A Crucial Result
By Staff
April 6th, 2009. United v Aston Villa. With 10 minutes to go, Villa led 2-1, and United’s title hopes looked like they were about to take a beating. But, when Ronaldo pivoted on the edge of the area to smash in the equaliser, the tide turned, and deep into injury time, Frederico Macheda curled home a dramatic winner and send Old Trafford into wild celebrations.
It was a significant moment in that run in. Many people will look at that result as a catalyst to what was ultimately a successful title fight. It was felt that, having been completely outplayed for the majority of the game, and trailing with only 10 minutes to go, snatching a valuable 3 points from the jaws of defeat showed that this team would not go quietly.
And I think that this may be exactly what United and their fans will take out of their clash with West Ham on Saturday. For all money, it looked like points would be dropped at Upton Park. But in the space of 14 minutes, United went from title fumblers to favourites, and were helped even more by their rivals inability to replicate such a feat. Make no mistake, this was a crucial result.
No complaints about either West Ham penalty for me. Evra’s needless handball gave West Ham a barely deserved lead, and when Vidic stuck out a leg, he may feel that the challenge happened outside the box, but the clumsiness of the challenge the close to the box probably merited a penalty anyway. Vidic can have few complaints about the decision, and Mark Noble clinically dispatched both spotkicks.
Hammers fan will rightly feel aggreived at the decision to only yellow card Vidic after his tackle on Carlton Cole, with Vidic being the last defender. The United fan in me will say that Cole would never have got to the ball, with Kruszckak already off his line to pick the ball up, and therefore, a goal scoring opportunity was not on offer. But, if I was neutral, the letter of the law would say he was the last defender, and therefore should’ve gone. Had it been a Hammer’s defender, I’d have been waving my arms about, complaining about the lack of a red card.
The pivotal moment in this game was the introduction of Hernandez. The lad is a star in the making. Quick, skilled and an eye for goal, he was a handful for the Hammers defense, and as a result, they lost track of Rooney. Berbatov’s introduction only made it worse for them, and when Rooney curled home the free kick, you just knew something was about to happen.
It was a beautiful touch from Rooney to give himself room to smash home the equaliser, and then came the penalty for United. For me, it was harsh on Upson. He had little to no chance to get his arm out of the way, and were I being cynical, I’d might even say Fabio aimed for his arm a little. But, nevertheless, Rooney converted and secured his hat-trick. Hernandez added a late 4th, a good reward for his endeavours.
This sort of comeback has become somewhat of a regularity for United this season, but I just get the feeling that this may be a catalyst to propel us towards our 19th title. Arsenal and Chelsea’s stalemates have severely dented their hopes, and with only 7 games to go, the title is ours to lose.
But first up, off we go to Chelsea. United need their defense to stand up in this game, cause while we got the 3 points, our defense did look fragile. And simply trying to outscore Chelsea is a dangerous game. United can welcome back Evans for selection, but I doubt he’d start in front of Smalling or Vidic. It should be a cracker of a game, but I’ll admit I’m worried.
As for the Premiership…..I think Liverpool fans may recognise Saturday as the day when their record fell.