The old football cliche, has scarcely rung more true than yesterday at
Old Trafford. United, at sixes and sevens with each other one half.
were nearly hitting sixes and sevens past Spurs the other.
It was an amazing game to see, my only complaint can be that all seven goals were down at the other end!
United fans have seen many a great comeback down the years, but despite their air of inevitability, these are still among the most thrilling United games to watch. As Jonathan Northolt writes in the Sunday Times: "No matter how often Manchester United write the script their supporters will never tire of it".
The big decision
Having made few chances in the first half, United needed something to go their way. With Howard Webb deciding Gomes brought down Carrick we got that and it set us on our way. Though Harry Redknapp moaned, and even Fergie said it was fortunate, I would not side with The Sun in calling the decision "a shocker."
Instead as The Mirror put it: "Heurelho Gomes will argue forever he got a touch to the ball when he sent through Michael Carrick. Carrick will always know he got there first. The man who matters decided it was a foul."
Given the penalty we were denied at Wembley, few fans will be losing sleep over how our first goal came.
Our loss, Carlos?
Though it was Rooney and Ronaldo shared the bulk of the goals they were
not the only people to receive praise from today's press. Rooney as man
of the match may have been "the pivot upon which every action of United's comeback turned," but it was "the tonic of Tevez" that roused the Reds from their first half stupour.
As Duncan White in The Telegraph puts it: "Ferguson’s dressing room rhetoric undoubtedly played a role but it was the half-time introduction of Carlos Tevez for the insipid Nani that catalysed the whole team."
Even Fergie reserved special praise for our number 32: "He won the game for us. He turned the game… although obviously everyone played their part", but will it be enough to keep Carlos at Old Trafford for another season?
All of Sir Alex's substitutions were spot on today. While Nani clearly failed to rise to the occasion given a rare Premier League start, Fletcher's passing was unimaginative and the introduction of Scholes gave us another huge lift. Rafael, showing exuberance going forward, displayed inexperience at the back, and will shoulder some of the blame for Spurs' second. Once United got their noses in front, trading da Silva for the less flashy mettle of John O'Shea was almost a no-brainer.
Closer to glory
"This is the stuff of which champions are made", writes Steve Tongue in The Independent. Three points clear with a game in hand five games from the end of the season truly puts United in a great position. But was this the day the title was in effect decided?
"It was here, in a match of unrelenting and enthralling drama, that the title race had its most significant moment to date. United deserve all the superlatives for the determination, drive and sheer guts," writes Daniel Taylor in The Observer, while in Paul Wilson's analysis, the title race is all but over:
"They will surely win the league from this position. With five games to play they still have their focus, their best players, a lead and a fresh head of steam. It's just a question of what else they bring home."
However, given the twists and turns that Old Trafford saw over the course of 90 minutes, it would be complacent to think the next few weeks be a smooth ride. Yet if it does come to be regarded as the season's pivotal moment, yesterday we saw a game more than worthy of the label.
Patrick
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