Tevez Stakes Claim

Manchester United 5 - Blackburn 3
Scorers
Manchester United: Tevez (36, pen 50, 55, 90), Nani (40)
Blackburn: McCarthy (48, 90), Derbyshire 84

Team: Foster, Neville, Evans, O'Shea (Evra 66), Rafael, Gibson, Possebon (Scholes 66), Anderson, Giggs (Manucho 71), Nani, Tevez

Quite an outstanding game with 8 goals. We played a mixture of youth and experience against what looks to be a very strong Blackburn lineup. And we played one of our best games of the season.

Giggs was simply incredible. This is best I've seen Giggs play in a long long time. He was at the centre of all the action and some of his touches today were outstanding.

However as much as I want to annoint Giggs as my player of the game, it still has to go to Tevez. It's not everyday you score 4 against a Premiership side.

The game didn't start too well for United. The players took a while to get used to playing with one another and Foster had to tip the ball over his bar a couple of times early in the game. But we gradually got into our stride and started to play some good football.

Tevez's opener looked like it was an own goal. But I really couldn't tell. I had to watch this game from the computer and had to make do with poor pictures and no commentary. So I'm just going to assume it came off him.

Nani added a second after playing a good one-two with Tevez in the box. The lads were looking really sharp.

We should have added a third early in the 2nd half when both Giggs and Nani forced some desperately defending. But it was Blackburn substitute, Benny McCarthy who scored instead. He brilliantly headed the ball past Neville and blasted it into the net. It was a superb goal and gave Blackburn a whisker of hope in the tie.

Hope, however, didn't last too long. Just a couple of minutes later, Tevez was fouled in the box and the referee wasted no time to point to the spot. Tevez duely obliged the Old Trafford crowd and sent Robinson the wrong way.

It got worse for Blackburn. Giggs, Tevez and Anderson combined to tear a hole in Blackburn's defense. With only Robinson to beat, Anderson unselfishly squared the ball to Tevez for a simple tap in to complete his hat-trick.

Anderson's unselfish play summed up the way we played today. Every member of the team was playing for the other. Even before the goals started trickling in, we were running into space, passing to the open man and basically enjoying the game. It's a total contrast from how the first team is playing. No pouting, no whining. They just enjoyed playing with one another and it's just so fun to watch. And the fans feed off from it.

4-1 up and with things looking pretty, Scholes came on for his first kick in two months. Blackburn had their shoulders slumped and looked like a defeated bunch, while we just grew from strength to strength.

I missed the last 10 minutes or so of the game due to an upset stomach. But when I returned, the score was bloody 4-3. Somehow, during my absence, Blackburn must have found some belief and pulled 2 goals back. It was abit shocking for several seconds but before I could really panic, Tevez sent a screamer past Robinson. Game, set and match.

I don't know who Tevez is going to replace this weekend, but he'd better be in the starting 11. And if Giggs can keep the pace up, some of the midfielders better be quaking in their boots too.