Manchester United grabbed a 1-0 win at Fratton Park to register their first Barclays Premier League victory of the season. The victory came after a scruffy goal in the 33rd minute, which Darren Fletcher claimed.
United were still missing some key injured players like Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves and the suspended Nani.
Now United will face a gap of nearly two weeks as they prepare to face Russia's Zenit St Petersburg for the European Super Cup in Monaco on Friday.
Mikael Silvestre has left Manchester United and joined rivals Arsenal. He had joined United in 1999 from Inter. Since the last couple of seasons, he has been warming the bench because of the rise in form of Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic.
Local rivals - Man City were also hunting for the frenchman apart from Aston Villa, Celtic and Sunderland. But Silvestre decided to join Arsenal as he wants to win more trophies with the Gunners. He said - "I left United especially because I did not want to spend any more time on the bench after nine years."
Dimitar Berbatov's transfer sage seems to be ending soon as his move to Old Trafford seems eminent. Sir Alex must be wanting to procure the Bulgarian, before they face Newcastle later this week.
Apart from Berbatov, there have been talks that United have made a bid for Thierry Henry.
I am amazed at this news as an-ex Arsenal player would wear the United jersey. But hey, on second thoughts i feel that the Frenchman would be another lethal weapon in United squad. What makes me feel like this is that, United will be playing for 7 trophies this season; 1 has already been procured (Community Shield). So this season would be very tiring, as players will have to play match after match. And with the current strike force of Rooney and Tevez, United would definitely want to have more strikers to win all the trophies.
Manchester United retained the FA Community Shield by beating Portsmouth 3-1 on penalties, after both sides could not score during the regular 90 minutes. This victory gives United a perfect start to the new season, when they host Newcastle on Sunday at Old Trafford.
Man of the Match Carlos Tevez was the lone striker for the red devils and should have been awarded a penalty in the second half, when Hreidarsson pulled Tevez down with a firm grip of the ankle. It also marked the return of Gary Neville, which is a positive sign for United.
Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo made it clear that he will remain with Manchester United this season.
Real Madrid have been trying to lure Ronaldo to Spain since the summer. Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster believes it is a "shame" that Ronaldo has decided to stay in England.
Ronaldo wanted some new challenges after he had won all major trophies and individual awards. He was planning for a move to Spain, Real to be precise; close to his home to look after his mother.
Ronaldo has said that Sir Alex's human touch was what made him stay at Old Trafford. This is the reason why Fergie has been one of the best managers in the football world. He understands the needs of the player at the right time and makes them into reality.
Ryan Giggs is relieved that he swept past Sir Bobby Charlton's record of most appearances for the Red Devils. He achieved this feat in Luzhniki Stadium by making his 759th appearance, as United overcame Chelsea to lift the Champions league. Giggs added a 2nd European medal to his 10th Premier league title, ensuring a place in the history books.
But, as usual Giggs stays humble and says that he jsut wants to play more games and enjoy his football.
Ryan Giggs is a living example of what it takes to achieve so much in football. He never flaunted himself and never talked about his personal milestones; instead he made his football do all the talking. He is a talented individual with the right attitude and application, which is why he has achieved so much. He had that hunger to sacrifice to succeed.
Giggs truly deserves the status of Man Utd legend, who started from their youth academy and went on to win everything in English football.
