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.

Giggs Century Leads The Way (Manchester United 4 - Derby 1)

Before I begin proper on this game, I did manage to catch the Fulham game whilst in Korea. The commentary was in Korean but a few things stood out from that game.

1. Offsides. There were plenty of offsides and most of it undeserved.

2. Ronaldo's yellow for diving. It probably didn't look like a penalty, yet at the same time didn't look like a dive. Either way, a yellow card didn't look like the right decision. If anything, Ronaldo did more diving in today's game.

Today's Game
It was a wet and heavy pitch and the passing just wasn't as crisp as expected from Manchester United. But we did dominate the game without really putting in our best effort. It was against a woeful Derby County and for large periods in the game you just get the feeling that the lads felt that by just turning up in a red jersey, victory was guaranteed.

I would have preferred to see alot more effort, but in truth, Derby are a really awful team. We could have really embarassed them if we really went for it.

After toying around with Derby for a good 40 minutes, Giggss opened the scoring, pouncing on Ronaldo's rebound. It was his 100th league goal for the club. Moments later, Tevez added a second. It was some seriously woeful defending from Derby, failing to clear the ball after Tevez had initially missed kicking the ball. At the second bite of the cherry, Tevez fired home.

On the hour mark, Tevez gave us a 3-0 lead with a superb strike. Derby should have been dead and buried. But as mentioned, we never did really turn up to play football today.

Derby managed to get a consolation goal when Evra allowed his man to run past him on the left and Van der Sar was caught in no-man's land. The cross was met by Steve Howard who managed to somehow poke it in despite some last grasp defending by Brown. This was Derby's first away goal. Probably gives some notion of just how out of depth Derby are playing in this league.

Given the way we played this game in the wet and cold, I would have gladly taken a victory. However, Ronaldo had different ideas. Right at the end of the game, he earned a penalty. Waving away Tevez, Ronaldo went on to slot home the penalty.

It was possibly be the right result at the end of the day, given just how woeful Derby was. There were probably only 3 United players who turned up today in their soccer boots. Tevez, Giggs and Rooney were outstanding. Everyone else was a shell of their former self.

In midweek, we should be sending a shadow squad to Rome and the lads should be well rested against Liverpool. Given the amount of rest we have, we had better get a good result against the grannystabbers.

Superb Win (Dynamo Kiev 2 - Manchester United 4)

It was a superb display by the boys in red, and the scoreline did not do our performance any justice whatsoever. Rio, Rooney and Ronaldo(2) all got on the scoresheet, but it could and should have been so many more. The Dynamo defence didn't know what hit them, as we rained shot after shot on goal.

At times it almost seemed too easy and we often took an extra touch or dallied alittle too long. Such was our dominance that our defence went asleep and conceded two goals.

There were injury concerns before the game started when Scholes hurt his knee in the training session the previous day and Evra hurt his calf just before kickoff. O'Shea and Fletcher were called upon to replace them.

Rio opened the scoring early in the game when he rose unmarked to meet a Ronaldo freekick. Rooney added a second on 18 minutes to tap home a simple goal created by both Ronaldo and Brown. Dynamo's defence was in tatters as we ran and ripped them open time and time again.

Yet against the run of play, they pulled one back. Our defence was caught ball watching during a Dynamo corner and Rincon headed it beyond a flapping Van der Sar. I felt both EVS and our defenders should have done better.

In the larger scheme of things, it really didn't matter. We poured forward and literally camped in Dynamo's half. 40 minutes into the game, Giggs turned back the clock as he pushed the ball and ran past his marker down the left flank. He put in a superb cross right on the head of Ronaldo and Ronaldo had the simple task of heading it home. It was the best goal of the game and our cushion was restored.

The second half was more of the same magnificient stuff as we tore Dynamo apart without really adding to our advantage. Anderson, who's been sensational, struck the post.

After missing a hatful of chances, we took the foot off the pedal, probably eyeing the Saturday fixture against Boro. For a brief moment....just a brief moment, Dynamo showed that they belonged in this weight category and actually looked threatening.

Yet we were the ones who scored next. In a counter attack, Tevez's cross was handled by the defender in the box and a penalty was awarded. Up stepped our regular penalty-taker Ronaldo (God forbide Rooney from another penalty) and we were 4-1 up. The game was as good as wrapped up.

Dynamo rounded up the scoring by adding another consolation goal, after we went asleep again.

We probably could have ended the game with a flourish, but both Ronaldo and substitute, Nani, got abit too fanciful.

At the end of it, it was a great performance. We've been banging in the goals lately and the entire attack seems to have clicked. We look awesome going forward and everytime it seems like we're going to score.

Special mention must go to Anderson today. I know that in my private circle of friends, I've been extraordinarily harsh against Anderson, but with Scholes out of the game, Anderson probably had his best game in a United shirt. He was spraying passes left and right, long ones and short ones with great accuracy. And what was really great to see, was that he looked pretty good tackling too....at least he looks better than Scholes while doing it. The kid is maturing before my eyes. Now all that remains is for him to do it against some really opponents.

It's been a long time coming, but Giggs was simply awesome today. At times it was like watching a 17 year old Giggs against Arsenal again! I don't know what he had for lunch, but I'd like to have some of it too. Very simply, he was my man of the match today.

Despite the recent additions to our injury list, everyone had a pretty much great game today. We're sitting really pretty with 9 points on the table and progress to the next round almost confirmed. More importantly, we looked awesome getting them. Maybe, just maybe I've been too hasty writing our chances off a little too early. As long as we play like this, we have a great chance of beating anyone and actually winning the Holy Grail.

Bring on Southgate and his whiny bunch pussies this Saturday. I can't wait to see us cream them....and for Ronaldo to score another penalty.

Van der Sar Heroics Standout In Pentalty Shootout (Chelsea 1 - United 1) *United wins 3-0 on Penalties

Thanks to Van der Sar's three saves, United won 3-0 on penalties to take the Charity Shield.

The game itself was a vast improvement from the dull FA Cup finals at the same venue just a couple of months or so back. At least there was more action and, more importantly, there were goals.

Evra was surprisingly a delight to watch when he was fielded at left wing. He constantly got behind the Chelsea backline and was instrumental in providing Giggs with the opening goal. He's got plenty of attack instincts and put them to good use whenever he's played on the left wing. Unfortunately when Silves was replaced by Nani in the second half, he reverted back to the bumbling fool in left back and was constantly beaten by Wright-Phllips. To be fair, Silves didn't fair too well against the same opponent either. Yup, we still need a left back.

The lead given to us by Giggs didn't last the half when Malouda powered past both Brown and Rio from the right wing and shot a beautiful ball into the goal right at half time.

United started off the second half in strong fashion but failed to capitalize on their chances. As the game got on, Chelsea gradually grew in strength and defensive discipline, cancelling out United's superior fire power. Goalmouth action was at a premier and the game fittingly ended in a draw.

Van der Sar steped up and saved 3 consecutive penalties in the shootout, winning us our first silverware of the season. Although it's an inconsequential result but the win is all about getting the psychological edge over our opponents in the 9 months ahead and putting the right foot forward in a long journey.

Giggs Retires From International And Transfer Garbage

Nothing much going around these few days in terms of solid news. Mostly just seagulls droppings around the trawler, which is the annual summer fare.

Giggs Retires from International Football - Glorious Welsh career has finally come to an end. It's a pity that one of the greatest names in football has never been able to perform on the biggest international stage. Anyway his retirement here is a boon to Manchester United fans all around the globe. It means Giggs will now wholeheartedly concentrate his career at Old Trafford, just as Scholes has done.

Larsson Picks Up Premiership Winners Medal - Looks like Larsson did eventually pick up a premiership medal. However the article was found on the notoriously rumour-mongering Tribalfootball.com, which somewhat adds a negative slant to it. It's unfortunate that this is the only site that reports it, so it's all I have to work with at the moment. Would appreciate it if someone, anyone can confirm this.

Transfer Rumours

Spurs Pip United To Bale - Not good news, but not exactly bad news either. I haven't seen enough of Bale to exactly have an opinion. Given the current market situation, £10m isn't alot to give for someone with the kind of potential Bale possesses. Moreover, it bolsters a position we're presumably lacking in and provides options for freekicks in dangerous positions, afterall Ronaldo's freekicks are just not consistant enough for me.

Heinze In Real Talks - Not biting this one. Given Evra's erratic performances and the inability to sign Bale, I don't see how, why United will let him leave. He's the best option amongst the worst available to play on the left. Unless something dramatic happens, I just don't see this happening.

United Plan £39m Berbatov Bid - Seagull shite. United would be fools if they really offered that kinda stupid money. If it were true, Spurs would be fools to reject it. They would be laughing to the bank, just as they did with Carrick. Hell, while we're at it, why not offer crazy money for Lenon and Dawson as well, afterall we were linked with them in the past. I'm sure the seagulls can get creative here.

Reds In Hunt for Huntelaar - A more realistic rumour. Buying Dutch always seems like a good idea, considering how well both Ruud and Stam did for us. This rumour's an interesting one. The article also mentions Reading's Leighton Baines and Spoting's Nani.

Spurs and United Battle for Nani - Having already lost Bale to Spurs, I would be pissed to lose Nani as well. Nani's been a long term target for us and is billed as the next Ronaldo. Quite frankly, from what I've seen of him, he's better than Ronaldo at the same age. Same silky skills and pace. He's just as raw, but seems more mature. At least I didn't see the same amount of whining. Amongst the London teams, I've always disliked Spurs the most (it helps to have a cousin who is a Spurs fan), but this time, they are really pissing me off. Looks like all their scouting department does is read the papers and pick our pockets.

Anyway I wouldn't dwell on the rumours too much. As with any other summer/transfer window, we're linked to a dozen players and signings almost never ever happen. Even when they do, I'm usually bitching about it. If I had things my way, we just buy Tevez and win the Premiership next season. He's the only one that's special.

Tevez Steals The Show (Manchester United 0 - West Ham United 1)

There were celebrations all round when the final whistle blew. West Ham had staved off relegation and Manchester United were crown champions of England.

Despite being almost overwhelmingly outplayed by United, Tevez willed West Ham to an unlikely victory. On paper, the United team that started lacked star names like Giggs, Scoles or Ronaldo, but they played like stars yet somehow the West Ham goal led a charmed life. Even when the trio were introduced in the second half, the West Ham defence could not be breached.

Ultimately, it was a Tevez goal in the first half that settled the match. A fitting end to the season for a West Ham team that looked doomed only two months ago, only for Tevez to claw and inspire them to safety on the last day.

(In my best Keegan impersonsation) I would have loved to see West Ham relegated to ease the pain of 95. But it was not to be.

Based on his sheer determination, Ferguson will find it very difficult to resist a move for Tevez, should he be offered again to United. He showed skill, grit, courage and a 'never say die' attitude, an attribute you can never lack when building a team. I would love to see him in our colours 'again'.

Anyway it was good to see Alan Smith get his Permiership medal and the lads celebrating wildly after the game.

Before I end this entry, here's an interview with Eric Cantona. Just thought it's a fitting end to a great season.

Poor, Gutless Performance United Falter in Europe Yet Again (AC Milan 3 - Manchester United 0)

From top to bottom, from the manager to the fans to the bloggers to the mailing lists, everyone was to blamed for this one. The only exception being Scholes who played his heart out, and probably the only one to deserve any sympathy from anyone. Everyone else was counting their chickens. All around the blogs were people getting ready for the showdown with Liverpool, the mailing lists that I was involved in were debating who to support for last night's semis, Pool or Chelsea, to eventually meet in the finals.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz were major culprits, playing scared again away in Europe by playing one up front. Time and time again we've failed to get the result desired by going away from what the players are familar with. As long as we go in with that mindset, we're simply going to be outplayed and outclassed by teams like AC Milan.

We also took a gamble and played a semi-fit Vidic in the centre of defence and right from the kickoff he's lack of fitness and sharpness was nearly exposed by Kaka. 3 minutes into the game, Seedorf hit a screamer and Van der Sar did well to push it over his bar. Milan were out of the blocks fast and we struggled to cope.

10 minutes into the game and Milan took the lead thru Kaka with a precise strike into the bottom left corner. Nothing more than Milan had deserved. They were hungrier and significantly better in every department on the pitch. I was surprised it took them till the 30th minute to add a second thru Seedorf. Again it was a sweet strike into the same corner of the goal. Quite frankly, they should've been at least another couple of goals ahead. The gulf in class was apparent for all to see.

We were no better in the second half. Although we showed abit more urgency trying to win the ball, Milan were still by far the better team. I can't remember a save that Dida had to make in the second half. That was how bad we were. It wasn't a surprise that Milan added a third via a counter attack thru Gilardino in the 79th minute. That knocked away whatever fighting spirit we had left, not that we had much to offer in the first place.

On a night when we needed to bring out our best, we produced our worst. Key players like Ronaldo and Carrick played like they were in awe of the Italians, totally gutless and disgusting. The entire defence was poor as well, giving the ball away cheaply. Heinze and Vidic combined to gift Milan their second goal. Rooney and Giggs squandered away possession. Brown and O'Shea were pumping long balls upfield to no one. All in all this was a pathetic performance. At least it gives us a taste how we play a division 2 side, except this time round, we were the division 2 side.

Only Scholes, and probably Fletcher, had average games. They were the only 2 United players who showed any semblance hunger.

Well, looks like AC Milan has gotten their wish to face Liverpool in a grudge match. It would sicken me if Pool were to win, not to mention, we're probably going to get it shoved down our throats again if they do. And it's probably going to make me puke in my mouth if Milan wins, considering they shouldn't even be in the competition in the first place. Shameful that someone has to win it.

I hope we go on to whip that 'massive' club in the weekend and take another step closer to the title. And for fucks sake, let's stop counting our chickens!

Old Boys Help United Zero in on Title (Everton 2 - Manchester United 4)

This is the stuff made for legends. 2 goals down and a thrilling comeback served up a sweet taste of toffee at Goodison Park.

Speaking of legends, there was a minute's silence to mark the passing of World Cup legend Alan Ball, which was immaculately kept before the start of the game.

Everton started both halves with early goals as United struggled to find their passing game. Despite the injuries faced during the run in and a relentless persue by Chelsea, fatigue is fast becoming our greatest enemy. Our play was sloppy and we failed to make that final pass when it mattered. The players looked like they were wearing weights on their feet for most of the first half.

On the 12th minute, Alan Stubbs thundered a freekick home, albeit with a telling deflection from the unlucky Carrick. It wasn't as if we weren't warned, as Lescott had hit the crossbar from a corner minutes earlier.

Our response was almost non-existent. Although we did dominate the first half, the final pass was always lacking. The Everton defence was sordid and did not allow an inch of space to the invaders in Red.

The second half started disasterously as Manuel Fernandes scored a stunning goal which Van der Sar could only flap at. In all honestly, the strike was so damn good, no keeper in the world could have saved it. 2-0 down and things were not looking good at all. Making matters worse was that Chelsea was leading in their own game against Bolton. Things were indeed looking glim for the men from Manchester. I'm glad I don't own a pet.

Our meek response was to take off the ineffective Evra, replacing him with Richardson in left back. Against a determined Everton side, who are fighting their own battle for a UEFA spot and trailing by 2 goals, it was perhaps better to give Richardson a run out for the midweek Champanions League game against Milan.

While the management probably had throw in the towel with a negative looking substitution, the players never hung their heads. Right on the hour, Iain Turner who has been playing in place of Tim Howard, inexplicably dropped a corner from Giggs, allowing John O'Shea to stab the ball into goal.

After playing like zombies for an hour, United were thrown a life line and my did they grab it like their lives depended on it. On came Ronaldo in place of Smith and the football was flowing. There was a sudden spring in the steps and United pushed forward for the equaliser.

And it came from the most unlikely source. Old boy and goal shy, Phil Neville somehow managed to score, perhaps his most important goal for United during a mad scramble in the penalty box. I hope his Everton teammates wouldn't be to harsh on their captain in the dressing room.

The other old boy, Rooney, completed the comeback in the 79th minute. He dragged the ball wide from the Everton defence and squeezed in the winner between Turner and the far right post.

Chris Eagles, who came on as a late substitute, put the sprinkling on the toffee, curling a superb 4th in injury time.

It was a superb victory given the circumstances and it was made sweeter by the news that Chelsea had drawn against Bolton. 5 points clear and needing 4 points from the next 3 games should see us home free. Surely we can't possibly screw this one up even if we tried...right? I certainly hope not, but we're United, and we've always made things difficult for ourselves, as this game has shown.

Another thing I just want to say here......damn we gotta be one of the most exciting teams to root for. The emotional roller coaster rides that we, United fans, go thru is incredible. And it's been going on and has gone on for quite sometime. My ticky ticker has gone thru some really tough times for almost 27 years, just by watching United play. I swear I'm going to have a heart-attack one of these days before I turn 40. I suppose the point I'm trying to say is that as much as I love the emotional spins we've gone thru the past week or so, gimme a Roma-type, non-nerve wrecking game anytime. Thrashings or boring wins once in a while is good for the heart. I'm sure some of the older fans reading this will understand where I come from.

ROOONEY!!!!!!! (Manchester United 3 - AC Milan 2)

My god, what a game! Actually it wasn't much of a game.....but what an ending! It's not over, we still have to face Milan at the San Siro, but we're going there with a slender lead.

We started off with a fluke goal by Ronaldo in the opening 5 minutes. He headed a corner right at Dida and it carromed off him upwards and subsequently into the empty net. It was a fluke goal, not that we're complaining here.

Despite going a goal up, Milan looked comfortable. They passed the ball around efficiently and did not panick, slowly building up the play. It was much like when we faced them 2 years ago. They eventually equalised with a superb goal by Kaka in the 22nd minute. He ran past Carrick and Gabby and slotted the ball past Van der Sar to score.

15 minutes later it got worse. Evra who made a 'timely' return to the team in defence, ran into Gabby and exposed Van der Sar to Kaka. Kaka didn't need a second invitation to score his second of the night. Evra has been give a free pass and sometimes generously given a couple of praises in this blog. But on this occasion, he was simply awful! I cringed everytime he got close to the ball, and cringed again when he was making passes to the Italians.

Speaking of awful, the Greek referee was awful as well. He seemed to be doing his darnest to keep United away from Athens next month. He was on a one-man mission to keep his capital safe from the marauding United fans who have been creating 'havoc' in other lands. He booked Evra for a seemingly innocent challenge ruling him out of the second leg. Given our defensive deficiencies, it should have been a great blow, but in the context of today's performance, there couldn't have been a better gift. I rather have Fletcher in defence than Evra screwing it up again. There are some things that you do not leave to chance.

United came out of half time playing like the way they did in the first half....being dictated by a very composed Milan side. To put things simply, there was no movement whenever we got the ball. We passed the ball, but we were not moving. It made defending against us very easy. Needless to say, Kaka should have gotten his hattrick. At this point in time, I had given up on the cause. Damage limitation seemed like a good thing.

Rooney and Scholesy, however, had other ideas. Right on the hour, Scholes flicked a brilliant ball which caught the Milan defence napping and Rooney was on hand to level the scores.

Suddenly the team woke up. They began passing the ball and running into spaces. On a couple of occasions, they put Milan on the backfoot. The Italians, unable to cope against wave after wave of the Red tide pounding on their defensive walls, started to give away freekicks at the edge of the penalty area. Strangely enough, some of the tackles put in were pretty cynical and yet the referee from Greece did not book anyone. Despite the number of freekicks given, Giggs and Ronaldo combined to miss all of them.

Just when all look lost, Giggs threaded a superb pass to Rooney in the box and Rooney unleashed a thunderbolt from a narrow angle into the goal in injury time. It suddenly felt like Gigg's goal against Juve that drew us level at OT in 95!

Like I mentioned, the job's not done yet. We must not let our guard down next week. If we played like anything in the first half, we're doomed. We need to take the game to Milan and let them adjust to our style.

Man of the Match : Rooney. Had he not scored that last minute goal, I would have given it to Fletcher, who was outstanding in midifeld again. He must love playing against the Italians, having done the job against Roma and for Scotland against Italy.

Fuckin' Late Kickoff (Manchester United 1 - Middlesbrough 1)

I can't emphasize how fucking irritated I am with our performance in late kickoffs. We were trying to be what Fergie and Giggs had said in midweek....efficient. Unfortunately it all turned out wrong as we tried to play like Chelsea. Now the cushion has almost been completely swept from under our buttocks. Chelsea now holds their own destiny in their hands. All they need to do is to win their remaining premiership games, including the one with us.

The game started brightly for us. Richardson gave us the lead after a superb pass from Scholes and some brilliant running from Rooney in the 3rd minute. Just as Chelsea has been making a habit of scoring late in games, we've been doing the same with early goals.

The difference is when you score late goals, the other hasn't a chance of hitting back. And Boro did just that at the stroke of half time. It was also partly due to Rio hurting his groin again and was practically immobile when Viduka scored the equalizer.

Our tactics after going one goal ahead early was probably to blame as the team took heed from SAR and Giggs suggestions to play 'efficiently'. We allowed Boro plenty of possession and allowed them to come at us. Although until the goal, we had been able to contain Boro somewhat comfortably. We should have gone out and tried to nick a second goal, and play the way that had worked so well for us the entire season. Of course there were other considerations like injuries and more importantly, fatigue, but we should have treated each game like it was a cup final.

SAR rang in the changes at half time bringing on Giggs as an attacking punch and Fetcher to replace the injuried Rio. Yet it was Van der Sar who was called into action, denying both Viduka and Yakubu. Perhaps our first half rhythm had set in and our attacking play just wasn't effective. We could hardly penetrate the last third of the pitch with Boro defending resolutely and hitting us on the counter, a tactic which we made almost exclusively our own throughout the season.

Ole was sent on in a desperate push forward to seek the winning goal with a quarter of the game left, which in fairness to Ole, just wasn't enough. To put things into perspective on how ineffective we were, I don't think Schwarzer was troubled to make a single save in the second half. The tension in the stadium was intense and it probably got to the United players on the pitch.

In the dying minutes, what was a already bad situation almost got worse. John O'Shea brought down a Boro player in injury time and a penalty wasn't given. It could have made a bad day turn really sour.

Despite not winning this game, things aren't dire yet. Just as Chelsea has their destiny in their hands, so do we and it always has been. The only difference is that the margin of error now is minimal. Nerves will play an important part to both teams and how they perform under that pressure will separate the men from the boys.

I don't like the situation we're in, especially after having had a 6 point cushion, but I'll take what we have considering I never gave us a lick of hope at the beginning of the season. And with all the fucking late kickoffs out of the bloody way, the only thing that worries me is facing West Ham in the last game. I believe we probably would draw Chelsea to bring the race down to the wire.

If anyone cares to remember back in 95, we faced West Ham in the last game for the title and a certain Andy Cole missed 7825 shots on goal. We drew that game as Blackburn edged us to the title. Had we won then, the title would have been ours.

Comfortable (Manchester United 2 - Sheffield United 0)

Two early goals, one in each half settled the game. We never really gotten our engine started when Carrick took on a beautiful pass from Ronaldo and lifted it deftly past Kenny in the 3rd minute of the game.

Rob Styles, as usual, was ridiculously inconsistant with his yellow card decisions. For most parts of the first half, he let Sheffied United get away with murder. The tackle on Evra which resulted in his substitution was horrendous. It could have broken a leg, yet Styles let the perpetrator off with a warning.

Smith too got a huge kick in the buttocks and his perpetrator got off with a warning. His shorts was almost ripped off in that tackle. Yet almost comically, Ronaldo's marker Geary was booked for a foul that looked really innocent. I never understand Rob Styles when he referees.

Anyway, early in the second half, Giggs made a sublime pass to Rooney and he swept it into the goal. Sheffield United, quite truthfully, never really looked like threatening our goal. They looked like they spent the entire game in a damage limitation exercise.

After going two goals up, we were also conserving our energy passing the ball around. It wasn't much of a spectacle, just a convincing win. Both sides knew there were more important games to expand their strength in the coming weeks.

Oh, and Rob Styles probably stole the show again in the second half when he denied a penalty to Sheffield United. Their chief striker, Luton Shelton, was blatantly brought down by Heinze, but Styles swallowed his whistle. Shelton's really impressed me. He gave our make-shift central defenders, Heinze and Brown a torrid time whenever he had the ball. Thankfully there weren't many opportunities for him to get the ball.

We've put the pressure back on Chelsea who faces relegation threatened West Ham tomorrow. Let's hope West Ham are desperate enough to make a fight out of it. It would be really sweet if they could do what they did to us to Chelsea.

And in the weekend, we face Boro in another late kickoff. Let's hope we fare better this time round.

FA Youth Cup
We beat Liverpool at Anfield 2-1. Couldn't catch the game yesterday. No torrents available either, so it kinda sucks all round.

PFA Awards
Ronaldo, Giggs and Scholes are in contention for the main award and Rooney and Ronaldo are in for the young player award. Quite frankly this year's awards are farcical at best.

I can't freaking believe Gerrard and Fabregas were even nominated. Gerrard isn't even the best player for Liverpool this season, and Fabregas was much better last season. Not to mention it's a travesty that Michael Essien isn't even nominated. And I haven't even mentioned players like Berbatov or Carragher, who have been outstanding for their respective clubs.

And don't even get me started on the young player award. Kevin Doyle!?!?!??! I would expect someone nominated in this category to be at least 21 or younger at the start of the season. I just don't get it.

FWIW, Ronaldo should sweep both awards. It's not a given, although the voting is done by fellow professionals, and they ain't exactly rocket scientists either. But I'm not expecting any surprises here.

Ronaldo's Penalty Sees United Into The Semis (Manchester United 1 - Middlesbrough 0)

How Southgate must hate to face Ronaldo. This is the third meeting between the sides this season and Ronaldo has earned 3 penalties, taking the penalties himself in the last 2.

The game itself wasn't really anything to shout about. Neither side really played well. Boro were content to sit back and let Viduka take long shots, while United didn't really create much. When they did, the chance mostly fell to Rooney who left his scoring boots at home. Credit must also be given to Mark Schwarzer. He must have made at least 3-4 utterly brilliant saves from Rooney.

Smith who was given his first start of the season looked sharp and was his usual pesky self, irritating the Boro defenders to no end. Carrick also had a pretty outstanding game, by his usual standards. Giggs started in midfield and was superb beside Carrick. I suspect alot of it was due to the fact the entire Boro midfield was playing like auxiliary defenders.

The game had looked like it was going to be a draw until the 75th minute when a Carrick (or was it Giggs?) pass down the left flank found Ronaldo. Ronaldo ran past Woodgate down the byline and was facing Schwarzer one on one. In a desperate challenge, Woodgate caught Ronaldo's trailing leg and brought him down. Penalty! No doubts about it. Just as he had earned tonight's replay 9 days back, Ronaldo stood up and smashed home the winner.

Boro could hardly muster a comeback as United looked confident playing keepball. Deep in injury time, Morrison was sent off for sliding 2 legged into Ronaldo. Somehow the referee, Mike Dean, did not send Rooney off for a second yellow for confronting Morrison. It was honestly piss poor refereeing.

Rooney was booked early in the second half for mouthing off at the referee which was the right decision. Then when the 90 minutes was up, he initiated a tussle with Boateng, which saw Boateng booked. Strangely Dean let Rooney off the hook. Then of course in injury time, he failed to book Rooney again. A stronger referee would and should have sent Rooney off. Rooney despite all his talents still cannot keep his head in check and it's really frustrating for us to see him being stupid time and time again. This time he got away with it, but he might not be so lucky next time. Of course the situation is compounded given the current squad status, which makes it doubly frustrating.

Same case for Alan Smith. Being his usual self, he too was booked for a stupid tackle which he had no chance of winning. Good thing Fergie replaced him in the second half before any real damage was done. Unfortunately, he didn't take Rooney off, and Rooney's ugly self manifested itself.

We now face Watford in the semis, and on course to meet Chelsea, who beat Spurs, in the finals. That's of course if both teams can beat their semi-final opponents.

Just a couple of small trivial before I leave:

• Boateng was actually one of the ballboys when we played Barcelona in the Cup Winners Cup finals back in 91.
• We equaled Arsenal's record in semi-final appearances of 25.
• Scholes will return in our next game against Blackburn on the 31st this month. He's served his 3 match ban.
• Our squad was so decimated by injuries that on the subs bench was a defender named, Craig Cathcart. Who? My sentiments exactly.