as early as the 2nd minute. Ronaldo, who has been stellar this season, stood forward to take it. Probably still not warmed up yet, Ronaldo put the penalty wide, spurning the best chance of the game. The early goal would have had a drastically different impact on the game.

The entire first half, and most of the second half was just all about Barcelona laying siege and getting nowhere with our 10 defenders pitching tent. We had absolutely nothing to show as an attacking force, while Barcelona was giving their fans a poor impression of an impotent man trying to score.

It was an absolute pain to watch. Had it not for the fact I was kept awake by a punt I made regarding the number of corners in the game I probably would have given up and gone to bed. Instead I'm still up, grouchily typing this review.

To illustrate just how poor this game was, Henry had Barcelona's first meaningful shot in the 83rd minute. Until then, Van der Sar didn't really have much to do.

Honestly I can't help but feel we could rue this goalless draw. Sure we didn't concede. But on the other side of the same coin, we didn't get an away goal either.

What this means is that we have to play at OT to win the game. Barcelona are no mugs, and when we push for the win, they could very well nick an away goal, making our task doubly difficult. Given Barcelona's vulnerability in defense and the fact that they were without their captain and main defender Puyol, this should have been our best chance to get the all important away goal.

I suppose at the end of the day, we've just got to be thankful we camped 10 men in our half and came away with a draw against the mighty Barcelona. *sarcasm fully intended*

Ah well, at least there is this Saturday to look forward to. Kicking Chelsea square in the nuts and winning the Premiership at Stamford Bridge would be so much more fun. Alternatively, we could once again park the bus infront of goal, frustrate the hell outta Chelsea and play for a draw, afterall we sure had alot of practise today.

Carlitos Snatches Vital Point

Blackburn 1 - Manchester United 1
Scorers
Blackburn: Santa Cruz (20)
Manchester United: Tevez (88)

Team: Kuszczak, Rio, Vidic, Brown (O'Shea 80), Evra, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs (Nani 46), Tevez, Ronaldo, Rooney (Park 90)

First off, an apology for typing this late. I got a terrible headache after yesterday's game due to too much beer (root beer).

Tevez saved our skins with a late late equalizer that shifted the momentum of the title race back into our favour. Had we lost this game, Chelsea would have had their own destiny in their hands, by winning all their remaining games. As it stands now, we can afford to lose that game at the Bridge and still go on to win the title, a vital psychological edge to have as both teams ready themselves for the final straight.

We had a nervy start to the game, and it was made worst by losing possession every now and again. Blackburn's physical approach bothered both Scholes and in particular Giggs to give away the ball far too often for anyone's liking. And seeing the two elder statesmen falter under demanding circumstances, it did little for the morale of the entire team.

Despite not playing well, we still curved out the clearer chances in the opening 20 minutes. Then disaster struck in the most unfathomable fashion. From a long throw, both Rio and Vidic got into one another's way. Rio jumped too early, while Vidic was caught dry humping Jason Roberts. The ball hit Rio's trailing leg as he landed and Santa Cruz was left with an entire goal to aim at. A striker of his quality put it away with ease.

For a huge part of the first half, we pressed forward but with Giggs leading the line, we were quite honestly terrible. Giggs was abysmal. Already with the pressure of the fans on his back, his performance on the day did little to justify his continual selection. With his pace gone, and his confidence sapping, it's quite honestly painful to watch him struggle to put on a dignified front. And this is coming from a huge huge Giggs fan.

At half time, Fergie took off his favourite son and replaced him with fit-again Nani. Once again the football flowed. We pressed forward for the equalizer at the same time exposing ourselves to Blackburn counters. Jason Roberts was a handful holding up the ball, giving both Rio and Vidic a torrid time.

On the other end, chances came in waves but Brad Friedel was having a game of his life. He was making saves that a keeper normally just didn't and shouldn't have a right to. And on the occasion he couldn't, the post came to his rescue. Blackburn's goalmouth was leading a charmed life.

Just when it all looked lost, Scholes headed on from a corner a little Tevez flicked it beyond Friedel. It was a goal we desparately needed and the players knew it. Vidic and Rio were the first to congratulate Tevez as his goal made up for the terrible mess they got us into. In the end our persistence paid off.

Squeezed between the two legs of the semis against Barcelona, we're going to face Chelsea on Saturday, undoubtedly going to be the most important game in the race to the summit. The Bridge in recent years has been a fortress. They haven't lost there in over 3 years.

I'm super confident we're going to march there and tear down the castle walls, burning the bridge as we ransack London. It's a record we would relish to take down, just as we did so against the 'Invincibles' of Arsenal. It should have ended last season, but by the time we faced them at Stamford Bridge, the title was already sewn up. Hence we could afford to field our token Chinese guy, Dong. This season it's totally different, and the winner takes all. Bring it on!

Hargeaves Ends Arsenal's Hopes

Manchester United 2 - Arsenal 1
Scorers
Manchester United: Ronaldo (pen 53), Hargreaves (72)
Arsenal: Adebayor (47)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Pique, Brown, Evra, Hargreaves (Giggs 89), Carrick, Scholes (Anderson 55), Park (Tevez 55), Ronaldo, Rooney

I wouldn't go into just how satisfying this win was. I was with Kentona and his friend, Danny, watching at the packed kopitiam near my place. I love watching at this place since we almost always win when we catch the game here.

There is a bitter old man who is always watching the games here and he's a well documented ABU (anything but united), always making his unwelcomed thoughts felt throughout the game, at the same time, generally pissing all the United fans. But today, all he could do was sip his beer quietly, slumped in his chair, for once not offering his sage advice to anyone who cared to listen. Damn, it's a good day to be a fan today.

We didn't make the best of starts. Fergie opted to field 5 in midfield and with the amount of possession Arsenal enjoyed in the middle of the park, you couldn't really tell. For most of the first half, it was all Arsenal, peppered by a few forays forward by Rooney, Ronaldo and Park.

Scholes in general was having a nightmare. He was spraying passes to the opposition, giving Carrick and Hargreaves a torrid time covering for him. The defence without Vidic was caught napping so often that you'd wonder when Arsenal will make the breakthrough. Hleb in particular was giving the entire defence the run around. It was a miracle that the half ended scoreless.

Unfortunately THAT breakthrough did come early in the restart. Barely 2 minutes had gone by, before the defence was once again caught napping and Adebayor nipped in between Rio and Carrick to score from a cross. There was probably a hint of handball, but in truth it was nothing more than the gooners had deserved. We were sluggish and couldn't match Arsenal's desire and intensity.

It was almost 2 just moments later when Rio slammed the ball into Van der Sar, almost causing us more embarrassment.

Then the inexplicable happened. We were pushing forward for an equalizer when Gallas handled the ball. Penalty! And a timely one, just when I was about to moan about us not having a penalty for quite sometime.

Ronaldo stepped up, stuttered towards the ball and powered it past Lehmann. The referee blew the whistle and waved the penalty away. Apparently while Ronaldo was stuttering towards the ball, a red shirt had stepped into the box and the penalty was to be retaken.

On the second bite of the cherry, Ronaldo placed the ball in beyond Lehmann who dived the correct direction. We had drawn level.

Sensing the momentum change, Fergie rung in the substitions. He brought on Tevez for Park and Anderson for the ineffective Scholes. Immediately the game turned on its head. Both players added a much needed level of intensity, skill and desire. We began to boss the midfield as Arsenal started to falter visibly.

It wasn't long before we won a freekick at the edge of the box. It was Ronaldo territory and everyone was expecting a thunderbolt from him. As he cued up for the kick, legs wide apart, it was the man beside him who took the kick, and my was it a beautifully taken one. No one in an Arsenal jersey was expecting it.

Hargeaves curled the ball beyond the wall and into the bottom left corner of the net. Lehmann stood rooted to the ground, still waiting for Ronaldo to make his run. 2-1 up and we were flying. Confidence was at an all time high as we knew we had Arsenal.

Arsenal did make a challenge out of it, even striking the post in injury time, but United stood firm, weathering whatever they threw at us. Ronaldo even had the luxury of showboating alittle, inviting a push from Hoyte, which saw him booked.

No doubt there would be complaints of Ronaldo's antics, but to be honest, if there was any team that would appreciate it, it would have been Arsenal. Afterall, weren't they lauded for playing pretty football throughout the season?

My maths is abit fuzzy, but we should now be 6 points away from the title with just 4 games left to play, and a game still to play against Chelsea.

United Triumph As Silvestre, Neville Return

Manchester United 1 - Roma 0
Scorer
Manchester United: Tevez (70)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Pique, Silvestre, Brown, Carrick (O'Shea 74), Hargreaves, Anderson (Neville 81), Park, Giggs (Rooney 74), Tevez

The game was largely beyond Roma after De Rossi missed a penalty on 30 minutes. Although they did try to make a fight of it, they were largely unable to cope with the industry and inventiveness of our play.

With the scoreline at 2-0 after the first leg, Ferguson opted to rest players, with both Rooney and Ronaldo on the bench. Pique was given a rare start and almost forgotten man, Silvestre, started on his left. Both played well, especially Silves who was simply rock solid at left back.

We packed the midfield with 5 players, leaving Tevez the lone figure upfront. To be honest we didn't come into this game to score goals, but to preserve a lead and an eye on Sunday's clash against Arsenal.

Despite a conservative lineup, we could've ripped Roma apart in the opening quarter, both Giggs and Hargreaves spurning one v one chances. Hargreaves, in particular, had an outstanding game.

In fact he conjured up a cross in the 70th minute which led to Tevez's diving header. So comfortable was the game that we even had the luxury to introduce our other forgotten man, Gary Neville, and have him play in midfield. It's great to see our captain back playing.

So now that we're officially thru to the semis, we're going to have to face mighty Barcelona, who quite honestly are playing like crap at the moment. I'd be really disappointed if we do not go on to the finals to playing either Chelsea or Liverpool.

Personally I would love to see Liverpool in the finals. With the current team, I cannot see us losing to the scousers.

United Barely Weathers Boro's Icy Blast

Middlesbrough 2 - Manchester United 2
Scorers
Middlesbrough: Alves (35, 55)
Manchester United: Ronaldo (10), Rooney (74)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio (Pique 67), Brown, O'Shea (Hargeaves 65), Evra, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Ronaldo, Tevez (Park 63), Rooney

Strange and painful game to watch. Even more painful to write about.

We started well and got into the lead early in the game with yet another Ronaldo goal. He just can't stop scoring. From a corner, the ball bounced about and reached Carrick on the left. His pass found Ronaldo unmarked and he swept it into goal in the opening 10 minutes.

We had controlled the game and our passing, credit to both Scholes and Carrick, was some of the best we've seen all season. Kentona and I were confident it was just a matter of time before it yielded a second. Boro, to be fair were chasing shadows.

Yet despite our dominance in midfield in the opening half hour, whenever Boro had the ball, they looked dangerous. Maybe it was the absence of Vidic. Everytime Boro came forward, they were able to create a good enough chance to score.

It was no surprise that they did with Alves opening his account on the 35th minute. A long punt found him in no man's land, with only Van der Sar to beat. The goal shattered our confidence and in the falling snow, our nerves froze. At the same time, it lit a fire up the opponents' asses.

They came at us strong and hard, and our midfield found it hard to contain the rampant Boro surges. The half time break did little to quell their desire. They were faster to the ball and more robust in their challenges.

10 minutes after the break, Boro got their second. A lucky recochet allowed Alves in and he needed no invitation to add his second for the game. We were well and truely rocked. Boro were the better team by far and value for their lead.

Fergie made 3 quick substitutions, bringing on Park, Hargeaves and Pique for Tevez, O'Shea and Rio, who limped off. It proved to be a master stroke as Park flew down the right flank and delivered a tantalising pass for Rooney to equalise.

Having drawn level, United poked and pried, trying to find a weakness in the Boro defence, knowing that a draw would open the door to Chelsea who are lurking uncomfortably close. On the other side, Alves was proving to be a handful for a defence that had neither Vidic nor Rio.

In the dying minutes, Boro could very well have found the winner, but Van der sar came to the rescue, saving from Tuncay. The game ended all square, but could very well have been very different.

It was a hard match, which we barely survived by the skin of our teeth. More worrying, despite the drop of 2 points, is that our injury problem could be growing. Rio limped off and Evra was the subject to some horrible tackling. How he walked off the pitch at full time is a mystery to me.

We're going to face Roma in the return leg of the Champions League on Wednesday, which should prove to be a mere fomality, but if we miss Rio and Evra, it might give Roma a glimmer of hope. And we don't want that.

Couple of game notes:

- Scholes and Carrick played well in the first half hour, but when Boro were revitalised by the first goal, just seemed to lack the steel and nerve. I thought having Anderson in the game would provide that steel.

- Giggs and Tevez were totally anonymous. This is probably the worst I've seen Tevez play....ever. Maybe it was the snow. He just didn't seem comfortable in the game. Giggs was simply terrible. It's painful to watch him struggle so badly in the game.

- The defence worries the hell outta me. We've already lost Vidic to injury, and a likely chance to lose Rio as well. With only 5 games left in the league, let's hope it holds up.

90 Minutes Away From Another Semi-Finals

Roma 0 - Manchester United 2
Scorers
Manchester United: Ronaldo (39), Rooney (66)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Vidic (O'Shea 34), Brown, Evra, Scholes, Carrick, Anderson (Hargreaves 56), Park, Rooney (Tevez 85), Ronaldo

Not a classic by any means. Fergie played scared away in Europe yet again. This time he put Ronaldo up front alone, with Rooney supporting on the left wing. He packed the midfield with 3 midfielders in Scholes, Carrick and Anderson, and Park out on the right.

It really could've backfired in the most spectacular fashion had Roma taken their chances. Yet in the span of the 90 minutes, Roma only managed a single save from Van der Sar, despite tearing holes in our overworked defense. Had it been against a more clinical team, we should've been buried before Ronaldo's opener. Roma simply couldn't hit the side of a barn with a banjo.

Speaking of overworked defence, Vidic was carried off injured after 30 minutes into the game. It looked like he sustained an injury on the right knee when he landed awkwardly. We can only hold our breaths and hope it's nothing serious. He's the kingpin in defence, and after he left, Roma curved out chance after chance but failed to trouble Van der Sar.

Ronaldo's goal was a sweet header from a Scholes cross on the right. He rose above everyone else and headed the ball home. It was against the run of play as Roma had most of the possession until that point. We were careless in midfield and unable to string more than 3 passes at a time.

The second half was just more Roma pressure, and it seemed like it was just a matter of time before our defence was breeched. Yet it was us who scored again. Credit to Park who didn't give up on a wayward cross and kept it in play, causing mayhem in the Roma defence. Ultimately between keeper and defenders, the ball fell kindly for Rooney to tap home the second goal.

Roma were deflated, demoralised and probably knew that the tie way beyond them. There were no more goals to a largely tactical game played, which we were rather fortunate to come away victorious, although the scoreline suggests otherwise.

The second leg is almost a formality unless Roma can find 3 goals. Given the way they performed today, I'm sure they would be firing blanks again. The likely opponents in the semis would most certainly be a mouth-watering tie against Barcelona, which won in Germany.

Whilst I like our chances of winning it all with the quality of players we have, I have to once again express my doubts with Fergie's tactical ability when playing away in Europe. Honestly, we were lucky today. Let's hope that luck doesn't desert us at the Nou Camp.