As the FA have proven this week, if someone goes against the spirit of the game they should not be allowed to play for two games. David Luiz will not feature in this cup-tie. My heart bleeds at this misfortune befalling our cockney friends. In contrast, the ludicrous ban that has been handed down to Rooney motivated him nicely for this trip to the capital.
Someone should tell the suits at the FA it’s okay to be wrong sometimes. For example, it is with great humility that I salute the performance of Michael Carrick. Faced with some of the most feted and expensive midfielders on the planet, the previously invisible man shone in the middle of the park. It was the area of the pitch Chelsea were expected, and needed, to dominate but our man did the business instead. His ball to Giggs for the goal was stupendous.
A fact not mentioned enough is that Ryan Giggs cost Manchester United zero pounds and zero pence. To put that in perspective:
1 x Schevchenko
+
1 x Torres
=
1 x Ronaldo
Well, f**k me. Sometimes maths is fun.
Chelsea probably shaded the second half and had a period of nervy pressure at the end of the opening period too. However, their nerves were far more palpable than ours. Looking at the way the match played out you would have to say that the fates were with us.
United were due a result at Stamford Bridge and this is the one we got. That takes nothing away from the fact all of our players put in performances that can only be described as heroic. Having Rio and Vidic start is a huge boon to us and you can see the confidence it transmits to the rest of the side.
I saw Valenica tackle and dispossess Michael Essien. Carrick didn’t put a foot wrong. Rafael embarked on lung-bursting run after lung-bursting run and Rooney was irrepressible. Ferdinand’s authority and Park’s diligence are so familiar to us that we almost take them for granted.
It was United’s dynamic cross-field passing that made the difference in this match. It is a style of football I far prefer to, say, Barcelona’s tiki takawhich is a bit monotonous for my liking. Would Guardiola send on a winger for a full back as Ferguson did here? I am not so sure.
A glance at United’s bench showed that we were able to start without Berbatov (top scorer), Scholes (legend and ginger) and Nani (Michael Jackson impersonating trickster). To be entering April with all of these players fit is an incredibly good omen. When you look back to the start of the season it is jaw dropping to appreciate where United are now. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
Follow Mark on twitter.com/markjpayne
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