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.

Conclusive Proof That Idiots Exists

Just read that Ronaldo won the Ballon dÓr trophy. Seriously was there any doubt after what he did last season? What really irked me was that he only garnered top choice for 77 out of the 96 assholes who voted.

My maths tells me that there were actually 19 idiots who didn't put him on the top of their list. Seriously, these bunch are supposedly the top sports journalists and they picked someone else. I think this only conclusively proves that sports journalists are nothing more than nincompoops who can write. And I should know since I know my fare share of local sports journalists.

But this is not my rant, although I love to have a dig at nincompoops with pens. This win for Ronaldo feels like a phyrric victory. Sure we have bragging rights of having the best player in the world, but just how long is that going to last. From everything that has happened in the past 6 months, I'm pretty sure he's on his way to Real Madrid, especially now that he's finally won all.

His body language this season is terrible. And he's gone back to that pouty and sulky boy 3 seasons ago. He's just making it hard to support him. Again that is not the point here.

The main point is that we need him more than he needs us. We are a terribly team without him. For the wealth of talent we possess, we're just not producing the results. The future may look bright with promising youngsters coming thru the ranks, but none of them boosts of a potential world-beater. I actually worry for the team when he eventually leaves.

Rooney's Winner, Ronaldo's Shame

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

Red Card: Ronaldo (68)

Team: Van der Sar, Rio, Vidic, Rafael, Evra, Carrick, Fletcher, Park (O'Shea 90), Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov (Giggs 84)

Not exactly the kind of derby result I was expecting. Rooney covered himself with glory, scoring the only goal in a tight game, while Ronaldo went the opposite direction, shrouding himself in shame as he was deservedly sent off for a blatant handball.

We had the upper hand in the opening exchanges but were, as usual, not able to convert. Even when Joe Hart spilled the ball, we were not sharp enough to pounce on the City keeper. On the other end, Van der Sar once again proved what a liability he is with balls floated in from freekicks. He flapped at the ball, getting nowhere near it. Thankfully, City were as lacklustre as we were upfront.

Rooney's goal came late late in the first half thru some determined work from Park. The ball was bouncing around in the penalty area and Park's tenacity brought it to Carrick's feet. With the goal inviting, Carrick took a fine shot that Joe Hart could only parry onto the path of Rooney. The newly crowned 100-goal man wheeled away in celebration, and somewhat in relief after finally breaking the duck. Maybe with that monkey finally off his back, he might produce the kind of performance we've been used to. He's been playing like crap for the past month, at times trying too hard.

City came on strong in the second half and we barely stemmed the flood of sky blue shirts coming at us. Then inexplicably Ronaldo handled in the area to leave Howard Webb no choice but to flash the second yellow. I don't understand how anyone can defend his stupidity, let alone a well-respected manager like Ferguson.

His dismissal left his teammates a man short, and United were left to defend the remaining 20 minutes in a hostile atmosphere. We killed the game and it was pretty much a bore to see City try to break us down, at the same time watching United play the kind of football we dread to see.

Despite all that, the game somehow managed to come to life in the dying seconds. City had a goalline clearance and from the resultant ball, Rooney launched a ball from just within the City half goal wards. Joe Hart, who had been sprinting back from the corner at the other end made a diving save to prevent the scoreline from being larger. My mates who were watching the game with me were marvelling at the sequence of play.

We stayed on to watch Chelsea get humbled by a crisis-wrought Arsenal. We've closed the gap between us. Now all that remains is for Liverpool to fumble against the Hammers tomorrow to make it a good weekend.