Injury time winner from Rooney takes United to Wembley.

The two legged game probably has something extra to show and last night was not different from it. The usual habbit of Manchester United that is the injury time goal from Wayne Rooney took the home side for the final date in Wembley with a 3-1 win and the overall aggregate being 4-3. But that didn’t happen before three goals were scored in the match which was pointing at penalties to decide the semi-final hurdle. After that game the holders have a chance to retain their carling cup for this season too.

United got the pre-match boost with Rio Ferdinand allowed to play after he decided to appeal the misconduct against Hull City. Sir Alex went in with the winning squad that played Hull City the previous weekend. That match started with much roar from the old Trafford crowd and the hostility against Carlos Tevez was felt. For the entire half the red devils dominated the possession but were unable to get the break through and on the other side Edwin Van der Sar did his bit to bit to save Bellamy’s diving header. The teams went into the break with 0-0 on the board.

In a dis-respecting moment for the visitors, Craig Bellamy was hit with a bottle in the 50th minute when he was going for the corner which will be probed later by the English FA. United got the break through in the 52nd minute when Giggs passed the ball from the right to Nani in the box who was blocked by three City defenders but not before Carrick crawled the ball to Paul Scholes who scored from his first touch from the edge of the box. Manchester United got their all important second goal in the 72nd minute when Nani gave the ball to already sprinting Fletcherin the box who couldn’t control the ball and gave a back pass to Michael Carrick who shot the ball to the edge of the goal to give Manchester United the overall of 3-2. The celebration came at a halt for United whose fans were already singing victory songs when Tevez pulled on back to level the aggregate score ta 3-3 in the 76th minute when a long bal from Bellamy was neatly headed home by him.

Just when the game was heading for the extra time, the man who scored four in the previous game didn’t stop here by scoring deep into the injury time. It was Ryan Giggs who gave a wonderful cross to Rooney in the box to score the all important goal which took Manchester United just one step away from the Carling Cup.

Manchester United first win of 2010, Chelsea strikes 7.

Finally the weather didn’t play much of spoil sport as six of the seven matches of theleague went as per schedule much to the delight of the crowd with matches ending up with too many on the scoring card. The day belonged to the leaders Chelsea who thrashed mid tablers Sunderland with 7 goals, the match was over at half time when the blues were leading 4-0.
It seems like Liverpool may now be fighting for the seventh place after their recent 1-1 draw against Stoke City leaving them only one point ahead of Birmingham Citywhose match against Portsmouth was postponed due to water logged pitch at the Fratton Park. The decision came after the official were unhappy with the ground conditions at 1000 Hours BST.

At Old Trafford, the good news seems to be coming with the return of goal keeper Edwin Van der Sar to the side andManchester United winning their first match of 2010 with a 3-0 victory over Burnley. Senegalese Mame Biram Dioufmade his dream debut for the red devils with a goal in the last minute of the match. Going into the match,Manchester United took more than an hour to score the first goal of the match as the visiting side were playing well under their new manager Brian Laws. With many missed opportuinities from both the sides, the first Goal was scored in the 63rd minute by Dimitar Berbatov when Wayne Rooney’s brilliant pass got him and he ended it with a close range left footed shot from a very acute angle which found the net thus giving relief to 75000+fans in the staduim. Second goal followed just 5 minutes later, this time it was Wayne Rooney scoring for the first time in 2010 whenBerbatov’s shot was blocked by the goalkeeper which got Rooney who found his way shot the ball in the crowded penalty area to double the lead. United sealed off the victory with a third when Mame Biram Diouf headed a free ball to score his first on his first.

Other results of Saturday were:
Tottenham Hotspurs 0-0 Hull City
Wolves 0-2 Wigan
Everton 2-0 Manchester City

Red Devils beat tigers in their own territory, Chelsea held again.

Things at the top are getting more and more crunch as the gap on the leaders have been narrowed down to just two points after Chelsea had to settle for a goalless draw against Birmingham City and second place Manchester United won 3-1 against Hull City this Sunday. Things got worse for bottom players Portsmouth who were thrashed with 3 goals by the Hammers at home.
The was a good pre-match boosting for the red devils when Wes Brown and Nemanja Vidic came back at defence as a result Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher were back at there trade mark attacking mid field position. Man United’s first chance came in the 5th minute when Valencia’s long ball from the right got Giggs who fired well over the cross bar. After taking majority of possession in the first half, Manchester United got the first goal through Wayne Rooney in the added time of the first half. Fletcher curled the ball inside the Tiger’s penalty area which found Rooney who netted with a close range effort.

Just near the hour mark, Wayne Rooney’s back pass proved costly for United as the ball bounced in the penalty area and Rafael collided with Altidore to give Tigers the vital penalty which was eventually converted by Fagan.Manchester United got its second with a own goal by Dawson netted at his own goal with Rooney’s cross. Things were finally wrapped up by Dimitar Berbatov who got a simple eagle’s eye pass from Rooney in the 82nd minute to wrap up the proceedings.

After many missed chances Chelsea were held 0-0 by Birmingham city at St. Andrews as a result they are just 2 points ahead of United.
Things got worse for bottom team Portsmouth with a 3-0 defeat in the hands of West Ham United at home. With this they are left with 14 points. As the teams go in the mid-team analysis something seriously needs to be done in order to revive in the premiership.
Other results are:
Fulham 0-0 Tottenham
Burnley 1-1 Bolton
Manchester City 2-0 Stoke City
Sunderland 1-1 Everton
Wigan 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
Liverpool 2-0 Wolves

1-2-3 by Owen takes United to the next round in style.

Hat-trick by Manchester United’s no. 7 Michael Owen against VfL Wolfsburg made it sure that his team reached the next round of the champions league in style by being the group leaders. With the result Wolfsburg are out of this year’s champions leaguebut they have earned a place in the Europa League, a competition lower than the champions league. In the other match PFC CSKA Moscow joined Manchester Unitedafter defeating Besiktas JK 2-1 to progress into the knockout stage.

Going with a second string team to Germany, as most of the players were injured, Sir Alex would have been delighted to see his team win in style with a special thanks to Michael Owen who showed a glimpse of his footballing skills of the past. After having the most of the possession, which is a regular for the red devils, the first goal took nearly the half when Michael Owen headed past goalkeeper Diego Benaglio with a perfect cross by Nani from the left corner. The teams went into the break with United leading at half time.

Second half saw the home side coming back into the match when Dzeko leveled in the 55th minute with a similar type of circumstances as that of United’s first goal, Marcel Schäfer being the architect for this one. Owen’s second came through a brilliant foot work by Gabriel Obertan who kept the defenders wondering and in the end giving a simple cross to him for an easy finish at the goal. Owen finally wrapped up the proceedings in the trade mark time for United, i.e. 90th minute with a brilliant solo shot over the goal keeper’s head. Final score Manchester United 3,Wolfsburg 1.
With the brilliant night at the VfL Wolfsburg arena, the focus now shifts to the next round where Manchester Unitedwill up against one of the giants of Europe next year.
Results of other matches are:
Group A: Juventus 1-4 FC Bayern München
Maccabi Haifa FC 0-1 FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Group C: FC Zürich 1-1 AC Milan
Olympique de Marseille 1-3 Real Madrid CF
Group D: Chelsea FC 2-2 APOEL FC
Club Atlético de Madrid 0-3 FC Porto

100 for Giggs, Rooney’s hat trick takes United 2 points behind leaders.

Hat-trick by Wayne Rooney and 100th goal by legend Ryan Giggs took Manchester United to victory against Portsmouth at Fratton park but not before a controversial penalty was awarded against the winning team in the opening half of the match. While their neighbours Manchester City had to settle for a draw against Hull City at the City of Manchester Stadium.
The red devils started the match with Tomasz Kuszczak as their goal keeper becauseEdwin Van der Sar had to sit out because of knee injury which is expected to take more than 2 weeks to recover.
In the first half, the home team started attacking in the first minute itself when Pompey’s shot had to be blocked by United’s goal keeper. More attacks followed every minute in the middle and in between the attacks Antonio Valencia burst forward and exchanged passes withRooney, and when the winger pulled the ball back for his team-mate in the penalty area, the England forward waited for a clumsy challenge to arrive from Michael Brown. Wayne Rooney had no problems in converting it giving a 1-0 lead for the visiting side in the 22nd minute. In the 33rd minute a controversial decision led to the equaliser byPortsmouth through a penalty. As everybody was getting ready for the goal kick the referees pointing to the spot even left Portsmouth’s players unaware. Don’t know what did the referee found in the clearing punch of goalkeeper a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomasz_Kuszczak” target=”_blank”>Tomasz Kuszczak who must have touched Everton players. The teams went into the break with 1-1 score line.

Second half truly belonged to Manchester United, first up was Wayne Rooney with his second when a brilliant play in the mid field by Manchester United led a pass to Wayne Rooney” target=”_blank”>Ryan Giggs and with a two on two situation Ryan Wayne Rooney” target=”_blank”>Giggs gave a perfect pass from his right leg to Wayne Rooney who shot the ball giving no chance to the keeper. In the third penalty od the game, when Wayne Rooney” target=”_blank”>Giggs was brought down in the penalty area,Wayne Rooney completed his hat trick. And finallyManchester United wrapped up the victory with a Wayne Rooney” target=”_blank”>Giggs goal in the 88th minute thus completing his century for league goals for United.

After the win, all eyes will be on the Arsenal –Chelsea match which will decide the permutations to be done in the coming weeks.

Berbatov, Rooney takes Red Devils to victory

Two goals from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov took Manchester United to a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. Leaders Chelsea continued their winning form with no problems in beating Bolton Wanderers by 4 goals while maintaining the clean sheet. Their high scoring form is a definite worry for the opponents who are about to face them in the near future. They maintain their lead at the top. In the match at Old Trafford, Manchester United looked a bit defensive in the first half one with only two-three chances on the goal. Just before the break Dimitar Berbatov was denied a goal because of off-side. Rover’s goal keeper Paul Robinson had to do his bit to denyBerbatov’s shot. With no real threats, the match went goal less to the break.

Second half had plenty of action, the deadlock was finally broken by Berbatov in the 55th minute when Patrice Evrawas allowed space to advance and shoot and, although his effort was heading off-target, Berbatov needed only an expert left-footed touch to control it, then an even better touch with his right to arrow the volley inside Robinson‘s post. The eager fans waiting finally came to an end and the victory songs at old Trafford started to pick the pace. And just three minutes from the normal time Wayne Rooney seal the victory for the home side when he chipped the ball from Anderson’s cross over the visiting keeper. So Wayne Rooney’s goal touch is finally back as predicted.Blackburn did their best to narrow the lead when in the injury time when a goal was disallowed from substituteNikola Kalinic, who was incorrectly deemed offside as he tapped in the rebound after Edwin van der Sar had saved superbly from Benni McCarthy. This match has set up a good mood for the midweek’s champions league tie againstCSKA Moscow. In the London derby, Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspurs with a 3-0 scoreline to maintain their third spot in the premiership. Other scores are… 

 Sunderland 2-2 West Ham United
Portsmouth 4-0 Wigan
Everton 1-1 Aston Villa
Fulham 3-1 Liverpool
Stoke City 2-2 Wolves
Burnley 2-0 Hull City

 

Moscow jinx broken by Manchester United for English clubs.

In a thrilling match in Moscow, Manchester United won with a narrow margin of 1-0 against CSKA Moscow. And again and again as always for the Red Devils the goal was scored with just 4 minutes remaining in the stipulated 90 minutes.

The match started with not much of fireworks and it was not until the middle of the first half when the first scare came for the home side with Paul Scholes firing a long ranger gave some tough time for the CSKA Moscow’s keeper with the ball bouncing just in front of him followed by a left footed shot by Manchester United skipper Gary Neville. On the other side of the half there were no serious progressions as Manchester United’s strong defence was doing its bit on the field. Half time went goal less.
In the second half, Dimitar Berbatov was given a yellow card from diving in the CSKA’s penalty area and he has to be cautious as another yellow may make him miss a match in the champions league stage. Dzagoev for CSKA had put the ball in the United net in the 54th minute but was denied by an offside flag while his free-kick led to Sergei Ignashevich shooting just wide. At the other end CSKA Goalkeeper Akinfeev saved a brilliant diving header by Nani’s from Neville’s cross. Before scoring the winning goal Antonio Valencia had a great opportuinity to score when United players showed a geat one touch game just for the shot hitting the crossbar. Just when the game was going into the final 5 minutes or going into Manchester United’s time Nani chipped the ball to Berbatov in CSKA’s penalty area who headed it to Valencia who scored with a neat right kick from a very acute angle giving no chance to the keeper. The scored remained as it is the final whistle which makes United take a giant step into the next round. Without the services of Rooney, Giggs, Evra Manchester United had put up great show and not to forget Nani’s appreciating role on the left wing.
In the other match of the same group, VfL Wolfsburg and Besiktas JK shared a point each with a goal less draw in Germany making the group wide open for the rest of the 3 teams to qualify along with United who is certain to go into the next round.

Marching on in the Carling Cup

A brief History: The League Cup or better known as the Carling Cup was the brainchild of Alan Hardaker, the Football League secretary from 1957 to 1979. The advent of floodlights at English football grounds in the 1950s brought with it the possibility of staging a midweek, evening competition and in 1960-61 the first League Cup competition took place. Aston Villa won it with a 3-2 aggregate victory in the final against Rotherham after overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit. The following year Fourth Division Rochdale reached the League Cup final, losing to Norwich City.Only when the incentive of the winners being offered a place in the UEFA Cup did all the leading sides take part, however, and the League Cup final was switched to a one-off match at Wembley in 1967. This football series was known as the League Cup until 1980-81, The Milk Cup till 1985-86, The Littlewoods Cup till 1989-90, The Rumbelows Cup till 1991-92, The cocacola cup till 1997-98, The Worthington Cup till 2002-03 and now presently it is known as the Carling Cup.

Holders Manchester United were one of six Premier League sides to progress to the Carling Cup third round on Wednesday night. A superb goal from Danny Welbeck took United through to the fourth round of the Carling Cup, but the reigning holders were made to work for their progress after surviving the first-half dismissal of Fabio. Predictably, Sir Alex Ferguson made wholesale changes from the side which edged Sunday’s epic Manchester derby. Only Michael Owen and Michael Carrick, both late substitutes against the Blues, started against Mick McCarthy’s side. An influx of youth and fringe players prevailed, with senior squad debutants Joshua King and Magnus Eikrem named on the bench. A solitary goal would prove enough, however.
Despite spending over an hour of the match with 10 men, the holders march on into the fourth round of the Carling Cup.