Red Hot Rooney Puts United 10 Points Up

Fulham 0 - Manchester United 1
Scorer
Manchester United: Rooney (79)

Team: De Gea, Rio, Evans, Rafael, Evra, Carrick, Cleverley (Giggs 75), Valencia (Hernandez 66), Nani (Welbeck 84), Rooney, Van Persie

Wayne Rooney just can't stop scoring. That's Rooney for you. He always goes on a scoring streak and today he added another to the current streak he's on with a good goal, capitalising on a Fulham mistake.

As expected, Fulham was a far different side from a week ago. Both teams started brightly with both sets of woodwork working really hard to keep the ball out. Both sets of keepers were worked hard too. Despite the amount of action, neither side could find a breakthru.

A floodlight failure temporarily paused the action, but it resumed in the second half and it wasn't until the 79th minute before Rooney found the goal to break the deadlock.

Fulham threw the kitchen sink at us and it make an already pulsating game even more nail-biting in the last 10 minutes. The action was end to end; Fulham throwing numbers and United defending for their lives. There were off the line clearances from United and brilliant saves from Fulham. There was alot of desperate defending from both sides and the action never ceased until the final whistle.

It was a great spectacle, one which was made sweeter with a victory.

United Beats Fulham...Barely

Manchester United 1 - Fulham 0
Scorer
Manchester United: Rooney (42)


Team: De Gea, Rio (Smalling 74), Evans, Rafael, Evra, Carrick, Giggs, Young, Valencia, Rooney (Scholes 78), Welbeck (Hernandez 73)

Jesus F Christ, don't our players know that football is played until the referee whistles for fulltime? We played some exceptional football for 85 minutes then crumbled in the final 5. Had it not been for some piss poor refereeing and our opponents being simply crap in front of goal, this would have been a draw or even worse.

We set the tone early in the game and Fulham never really registered as an attacking force. All the pressure came from us and Fulham were content to park the bus and take us on the counter.

The first half was a bit disappointing. We spent most of the time probing the Fulham defense, unable to really unlock the door until Rooney's surprising goal on the 42nd minute. A lapse in concentrate from a solid looking Fulham defense allowed Evans to get on the end fumbled clearance to lay off for Rooney to poke home at close range.

The second half was a much better affair. After the initial scouting of the wall Fulham built in the first half, we were able to take more precise measures to tear it down. There was alot of sublime passing to penetrate the first, second and third lines of defense, resulting in clear chances to add to our lead. Schwarzer in fine form and he denied Young and Valencia from running up the score. And when the Australian was beaten, Hangeland stood in the way of our progress.

Everything was going swimmingly until the final 5 minutes. Somehow the panic button of not getting a cushion of a second goal set in, and after playing so confidently for 85 minutes, United proceeded to crumble like a house of cards before our very eyes.

We got ridiculously sloppy with the ball and couldn't retain possession. Our players were diving into silly challenges and giving away stupid freekicks in dangerous areas. And we almost gave away a stonewalled penalty when Carrick brought Murphy down in the area. For some inexplicable reason, the referee waved play on. How the fuck we got away with that is still bothering me (in a good way).

The sound of the referee's whistle was possibly the sweetest sound that came from Old Trafford this year. We should have cleaned the floor with this Fulham team, yet we allowed them to hang around and nearly gotten punished. Coupled with Shitty's draw yesterday, we find ourselves sitting on a 3 point cushion. Lady Luck certainly played her part in this weekend's fixtures, from Crouch's wonder goal, to our referee swallowing the whistle.

United Takes Fulham Down In The First Half

Manchester United 2 - Fulham 0
Scorers: Berbatov (12), Valencia (32)


Team: Kuszczak, Vidic, Smalling, O'Shea, Evra, Scholes, Gibson, Anderson (Fabio 76), Valencia, Nani (Carrick 87), Valencia (Owen 73), Berbatov

The contest was over in the first half. A good strike by Berbatov in the 12th minute and a free header by Valencia in the 32nd killed off Fulham.

In truth, barring an uncomfortable save by Kuszczak within the first minute of the kick off, he was never really troubled. We were completely in control of this one from start to finish. Nani and Valencia were simply awesome at the left and right wings respectively. Nani especially had an outstanding game, creating both the goals. Gone are the days where he couldn't play on the left anymore. He has come a long way since last season where he couldn't play on the left to a fabulous performance today. No one in a white shirt could keep up with his pace.

This was almost a perfect performance. We did allowed Fulham possession, but where there to nip any trouble that even looked like surfacing. And on the counter, Nani and Valencia were devastating. It's an absolute shame Nani is not one of the players in the shortlist for PFA player of the year. A bleeding shame.

So as it stands, we have a 10-point cushion, and looking good even without the services of Rooney.

Craven Collapse

Fulham 2 - Manchester United 2
Scorers
Fulham: Davies (57), Hangeland (89)
Manchester United: Scholes (11), Hangeland (og 84)

Team: Van der Sar, Vidic, Evans, O'Shea, Evra, Fletcher, Scholes, Valencia (Giggs 74), Park (Nani 67), Bebatov, Hernandez (Owen 74)

Sigh, we just can't win at Craven Cottage. I suppose this is a marked improvement from our last 2 visits. This time we took the lead twice, and even with the intervention of Mr OwnGoal, we still couldn't take all three points.

Nani missed a crucial penalty when we were 2-1 up at the 87th minute and all hell broke loose after. To be really fair to Fulham, it was never a penalty to begin with. The ball struck Duff on the arm while he was trying to clear it. It wa a handball, but with absolutely no intent, nor did he even know about it. It's about as harsh a penalty given. Yet given the opportunity to seal the victory for United, Nani fluffed his lines and his penalty was driven away by the outstanding stand-in keeper for Schwarzer, David Stockdale.

On the other end, Hangeland made amends for his own goal and rose the highest to head home the equalizer, robbing us of 2 points. Credit to Fulham, who made a real fight out of it, especially from the way we started this game.

Right from the off, we came out blazing, before Scholes broke the deadlock with his 150th for the club. Berbatov could have had a brace but Stockdale was simply outstanding, making two almost point blank saves.

The game then mired into a bit of to and fro-ing with Fulham causing problems with Zamora really troubling Evand and Vidic. And on the other end, we always looked like scoring.

Fulham's first equalizer came from Simon Davies after some really good play from Duff. Van der Sar would be really disappointed that the ball still managed it's journey into the net after he had a good amount of palm to Davies' strike.

As the game wore into the final third, United started to pile on the pressure. Nani's introduction gave United the extra width and we exploited it to devastating effect, bombarding a stretched Fulham defence with crosses. Nani's 84th corner finally found the breakthru that we were so desperately craving. Hangeland was at the wrong place at the wrong time when the ball struck him and bisected both Davies and Stockdale on the line and into the net.

Then Duff 'handled' the ball and Nani missed the spotkick. Hangeland then scored the equalizer.

It's a bit disappointing to come away with a draw, especially with our rivals smashing their opponents. Then again, they have to visit Craven Cottage. We can only hope that Fulham will show the same amount of tenacity they showed today. But we shouldn't be doubting any team managed by Mark Hughes. Like the man himself, I'm sure Fulham's going to make things difficult for anyone on their day.

Just a couple of comments I wanna make:

Gallas
From my well chronicle hatred of Sol Campbell, this one seems mild to me. Actually there's only apathy for me in this instance. Sol is a different animal altogether. Sol is born and bred Spurs, and he knowingly joined Arsenal having lived in England all his life and knowing the deep resentment between both sets of fans, especially the Spurs fans, who honestly haven't got much to cheer about until recently. Even then, they are the petty sort, just the type of fans you generally love to hate, coz they are so damn knowledgeable too (I should know, I have a Spurs-loving cousin).

Whereas for Gallas, I never really viewed him as an Arsenal player. He never really fit into Arsenal. His teammates hate him. He hates his teammates. Hell, the only reason he signed for Arsenal, besides being deadweight in the Assly Cole deal, was to spike Chelsea. Total dick in my opinion, but a totally different dick from Sol.

Goals
Wtf? Has the Premiership gone goal crazy? More importantly even at this early stage, can anyone stop Chelsea? Granted their opponents are relegation fodder, still 6 goals twice is nothing to sneeze at. Then there's six for Arsenal and more inexplicably 6 for Newcastle, a team we comprehensively beat last week. And more astonishingly, they did it against Villa! These couple of weeks are pretty weird. Wonder when our turn in the sun will happen.

It's Rooney Again!

Manchester United 3 - Fulham 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Rooney (46, 84), Berbatov (90)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Vidic, Neville (Fabio 87), Evra, Carrick, Fletcher, Nani, Valencia (Park 73), Berbatov, Rooney

I'm still suffering from a borderline headache from a little too much to drink after the game. Had a mini-boys-nightout thingy with a couple of United fans, namely Kentona and Greg O, and a couple of Liverpool fans. So with a slight pounding echoing within my skull, I'll just try to make this one short and sweet so I can catch a nap and sleep it off.

Just where would we be without Rooney? 32 goals after tonight and counting. It was an awesome show of scoring prowess and instinct, to take us back to the top of the table again, against a resolute Fulham team.

The first half drew a blank, but not from a lack of effort from our part. Fulham is an organized side and they frustrated our efforts in the first 45 minutes. The second half, however, was a different story. That man, Rooney, showed up and scored an instinctive strike right from the kickoff to give us the lead and the game. You knew once we went ahead, the game was effectively over.

Fulham had their chances but Rio and Vidic, in particular, was in sparkling form. There was one incident where Zamora was one-on-one with Van der Sar, but Vidic came from no man's land and tackled the ball away. It was just incredible work by our large Serb, showing signs he's back to his best after a long layoff.

Rooney added a second late in the game and Berbatov sealed the victory with a header. It was a well deserved victory over a stubborn team that refused to lie dead.

Off the pitch, our little nights' out produced mixed results. Kentona played a bore draw, while Greg O scored a double hattrick. I had a forgettable night, where the only highlight was that United won. Well, you win some, you lose some and the big one's next week against Liverpool. We've already planned to watch it together with some of our Liverpool loving friends and lots of beer to drown ourselves in sorrow or euphoria. Either way, next week's review/thoughts will come much later and going by this weekend's experience, it might not even come at all.

Fulham 3 - Manchester United 0
Scorers
Fulham: Muphy (22), Zamora (46), Duff (75)

Team: Kuszczak, De Laet (Fabio 58), Carrick, Evra, Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson, Gidson (Berbatov 58), Valencia, Rooney, Owen (Welbeck 72)

Not going to say too much here. We were shockingly poor. With the exception of Kuszczak, who kept us in the game with some brilliant saves, everyone was just utter shite.

Scholes in particular was absolutely rubbish. He gave away the first goal and wasted possession almost every single time he had it. But that doesn't give everyone else a free pass. They were all rubbish.

We were outplayed in every single department against Fulham. There were times during the game Kentona and I were wondering if we were watching a team fighting for relegation play.

Let's once and for all forget about the title this season and set a realistic target of Champions League football next season. With just how poor we've been in the past few games, even that maybe a ceiling too high for this bunch.

Things are just not looking good right now and rapidly looking pretty depressing to read/watch. I doubt there would be much change in our play until Ferguson is willing to splash the dosh when the transfer window opens. It's obvious to the casual observer that we're desperately lacking in a playmaker. Someone to link the midfield to the attack. We may even need another striker who actually knows where the general direction of the net is. Right now there is no chemistry between our frontline and even more apparent that we've no creativity.

Self-Destructing In Spectacular Fashion

Fulham 2 - Manchester United 0
Scorers
Fulham: Murphy (pen 18), Gera (87)

Red Cards: Scholes (17), Rooney (88)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Evans, O'Shea (Tevez 70), Evra, Scholes, Fletcher, Park, Giggs, Ronaldo, Berbatov (Rooney 46)

So much for rising from the ashes like a phoenix. We crashed and burned in spectacular fashion today. A midweek break did little to improve our play. Even a favourable draw in the Champions League to Porto and the bracket avoiding all the big guns like Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich did little to improve the morale of the team after that mauling last weekend.

I've seen zombies play better football than we did in the first half against Fulham. If half the chances in the first half had fallen to Andrew Johnson instead of that pathetic excuse of a striker Zamora, we would have been long dead and buried before Scholes had a chance to handle the ball in the box.

The game, however, didn't play out that way and Scholes instinctively handled the ball preventing it from going into the net. The result was a straight red card (3 match ban), and a penalty that gave Fulham a deserved lead.

The half ended that way, but really Fulham could have rised a rugby score but for some incredibly wasteful finishing. We were completely outplayed in every area of the pitch.

Ferguson didn't help matters when he, yet again, shattered our strikers' confidence by playing musical chairs, this time pairing a completely disinterested Berbatov with a petulant Ronaldo.

The result and the situation demanded a change at the half and Rooney was brought on for the injured Berbatov. Things improved immensely, with Fletcher, Park and Giggs leading an improbably comeback.

Even with ten men, we still had significantly more quality than Fulham and it showed. We begun to string passes together and made penetrating runs into the Fulham box. But try as we may, Schwarzer had a blinder, almost single-handedly stopping everything we threw at them, including the kitchen sink.

As it is with such games, when you chase, pushing men forward, you get stung by the counter. Zoltan Gera struck a dagger into our hearts near the end of the game, ending all hopes of getting something out of the game. Well, Rooney had other ideas and after the Fulham goal, he literally went beserk and got himself sent off.

This was more than a fair result. We should have been utterly crushed by the first half.

This was not the reaction I was expecting from the team. If anything, this race is almost blown wide open now. I suppose this is the United way, we don't do things easy. At least we're still in pole position....for now.

Ferguson needs to identify his best eleven and stop screwing around. When you screw around, someone's gonna get hurt. Along the same lines, he needs to start benching some of the non-performers and the prima donnas in the team. We've stopped playing like a team for a long time.

United Marches Into Semis

Fulham 0 - Manchester United 4
Scorers
Manchester United: Tevez (20, 35), Rooney (49), Park (81)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio (Evans 46), Vidic, O'Shea (Eckersley 52), Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Park, Rooney (Welbeck 64), Tevez

You know, just when I was complaining about our lack of killer-instinct in the last post, United came up with a masterful lesson in killing off opponents. Goals from Tevez, Rooney and Park made easy work of Fulham in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Both teams endured a jittery start to the game. Both set of defenders were pretty unstable, making mistakes that could have resulted in goals in the opening 5 minutes. Fulham settled the faster of the two and looked like giving United a run for our money.

However Rooney and Tevez had other ideas. Quite against the run of play, Rooney's header was squeezed in by Tevez from close range to give us the lead. The tide immediately turned and Fulham was left facing a sea of red that threatened to wipe them out of the competition.

Rooney had numerous chances to add to the lead but superb goalkeeping and poor linesmen's decisions kept Rooney from the scoresheet. Instead it was Tevez who added to his goal total with a brilliant curler that just bent beyond the stretching Schwarzer and just into the upright. It was an exquisite piece of finshing by the little Argentinian.

Fulham started the second half strongly but before they could stamp their authority, Rooney finally found his name on the scoresheet. A defensive mistake lead to Rooney possessing the ball and he passed it into the net to give United a 3-0 lead and end the contest.

Park completed the scoring in the 81st minute. We brushed aside Fulham to march into the semis.

The next week looks like a tough one. We have Inter in midweek and Liverpool in the weekend.

It's imperative that we build on this result on Wednesday if we're going to have to progress in the Champions League. After watching Inter play in their domestic games, I'm confident we possess what it takes to go thru. Serie A is pretty much rubbish this season, and I'm surprised that a poor team like Inter is leading their table. I'd be quite surprised if we do not get past this Inter side.

And after we dump Inter, let's beat the grannystabbers and crush their silly little hopes of the Premiership this weekend. That should make up for the terrible month I'm currently experiencing.

United Stretches Lead

Manchester United 3 - Fulham 0
Scorers
Manchester United: Scholes (12), Berbatov (30), Rooney (63)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Vidic, O'Shea (Evans 62), Evra, Carrick (Gibson 69), Scholes, Park, Ronaldo, Berbatov (Rooney 61), Tevez

The Premier League had better watch out. We're finding our form, and it's scary just how good we are. Today we despatched Fulham with ease, and plenty to spare in the tank, stretching the lead to 5 points.

Today's first half was one of the best we've seen in a long long while. We simply tore Fulham to bits and could have chalked up a rugby score by the half. Yet, both the goals scored in the half had a huge element of luck attached to them.

The first came from a well worked corner routine that saw Scholes send a scorcher from outside the box. Schwarzer had the ball well covered and in his grasp, but the shot was just too hot to handle and it squirmed into the net.

The second came via some comic defending from Fulham, failing to clear an O'Shea toe-poke into the box. Berbatov accepted the gift with glee.

Despite a huge slice of luck, take nothing away from the first half performance. We literally controlled the game and tore Fulham to shreds. Two goals flagged for offside and some ridiculous saves from Schwarzer stood testamont to our dominance.

Rooney completed the rout early in the second half with his first touch of the ball after coming on as a substitute. Park's wayward shot found it's way to Rooney on the far post and Fulham were truely dead and buried.

We slowed the pace down considerably, electing to play keep ball and conserving energy.

Van der Sar also kept a clean sheet, stretching the record to 14 straight games. He's had so little to do in those 14 games that it's probable that he's forgotten how it's like to be beaten.

We face Blackburn this Saturday and big Sam, who was scouting from the stands must be thinking just what an impossible the task ahead is.

United Cuts Lead To One Point

Fulham 0 - Manchester United 3
Scorers
Manchester United : Hargreaves (15), Park (44), Davies (og 72)

Team : Van der Sar, Evra, O'Shea, Rio, Brown, Scholes, Hargreaves, Nani (Anderson 75), Park, Saha (Ronaldo 69), Tevez (Rooney)

I'll keep this one short (no...really I will).

A combination of a bad stomachache and the fact that all the coffee shops around my area were showing the Arsenal-Villa game, resulted in Kentona and I making the short trip to Queens Country Club to catch the game mid-way thru. As a result, I completely missed Hargreaves' opener. So any help describing or providing a video would be welcomed. (Jiahao, I'm banking on you to produce the goods!)

I did, however, catch the second goal. I was a well worked goal with Saha, Nani, Scholes all involved before the ball was floated into the penalty area for Park to head. We weren't doing very much due to the huge gulf in class between the teams. In other words, it was relatively easy.

We even had the luxury of giving Fulham a huge amount of possession which probably wasn't a very smart thing to do. But like I mentioned, the gulf between the two teams is huge, and in the grander scheme of things, didn't really change the scoreline.

We even managed a third, when O'Shea forced an own goal from Simon Davies. We were simply the better team, even at half pace.

The good thing about Queens is that it usually shows two matches and I was busy turning around to catch glimpses of the Arsenal game. It, of course, helped that there was a really beautiful lady sitting in that general direction....ahm....

It's rather frustrating that Arsenal managed to equalize at the last second to pull one point ahead of us in the standing. I suppose from their point of view, it was more of two points lost than one gained. It can't be denied that Arsenal are crumbling fast before our very eyes and with 10 games to go, I'm really feeling good about our chances.