|
When Sir Alex Ferguson signed Edwin Van Der Sar in June 2005, after
missing out on the title for the second successive year, little did
anybody realise just how valuable a signing he would be. Many criticised
his age and claimed Ferguson should have given up hope on the transfer
after the Dutch goalkeeper left Juventus for London and Fulham four
years previously. Fast forward two years, and Van Der Sar's displays,
particularly in the recent league win over his old club and the FA Cup
victory over Reading are keeping United in the hunt for three trophies.
Without his influence in recent weeks, it would almost certainly have
meant elimination from one competition and an opportunity for Chelsea to
get too close for comfort in another.However, back at the start of the
month, it was Wayne Rooney's turn to steal the limelight as he finished
off a brave Charlton outfit in a 2-0 win at Old Trafford. Ji-Sung Park
had opened the scoring in the first half, but United had to wait until
Rooney 's perfectly waited chip fell onto the head of Darren Fletcher to
wrap up what was beginning to become a nervy afternoon. It was soon time
though to forget about the Premiership for a while, with a fortnight
break from League action as the games now came thick and fast with
United chasing trophies on three fronts. United made a bright start to
the FA Cup game with Reading, with Ji-Sung Park again working hard to
carve out an opener, although his finishing was to let him down badly.
Ole Solskjaer did have the ball in the net soon though, following
another Park move , yet his opener was ruled out, after wrongly being
judged to be offside. However it was Carrick who propelled United into a
deserved lead on the stroke of half-time , with a strike which had
previously been the preserve of a certain Roy Keane. It was another
performance which only served to enhance Carrick's reputation as a
dominating figure in the midfield. Coppell's decision to rest several
first team players demonstrated his belief that a replay was Reading's
best hope of a result, and they stuck to their task, despite Ronaldo and
Park's attempts to extend the lead. The two combined in the second half
to free Ronaldo, but he fired wide, and United were soon to be punished
for those misses. Sloppy marking allowed Brynjar Gunnarsson a free
header in the box and he fired home to earn Reading a replay. The
Champions ' League was also back in action this month, with United
favourites to get past a Lille side considered one of the weaker teams
left in the competition. United' s early chances, of which the main
creator was Rooney, did not deter the French side, who came at United
and had a header disallowed from Odemwingie for his push on Vidic, but
it was a warning sign that a repeat of last year's farce was not out of
the question. Rooney and Ronaldo both missed wonderful opportunities
with just the goalkeeper to beat to nab a vital away goal, but
Ferguson's tactical nous was spot on, taking Ronaldo off for Saha, who
went on to win the free kick from which Giggs was to score. A clever
manoeuvre from Giggs, verified by the referee , made Lille's disgraceful
attempts to walk off nothing short of incredible. However , with
United's recent form, and on the basis of that game alone, the second
leg should provide the opportunity to leave nobody in any doubts over
who is the better football team. Yet the most worrying incident was not
the Lille attacks, or their protests, but rather the concerning pictures
coming from the United end as fans got caught in a crush whilst trying
to move to another part of the ground. UEFA will launch a full
investigation , a much needed one after another incident in which United
fans were left fearing for their safety because of the reaction of
police forces using tear gas and batons , which aggravated rather than
calmed the situation. Questions also have to be asked over the
management of the crowd i.e why were so many United fans let into that
part of the ground and why was the match not played at a better equipped
stadium , such as the Stade de France, a concern which United had raised
before the game . Domestically , the return to league action gave United
the opportunity to extend the lead at the top to nine points, with
Chelsea not in action due to the Carling Cup final. A defensive mix-up
between Vidic and Van Der Sar allowed McBride in to open the scoring and
suddenly that script seemed out of the window. Van Der Sar's nervous
touch moments later, after a pass back from Wes Brown, suggested it
might be a long afternoon, but the Dutchman recovered to pull off an
excellent save from Simon Davies with the scores level. United didn 't
have to wait too long though to hit back, with Giggs sneaking in round
the back of the defence to hit a half-volley with the outside of his
boot to equalise. This was to be as good as it got, however, with
Radzinski heading against the bar with the goal gaping and Van Der Sar
forced into another great stop from Davies. That was, of course, until
Ronaldo demonstrated why United are desperate for him to stay in the
face of interest from Spain. Picking the ball up on the halfway line, he
glided past three defenders before sticking the ball in the bottom
corner to score arguably his most important goal for United, one which
extends that lead at the top to nine points. It was a goal which meant
so much to him, to Ferguson, and to the whole squad who joined in the
celebrations. The spirit and belief that this side can finish the job
off this year was evident in abundance by the celebrations. They also
know that games like these, ones which should have been lost but were
won, are the turning points in a season. Playing poorly and winning -
the mark of champions. February ended with an equally nervous finish
with Reading in the FA Cup replay. It was a blistering start to the
game, with three goals in six minutes for United signalling the apparent
end of the game as a contest. The foot came off the gas and stayed there
for the next 84 minutes, with Paul Kitson equalising before the break,
and his effort was added to by Leroy Lita, who glanced the ball home to
make it a nervous last six minutes. Gunnarsson, who had forced this very
replay, was nearly the man to make headlines again when his shot
cannoned off the crossbar to bounce away and United had escaped extra
time by a whisker. Again, it was another tough evening against an
organised Steve Coppell side and, just like the previous Saturday, a
game in which, on the overall basis of play, United were lucky to come
out of with the win. The stride towards three trophies has moved forward
confidently this month, and the momentum with this team now seems
unstoppable. Getting over the hurdle of Liverpool at Anfield is a big
challenge but do so, and the title surely becomes United's to throw
away. Into the last eight of the FA Cup, with one foot in the last eight
of the Champions League , nine points clear at the top of the
Premiership, is it too early to dream that we are in 1999 all over
again?........
Until next month,
Keep the red flag flying high,
John Monaghan |