After Liverpool had thrashed Newcastle United last week to move up the table, Man United had to be at their best to pose some challenge. And Manchester United did keep up the pressure on Liverpool and Chelsea as they earned a hard fought battle against Middlesbrough. Dimitar Berbatov's third league goal for the club was enough to earn all 3 points at home.
United had better chances in the match but the brave visitors defended manfully and could have taken the lead when Tuncay headed just wide in the 61st minute. I guess that could have put United under pressure. But Sir Alex intelligently substituted Paul Scholes for Darren Fletcher and the veteran did steady the ship as Dimitar Berbatov blasted in from close range six minutes later. With critics blaming the hangover from their exploits in the Club World Cup just before Christmas, this win has surely rubbished it.
United now move seven points behind leaders Liverpool with two games in hand. The reigning champions now turn their attention to the domestic cup competitions with a trip to Southampton in the FA Cup on Sunday followed by the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final with Derby on 7 January.
The champions play their first Barclays Premier League match in 13 days at the Britannia Stadium today, following their participation in the Club World Cup in Japan. And Sir Alex Ferguson does not expect an easy time against Stoke in their Boxing Day clash.
While United were away in the Far East, the top two, Liverpool and Chelsea, failed to take advantage and dropped points. United are seven points adrift of Liverpool and six behind Chelsea - but have two games in hand on both. And hence Ferguson is now intent on regaining the high ground. His focus will be on how the the Premier League leaders go into 2009.
Sir Alex has also said that he has no intention of recruiting new players when the transfer window opens next week. He says he is happy to see out the season with the current crop of players at his disposal. The only hint he gave was he plans to bring back a couple of young players who have been on loan.
Champions of England, Champions of Europe and now Champions of the WORLD.
Manchester United defeated LDU Quito in Yokohama today to lift the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time. United also created another record by becoming the first British side to win the coveted trophy after Liverpool had missed the same opportunity in 2006.
The game was controlled by United in the first half with chance after chance, but no goals were scored. Sir Alex Ferguson was convinced Man United were heading for a draining half hour of extra-time before the wonder kid Wayne Rooney smashed home the winner. With Nemanja Vidic suspended four minutes into the second-half, Ferguson's side had to adopt a more cautious approach against the South Americans. But Rooney's match-winner capped a superb few days for the England international, who was deservedly crowned player of the tournament.
And once the referee blew the final whistle, United were all over the stadium. The celebrations at the end and the way Rio Ferdinand tightly gripped the trophy confirmed it will be shown off with pride at Old Trafford.
Today the draw for the Champions League knock out phase was made and Man United was handed a tie against Inter Milan. This means that Sir Alex's team will face Jose Mourinho's Inter boys to progress in the next phase.
This 2 leg encounter will give former Chelsea boss Mourinho a chance to renew acquaintances with Manchester United manager Sir Ferguson. Mourinho had made it clear that he wanted to draw an English club and he has landed a mouth-watering clash with United, with the first leg to be played at the San Siro. The ties will be played on 24/25 February and 10/11 March as the Champions League knockout phase begins.
I know most of you will be thinking of the memories of Mourinho's famous dash down the touchline at Old Trafford in March 2004 when Francisco Costinha's last-minute equaliser sent United crashing out of the Champions League and saw Porto through and on to eventual victory in the final. But hang on, that was history. It wont be repeated again. The European, who would soon be world champions have the current Ballon D'Or winner (Cristiano Ronaldo), a great coach in Alex Ferguson and a stadium with a fantastic atmosphere. And given the fact that second leg would be played at Old Trafford, I am sure the fans would make it easy for United to progress to the next round and defend their title.
European champions Manchester United will be at logger heads with Japanese outfit Gamba Osaka tonight in their Club World Cup clash. This would be United's first match in the competition. And their boss Sir Alex Ferguson is looking to the young and the old to achieve the victory.
Ferguson has confirmed that Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the starting line up. With Berbatov down with a virus and Rooney injured, Carlos Tevez will surely start the game. Gary Neville and Ben Foster also might be included.
United has had a strong fan following in Japan since David Beckham used to be a Red Devil. But even after his exit, the fans still love United. Currently, the Japanese fans have kept up a constant presence outside the team hotel only to have a glimpse of their favorite players.
Edwin van der Sar has decided to prolong his three and half years stay at The Theater of Dreams by agreeing a one-year extension with Manchester United.
The new deal is expected to be his last, with Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczak primed to battle for the number one shirt from 2010 onwards. But for now, 38-year-old Van der Sar is eager to make the most of his remaining time as Sir Alex Ferguson's first choice. He has been instrumental in United's success after his arrival from Fulham. The then United goalie Tim Howard left in frustration to join Everton. But the Dutchman has not only brought experience to the club but with that some great goalkeeping abilities.
It should be noted that Van der Sar was the one who stopped the deciding penalty in the Champions League last season. He had also won United the Community Shield after saving all Chelsea spot kicks at the start of 2007-08 season.
Another away game for Man United and another draw. This time a 0-0 draw with Tottenham. Boy, this is really bad. United are missing so many chances to get to the top spot. Sometimes, I feel that United are just lacking the desire to win, but then some brilliant individual performances prove me wrong.
In yesterday's against Spurs, Heurelho Gomes left White Hart Lane as a hero. So often ridiculed for his error-prone presence in the Spurs goal this season, he had to come to form only against United! With first half dominated by the home team, United were strong in the second half with some real chances but again - failed to score. Ronaldo had the ball in the net from the corner but referee Mike Dean was very harsh in ruling it out for handball. Rio Ferdinand had a good chance to head in one from the corner, but he missed it by inches. And the when it seemed that Giggs had secured all three points, Gomes produced a fingertip save to turn away his free-kick that was going to creep in.
Dimitar Berbatov received a hostile reception as the Spurs fans obliged with a stream of boos and jeers that began when Berbatov emerged for the warm-up and continued throughout the game. Berbatov could not produce his fantastic performance and was looking ineffective every pass he received was snatched by the Spurs defense. Ji-Sung Park and Michael Carrick were only the ones to threaten the home team with some forceful shots.
It left the Red Devils rueing their failure to take advantage to challenge the toppers in the Premier League; after Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all had to be suffice with a point.
In the previous match against Aalborg, United had to settle with a 2-2 draw. Wayne Rooney, who scored the second for United in that match, also gained some unwanted attention for a second-half tackle that floored Michael Jakobsen. And now United face an anxious wait to discover whether UEFA will take action against Wayne Rooney for his lunge.
The problem started when Aalborg midfielder Kasper Risgard was furious when Rooney jumped onto his chest. Risgard accused French referee Laurent Duhamel of being swayed by the Old Trafford experience and failing to send off the Manchester United striker. He also leveled another charge against the wonder kid by saying that Rooney threw an arm and hurted one of Aalborg's player. Although Rishard revealed that Wayne Rooney apologised to him after leaving "big marks" on his chest, his outburst has made UEFA jump into this matter.
In the worst case Rooney can face a fine or suspension from the knock-out phase if UEFA feel he has a case to answer. Time will tell what Rooney has to answer.
Manchester United completed a record equalling 19th Champions League game unbeaten run to secure top spot in Group E. Carlos Tevez's fifth goal in a week after just three minutes seemed to set the Red Devils up for a comfortable win - and what would have been only the holders third in Europe so far. But an unexpected first-half response from the visitors left United trailing at the interval.
Although Wayne Rooney leveled soon after the second half begun; the hosts could not find a winner. There were 9 changes in the side that played against Sunderland last week. The best change being the pairing of Tevez alongside Rooney. After scoring 4 goals against Blackburn, Tevez is a man on a mission. He has been producing some stellar performances to put pressure on the United boss to give him chance in the starting eleven.
Man Utd will now travel to Japan for playing the Club World Cup and during this time the last-16 draw would be made that could pair them with, among others, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. So it would be great to watch who is paired against the holders. I am sure UEFA would make sure they give United a tough draw as they dont want to see United retaining the trophy. But who cares! Pitch any team against us and we would be victorious.
As the title holders, United will be looking to see off Aalborg in the final group game of the Champions league tonight. United currently top the group, on goal difference with Villarreal earning same points as United. The teams in this group are pretty clear about their positions after tonights matches. United and Villarreal are moving to the last 16, Aalborg are competing in UEFA cup and Celtic is retuning home empty handed.
United will entertain Allan Kuhn's side who have been unbeaten in the his 12-match stint. The home team will surely miss Cristiano Ronaldo who is recovering from a hip injury in Saturday's win over Sunderland. Michael Carrick is also out with a thigh injury. This means Sir Alex will surely change his side a bit.
Probably, Gary Neville and Ben Foster are set to start while Paul Scholes is expected to be on the bench. Carlos Tevez and Darren Fletcher may also be seen. Without doubt, United will be playing to win the group which will guarantee them a chance to play the second leg at home against the team in the last 16.
What a game it was! United were dominant right from the start of the game. And they kept on piling the pressure throughout, but the goal just was not coming. And finally, when Vidic scored after Carrick's shot hit the bar, Old Trafford erupted and United managed all three points against Sunderland.
With Roy Keane resigning mid-week, Sunderland were without a manager and came to Old Trafford with a series of defeats in the previous games. This game was completely one sided affair with United attacking and Sunderland defending the attack with all their 11 men. Berbatov, Rooney, Carrick had some opportunities but could not convert them. Also, with Ronaldo limping off to the tunnel meant more problems for United. Next week's trip to Tottenham would be without Evra and Rooney and may be Ronaldo as well.
Anyways, I am happy that ManU got all the 3 points to stay behind Liverpool and Chelsea by 6 and 5 points respectively, with one game in hand.
Veteran midfielder Paul Scholes is in line for a surprise early return. The Manchester United midfielder was not thought likely to return from knee surgery until Saturday at the earliest, but such has been the 34-year-old's impressive performance on the United training ground that Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to name him on the bench.
Sir Alex said, "I have Paul Scholes in mind, he is on the verge of playing again following his operation. He is training well and chomping at the bit to get started. A place on the bench with perhaps a few minutes' pitch time could be good for him. We will see how things go."
Scholes has not been involved with the Red Devils senior squad since damaging knee ligaments in the Champions League win over Aalborg at the end of September. The absence of Scholes and Hargreaves was felt in October, when even Carrick and Ronaldo were out with some knocks. But everything seems to be very promising in the United midfield now. And with younger players like Jonny Evans, Rafael, Darron Gibson, Rodrigo Possebon and Danny Welbeck, United truly have the caliber to win in the long run.
A perfect victory for United, hammering 5 goals past Blackburn in an all Premiership contest in the Carling Cup.
Carlos Tevez who got a chance to play - claimed four goals to send Man United to the Carling Cup semi-finals with a 5-3 win over Blackburn. He fired in United's opener in the 36th minute to send a reminder to Sir Alex Ferguson of his determination and striking prowess. Later on, Nani contributed to the goals in the 40th minute with a powerful finish to a solo run that involved receiving Tevez's cushioned return pass.
The re-start promised some hope for Paul Ince's side as substitute Benni McCarthy shrugged aside Gary Neville and belted home after a previously non-existent Roque Santa Cruz had flicked on Robinson's goal-kick. However, almost immediately Martin Olsson bundled over Tevez and the Argentine slotted home the penalty to put United in control, before virtually sealing the win with another fine goal after good work from Anderson.
Ben Foster did make some brilliant saves in the opening minutes, but after United were in complete control, they seemed to be a bit careless. This costed them when Derbyshire and McCarthy scored 2 goals. But Tevez was not going to be denied and lashed home another with the final kick to send United through. With Burnley, Spurs and Derby also sealing their berths in the semis, I feel its a test between Spurs to retain the title and United to win their second silverware of the season.
21-year-old Zoran Tosic, who was acquired by United has been granted the work permit by British authorities. This means he has been cleared to join Manchester United from Partizan Belgrade where he will join up with national team-mate Nemanja Vidic at Old Trafford in January.
In order to qualify for a work permit a player must have appeared in 75% of their countries matches in the previous year but Tosic has only 6 from 14 or 43%. But Chris Waddle, who was appointed to the panel to hear this case by the Home Office permitted Tosic to join United in January.
The 21-year-old left winger became a target for Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid after playing a big part for Serbia in last years U21 Euro Championships. Serbia made it to the final of this tournament. He made his debut for Serbia on March 23, 2007. Tosic will face a tough fight to break into United's first team with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani already established at the club. Ryan Giggs is also still an option for Ferguson in terms of wide men, although the veteran is more often deployed in midfield these days.
I am waiting for some more January signings to see some new faces on the Theatre of Dreams.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been won the 2008 Ballon d'Or, beating Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres. The prestigious award was confirmed by France Football magazine, who present the trophy based on a poll of 96 top journalists.
The Manchester United winger came second in last year's poll, behind Brazil star Kaka, but his outstanding form last season, scoring 42 goals in all competitions for United, ensured he took the award this time. Ronaldo scored 42 goals last season to propel United to glory in both the Barclays Premier League and Champions League. Having already won the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the top domestic prizes from the Professional Footballers' Association and the Football Writers last season, this award was unachieved by Ron.
Ronaldo's was the only name to appear on each of the 96 ballots, polling 446 points out of a maximum 480. Messi and Torres bagged a respective 267 and 165 points. This award makes him the first United player to claim the Ballon d'Or since George Best in 1968. What an honour for Manchester United.
Congrats Cristiano. I hope you continue last years sparkling form and help ManU retain last years trophies.
Wayne Rooney grabbed the 100th club goal of his career and Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off in Manchester United's 1-0 win at City, last night.
United were dominant throughout as it was a must win game for them to close the gap on leaders. It was late in the first half that United were rewarded when Rooney followed up Michael Carrick's shot to break the deadlock. The goal made Rooney very emotional as he ran half the ground in sheer delight. After being guilty of not hitting the winner against Villa, last week; the wonder kid did make amends in front of a full crowd at The City of Manchester Stadium.
The only blemish on an otherwise perfect day for Sir Alex was Ronaldo's red card, which came after an inexplicable handball by the Portuguese winger. Ronaldo had already been booked for bringing down Shaun Wright-Phillips and, when he almost caught Rooney's corner at the near post less than 10 minutes later, referee Howard Webb had no choice but to dismiss him. Ronaldo kept on saying that he had heard a whistle and also he was pushed while the corner was being taken. But the ref was in no mood to listen and straight away sent him off.
Whatever, but even with 10 men for the last 20 minutes, City never threatened United. The win puts the champions just 5 points behind leaders Chelsea who lost to Arsenal at home.
