Scrappy Man United back on top
Posted by Martin in Alex Ferguson, Arsenal, Chelsea, Derby, Man United, Middlesborough | 16 March 2008
By Guest Blogger - Rick Bevan
IT was a case of ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’ for Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo as the Madeiran Magician conjured his 31st goal of the season for a 1-0 victory against a dogged Derby County, which took the Reds back to the summit of the Premier League following Arsenal’s draw with Middlesboro later in the day.
The Portuguese star spurned a hatful of chances, as United failed to make their dominance at Pride Park count, before finally converting a Wayne Rooney cross 14 minutes from time to spare the champions’ blushes.
"That was one of our hardest games of the season," said United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. "It became a real battle and all credit to them - and their crowd was great, but we're delighted to have the three points. The title race is bubbling up nicely."
The game also saw a long-awaited United debut for goalkeeper Ben Foster – out injured for the past year – and after keeping his team in the game with a string fine saves, his manager claimed he would be "England’s goalkeeper for the next 10 years."
Following relegation fodder Derby’s 6-1 capitulation at the hands of Chelsea in midweek, it was widely assumed that The Rams would simply lie down as an unstoppable Red Juggernaut piled more misery on them, but Paul Jewel’s men clearly hadn’t read the script.
On another day, United might have been 4-0 in the opening 20 minutes as they found their way into their opponents box with nonchalant ease but chance after chance went begging as some stellar work between the sticks from ex-Red Roy Carroll along with some questionable shooting from Fergie’s man saw them denied.
The first chance fell to Welsh veteran Ryan Giggs, who should have done better when he headed straight at Carroll from a Ji-Sung Park cross after barely a minute. Next up was the first of Ronaldo’s multitude of chances. Some neat interplay from Rooney and Patrice Evra saw the ball threaded through to the winger on the left, 15 yards out, but he snatched at his shot, sending the ball flying past the post. The onslaught on Derby’s goal continued as Giggs again missed on the left before Ronaldo’s shot from the right-hand side of the penalty area rebounded off the woodwork. Minutes later Anderson picked up the ball from a Giggs corner and lashed it across the box, begging for someone to connect with it. Carroll then reminded his old boss what he could do when he produced a brilliant save from an audacious curling shot from the outside of Ronaldo’s boot, the keeper at full stretch tipping the ball past the top right hand corner of his post.
With each missed chance Derby grew in confidence and their first sniff of goal came when Robert Earnshaw shot straight at Foster from 20 yards out. Moments later, Foster showed his class with two vital saves. The first was a wonderfully instinctive stop when Kenny Miller’s volley from an Eddie Lewis cross looked goal bound. Miller then found himself through on goal with only the keeper to beat but Foster was equal to the task and dived low to the left to tip the Scotsman’s shot to safety. Having survived the momentary scare, United restored their authority with Rooney getting in on the action, latching onto a long pass from Giggs and flicking the ball over Rams defender Darren Moor, who he battled with all day, before driving his shot into the side netting.
The second half brought more of the same as valiant Derby battled hard and clung on as United squandered more chances. Carroll continued to impress, saving a swerving Ronaldo free-kick low at his left post before a Giggs corner was headed straight at the keeper by the Portuguese. Another free-kick saw Ronaldo’s catalogue of misses approach double figures with the ball narrowly passing the post before Derby’s only real chance of the second half came when a dipping blocked shot from David Jones was tipped over the bar by the unflappable Foster. Fergie, searching for the right formula to overcome his stubborn opponents, rang the changes sending on Michael Carrick and Louis Saha for Paul Scholes and Park, before Darren Fletcher replaced Anderson.
Ronaldo could have been forgiven for letting his head drop when another shot from a Rooney cross went skidding past the left post, but it’s measure of the 23-year-old’s mental strength that he just keeps persevering and he got his reward in the 76th minute when he ran onto Rooney’s clever cross and steered an awkwardly bouncing ball past the helpless Carroll. There was still time for the Derby keeper to put the finishing touches on a commendable effort by keeping out two more Ronaldo efforts, but with a lack of cutting edge in attack his team were forced to accept their 22nd defeat of the season.
“We probably created more chances today than we have in a lot of games this season,” said Rams manager Paul Jewel, whose side have scored just three points from 36 at home all season. "It was a pleasing performance, and although we've lost again, I can accept it, and we have to take heart from it."
Ferguson was quick to praise the two main protagonists in United’s victory.
"The name of the game is to win, and we have to thank Ronaldo again. It was a fantastic goal because it wasn't easy to take,” he said. “And Foster did brilliantly after so long out. I think you’re seeing England’s goalkeeper for the next 10 years.”
United’s 21st victory of the season, which took them above Arsenal at top of the league on goal difference with a game in hand, was anything but pretty. But they say it’s the scrappy 1-0s that win titles and on this evidence, with the irrepressible Ronaldo continuing to shock and amaze with his table-topping goals tally, the Reds look on course for an incredible 10th Premier League crown.
Comments
I really thought Ronaldo was going to cry before he scored the winner yesterday lol
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