Draw Opens The Title Race Wide Open

Manchester United 4 - Everton 4
Scorers
Manchester United: Rooney (41, 69), Welbeck (57), Nani (60)
Everton: Jelavic (33, 83), Fellaini (67), Pienaar (85)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Rafael, Evra, Carrick, Scholes (Jones 86), Nani, Valencia (Hernandez 89), Rooney, Welbeck

What a game and what a truly terrible result. Suddenly the title race is blown wide open. Unless Shitty somehow screws up against bottom of table Wolves in an hours time, this title race is going down the wire.

We couldn't have asked for a worst opponent. Everton came to Old Trafford, licking their wounds off a terrible result over the previous weekend, and as Ferguson mentioned pre-match, were a wounded animal. True to his words, they opened the scoring with a superb goal by Jelavic. The goal set up a truly exciting encounter filled with superb goals.

We bit back with Rooney's header as the game drew into the half.

The game opened up in the second half and for good periods of time we were playing as well as Barcelona. Welbeck's wonder individual goal took us into the lead and moment's later, his individual effort was topped by a cutting edge team effort. We tore the Everton defense to shreds with some sublimed passing, with Nani finishing off the move with a goal, flicked over the on rushing Howard.

3-1 up and the points seemed wrapped up. Everton, however, never laid down. They came with renewed vigour and Fellaini volleyed home a superb effort to bring the scores closer.

Over on the other end, Rooney and Welbeck combined to produce another good finish that should have really been the nail to Everton's little revival. Yet somehow Phil Neville rallied the troops and Everton came forward again, this time Jelavic and Pienaar scored twice within 3 minutes to level the score against everyone's expectations.

In the last ten minutes, including a generous amount of injury time, we threw the kitchen sink at Everton, but between their defenders and Howard, they held firm and both teams had to share the points.

Despite an overall exciting game, especially in the second half, it was a disappointing result for us. We saw a couple of two goal leads slip, and more importantly, we saw the title slowly but surely slipping from our finger tips. This game possibly epitomises our entire season. We started off on the backfoot and slowly clawed our way into the game, and towards the end, we let slip generous cushions and ultimately had to share the spoils. Only in this case, sharing the spoils works in our disadvantage due to an inferior goal difference.

In the words of Kentona, who I had the misfortune of watching the game with, either way, it works for us. If we win the title, it's a bonus after all the trials and tribulations we've been thru this season. And if we don't, it's finally time for the higher management to finally realise that we've been pretty much crap, and hopefully, if the purse-strings allow, will usher in a new era of players.

In any case, attacking like Barcelona and defending like Wolves is simply not going to win us the title. On to the title defense next Monday against Shitty.

United Shakes Off Midweek Woes

Manchester United 4 - Aston Villa 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Rooney (pen 7, 73), Welbeck (43), Nani (90)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Rafael, Evra, Carrick, Scholes (Cleverley 78), Young (Nani 60), Valencia, Rooney (Berbatov 75), Welbeck

After the midweek debacle, normal service was resumed. Just as against QPR, a dubious penalty was awarded when Young took a tumble with minimal contact. The replays did seem to suggest it looked more like a dive than a blown tackle. In any case, Rooney sent Givens the wrong way and sent Old Trafford into raptures early on.

Villa were almost non-existent as an attacking force, while United were equally as impotent upfront. It took us until the end of the first half before being gifted another goal. This time Baker stepped over Young's cross thinking that the ball would go out for a goal kick, but Welbeck was alert and industrious. He scrambled to the end of the cross and poked it home for United's second.

With the game almost secured, United started to play with abit more freewill, but we still stuttered upfront, Rooney being the culprit of numerous awful passes. However he made amends just when he was going to be substituted off. This time he scored from Valencia's cross to make the scoreline abit more reflective of our dominance.

Nani added a fouth in injury time.

Aside from the Wigan game, this was possible Rooney's worst outing the entire season despite getting his name on the scoresheet twice. It was kind of a bitter-sweet outing for him. Thankfully the rest of the team played well enough to cover for his inconsistancies.

Evra, in particular, I thought played a good game. After what he's been producing (or rather, NOT been producing), it was pleasantly surprising to see him put in a good shift. The back four was solid while not being spectacular.

The midfield laboured alittle, but that was mainly due to Villa being really woeful. Our wingers were magnificent once again and carried the team for most of the game, and the season as well. And upfront, Welbeck was sufficient and doing it alone without any significant help from Rooney.

The win bumps us 5 points above Shitty, who put on a purring performance against a bewildered Norwich. The title race is well and truly on the way. With the 'title-decider' back in the burners on the 30th of this month, we cannot afford anymore cockups along the way. Just 4 more games till the end of the season, so let's wrap this one up. It's nowhere near what I hoped we would be, but I'll take the title, warts and all.

United Takes A Step Back

Wigan 1 - Manchester United 0
Scorer
Wigan: Maloney (50)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Jones, Evra, Carrick, Giggs, Young (Cleverley 46), Valencia, Rooney (Nani 65), Hernandez (Welbeck 58)

I don't even know where or how to start. We were so bad it's actually worth mentioning. As poor as the result was, we were even poorer. As much as I want us to win the title, there is a little part in me that hope we don't.

We need to be exposed to just what a terrible team we are. All this talk of staying dominant domestically is just rubbish. It has to be clear to everyone and anyone that we can no longer compete in Europe and the only reason why we're still top of this league is because everyone is as poor, if not poorer than we are.

Today's game was just shocking. If Carrick continues to play a prominant role next season, it will just signal a clear intention that we are standing pat and refusing to acknowledge what everyone can already see. He and Giggs were turnstiles. Everyone in blue was having a field day with them in the middle of the park. Rio and Evans had to work extra hard without any cover from the two in front of them.

As for Giggs, it's also becoming apparent that his game will show in the first 15-20 mins. If he starts well, he usually continues along that vein. However, if like today, he starts poorly, he just disappears. Ferguson made a huge tactical error by not removing Giggs today.

The team on the whole was just ridiculously drunk over the weekend results. Everyone played like they had a massive hangover from Sunday. Well, newsflash, after today's results, we're back to where the last two games did not matter. Granted we're still in pole position, but there are no easy fixtures in the EPL. The good thing is that we have 3 home games against teams that have nothing to fight for.

On a last note, I really hope Wigan survives.

The 2nd Coming Of Scholes Inspires United

Manchester United 2 - QPR 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Rooney (pen 15), Scholes (68)

Red Card
QPR: Derry (14)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Rafael (Jones 74), Evra, Scholes (Cleverley 74), Carrick, Young (Giggs 62), Valencia, Rooney, Welbeck

Being Easter, this was set up nicely for Scholes to play the hero. Ever since he has resurrected his career with the Red Devils, he's been the cornerstone of everything good that's happened in midfield. He's goal in the second half calmed the nerves at Old Trafford and pushed us to victory against a dogged QPR.

In recent weeks, we've seen luck turn to our favour, none more so in our last 3 fixture. A late penalty not given against Carrick, late goals against Blackburn and in today's game, a dodgy penalty and red card in our favour.

Ashley Young was caught in an offside position and subsequently dived to win us a penalty early in the game. The dive was blatant and had it gone against us, I would have been screaming bloody murder. And if the offside and dive was not bad enough, QPR were further punished with having Shaun Derry cruelly sent off for a foul he didn't deserve. I suppose when you're at the wrong end of the table, decisions really do go against you. In this case, 3 ridiculously poor decisions went against Mark Hughes' team, all at once.

Rooney scored the penalty, and QPR had to readjust their game plan early in the game. Actually, the plan was the same: pack more men in the box. We got into a number of good positions to add a second, but it never came.

The was a mini-revival for QPR early in the second half, but it came to nought. United began to stamp their authority and man advantage with both Rafael and Carrick hitting the crossbar. Kenny was in excellent form in goal, but the stage was set for Scholes.

After a failed clearance from Taarabt, Rafael latched on to the ball and fed Scholes for a screamer to settle the United nerves and gave a cushion for a comfortable win.

In the other fixture that had me late in doing this writeup, Arsenal did their job by deflating the Shitty balloon further with a 1-0 win.

So here is how it stands, 6 games and 8 points in the lead. All we have to do is to win 3 of the remaining 6 and the title returns to Old Trafford. With Shitty collapsing under the pressure, it looks like a tall order to lose the trophy.

United Wins It Late

Blackburn 0 - Manchester United 2
Scorers
Manchester United: Valencia (81), Young (86)


Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Rafael, Evra, Carrick, Jones (Giggs 63), Scholes (Young 80), Valencia, Rooney, Hernandez (Welbeck 61)

My word, we really did have to labour for this win. Ferguson, in my opinion, got this one terrible wrong. A sensational late goal from Valencia was the difference in this game. Ashley Young added a second for good measure.

Over the weekend, Shitty left the door opened wide for us and for good parts of this game, it looked like we were loitering around the enterance, taking a step forward and two back, until Valencia's wonder goal shoved us thru.

Despite heavy possession at Ewood Park, Blackburn probably had the better chances created and had it not been for De Gea's sharp reflexes, we could have gone down tonight. In the second half, Pederson had a goal disallowed.

As mentioned earlier, Ferguson had this one wrong. We played with one true winger in Valencia and all our attacking play came down his flank on the right. The left was left to Evra to double up and was easily gobbled up by a stout Blackburn defense.

Our passing was incredibly slow and while our players seemed motivated enough, the slow build up did not take advantage of our pacy Mexican, Hernandez. He was replaced by Welbeck on the hour but that did little to change the pace of the game. If the pace was going slow, it would probably have been better to have Berbatov in the game, at least he could and would have inflicted some damage with his silky skills.

As the game closed, Valencia took it upon himself with a cross cum shot that flew into the net against all odds. In truth, he was the only player in a United jersey that actually looked like changing the game. Young's outstanding finish 4 minutes from time took the result beyond Blackburn.

As unconvincing as the game was, we took the crucial 3 points and jumped 5 points ahead of Shitty. Suddenly, despite playing some poor games this season, we actually look like we're going to win the title.