P: United 2 - 0 Newcastle
PREVIEW
Fresh from a Champions League victory, United take on Newcastle hoping better times on the domestic stage are just a goal away.
Defeat against Arsenal and an impotent display against Reading have seen United fall off the pace at the top of the table. Sir Alex will look to the in-form Louis Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo to fire his team to victory and hope the off-colour Wayne Rooney sparks into life after a barren spell.
‘Game by game, it will start to come right,’ said coach Carlos Queiroz of the United striker. ‘The motivation and confidence will build up and I am sure he will be better against Newcastle.’
United players will approach the game conscious that they have fallen below the standard they set at the beginning of the season with the faultless display against Fulham.
Goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar is conscious of the setback to United’s title challenged caused by the stumble at Reading.
‘Reading was the kind of game we needed to win,’ he said. ‘It was matches like that which cost us last year. We believe we have matured, so the focus is now on Newcastle and ensuring the same thing does not happen again.’
The goalkeeper’s fighting talk was echoed by midfielder John O’Shea. ‘The Arsenal result was a good wake-up call for us,’ O’shea revealed. ‘We’d been comfortable and played well in the four league games leading up to the match and we thought we could go out against Arsenal and do the same.
‘But against the teams at the higher end of the league you really have to be focused and perhaps we weren’t as focused as we have been in years gone by. We improved our home form last season but if we’re going to be champions, we’ll have to improve it again this season. It’s certainly achievable and that’s what we’re all striving for because we don’t want to be in the position when we’re having to do the chasing again.
‘Sunday’s game is another one of those matches we’re expected to win and we need to do that.’
There could be no better time to take on Newcastle. With the important Shay Given out injured and Titus Bramble in the form of his wife, the Toon team is relying on some unproven and fringe players. If United’s solid rearguard can take care of the livewire Obafemi Martins and the midfield can lock down Scott Parker, then Sir Alex Ferguson should look forward to claiming all three points.
PREMIERSHIP RESULTS:
Bolton 2 - 0 Liverpool / Charlton Athletic 1 - 2 Arsenal / Chelsea 1 - 1 Aston Villa / Everton 1 - 1 Manchester C / Sheffield U. 2 - 1 Middlesbrough / West Ham U 0 - 1 Reading / Blackburn 2 - 1 Wigan Athletic / Tottenham H. 2 - 1 Portsmouth
MATCH REPORT…
United 2 -0 Newcastle
Solskjaer (41, 49)
The Sun: Ole Gunner Solskjaer scored twice as the Manchester United romped back to the top of the Premiership.
The Red Devils dominated against a poor Newcastle side and will be dissapointed they didn’t score more.
Aside from an injury to Gabriel Heinze, United will be pleased with the result but Cristiano Ronaldo willl be frustrated after striking the frame of the goal on three times.
Darren Fletcher was also denied by the woodwork as well as the agility of Magpies’ keeper Steve Harper.
With Owen Hargreaves’ broken leg ruling him out of next week’s encounter Macedonia, Michael Carrick and Scott Parker lined up against each other knowing an England cap might rest on the outcome of their personal duel.
Both were overshadowed in midfield by Ronaldo and Fletcher who shone all afternoon.
Until United finally made the breakthrough, Fletcher had gone closest to scoring.
But his 20-yard shot thudded against Harper’s right-hand post.
Harper held his nerve soon after to hold a vicious Ronaldo free-kick which dipped right in front of him.
Just as it seemed the visitors would reach half-time on level terms, their defence was exposed by Ronaldo.
The Portugal winger darted across to take a short corner dribbled to the edge of the box where he let fly with a shot which came crashing back off the frame of the goal.
Solskjaer was on hand to tap home the rebound.
While the Norwegian could thank his poacher’s instinct for that effort, his second was a case of being in the right place at the right time.
Nemanja Vidic unleashed from Rio Ferdinand’s knockdown two minutes after the restart which struck Solskjaer and looped into the corner.
Suddenly, the Red Devils were flying.
Harper saved superbly from Fletcher, with Ronaldo blasting the rebound against the bar once again.
Ronaldo struck the post yet again after another mesmerising run, then Fletcher had a plausible penalty claim turned down when Taylor appeared to turn the Scot’s shot away with an arm.
In the end though, United’s pair had to let Solskjaer take the goalscoring acclaim from a dominant performance.
TEAM
United: Van Der Sar; Heinze (Evra 31); Vidic; Ferdinand; Neville; Ronaldo Carrick; Fletcher; Scholes; Solskjaer; Rooney
Subs: Kuszczak; Brown; Saha; O’Shea
POST SCRIPT
Sir Alex: ‘The performance was fantastic. We played with great intensity and controlled the game - we were back on song.’
Glenn Roeder: ‘We set ourselves out to contain them and overall we did that. It would have been ridiculous for us to play a 4-4-2 system - it was hard enough for us in the way we were set up as it was. The timing of the goals - just before and after half-time - was very frustrating. We were more dogged than outstanding but the players stuck together. We fought and restricted Manchester United but it wasn’t good enough.’
