P: United 3 - 2 Reading
PREVIEW
Two games and six goals have enabled United to overcome a surprise defeat at West Ham. Now they face another tricky test at home to Reading, who proved in their last outing against the champions that they are not to be taken lightly.
“Reading were fantastic at Chelsea,” Sir Alex said. “They got about it, enjoyed it and played with great enthusiasm. They are lively and they could have scored more goals than they did. Obviously Chelsea made some changes, especially at the back, but Reading had a go at them and we expect the same from them.”
United have been a revelation in attack and have scored 44 goals in acquiring 50 Premiership points. Sir Alex will need that form to continue against a stubborn Berkshire unit, well-drilled by 70’s United hero Steve Coppell. “Elements of our game are good,” the manager added. “We are defending well and if we can maintain that, we have a really good chance because I do think that we have winners and players who can win games for us.”
Coppell has signalled that the same fighting spirit that earned a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge will be on view at Old Trafford. More importantly, his side has nothing to lose.
“We have said all along that the games against the top teams aren’t going to define our future. Anything we get out of them is just a magnificent bonus,” he explained. “There isn’t a club in the country that would have envied us coming into these two fixtures, Chelsea away and then Manchester United away, but I didn’t look at it in any other way than a great position for us to be in.
“We cannot lose. Even if we lose we cannot lose. And now that we have picked up a point against Chelsea it is even more of a reason to celebrate the fact that we are going to such a magnificent stadium and we must try to enjoy it.”
Vidic and Scholes are suspended for the match but Carrick should be available to bolster the midfield. At home, with Rooney due a goal to reward his industry and Ronaldo on fire, United should have enough to claim all three points.
23/09/06: Reading 1 - 1 United
PREMIERSHIP RESULTS:
Charlton Athletic 2 - 1 Aston Villa; Blackburn R. 2 - 1 Middlesbrough; Bolton W. 3 - 2 Portsmouth; Chelsea 2 - 2 Fulham; Everton 3 - 0 Newcastle; Manchester U. 3 - 2 Reading; Tottenham H. 0 - 1 Liverpool; Susp. Watford 1 - 1 Wigan Athletic; West Ham U. 0 - 1 Manchester City; Sheffield U. 1 - 0 Arsenal
MATCH REPORT…
United 3 - 2 Reading
Ronaldo (58, 77) ; Solskjaer (33) / Sonko (38); Lita (90)
Observer … This was quite a day for the pensioner now in charge of Manchester United. He saw his side make it nine points out of nine over the holiday period while Chelsea were shipping another two at home. At present only Arjen’s Robben’s last-gasp winner at Wigan last weekend is taking the title race into 2007.
‘I shall take umbrage if my friends in the media try to typecast me as a pensioner,’ Sir Alex Ferguson warned on the eve of his sixty-fifth birthday. That statement begs several questions, perhaps the first being how would anyone notice the difference? Another question, after 20 memorable years at Old Trafford, is how this story is going to end. And when, exactly?
‘Many people work well into their eighties these days,’ Ferguson said ominously. ‘They have lively minds and are as active as ever. Critics were suggesting not so long ago I was past my sell-by date and presiding over a crumbling empire. What they didn’t seem to understand was that we were moving from one era to another and it is well nigh impossible to make a seamless join while this process is happening. We fell back a little but now you can see the fruits of our transitional work and I certainly don’t feel like turning my back for a few more years.’
And who would, looking down on the rest of the league with more than 50 points at the turn of the year? If United are not quite hitting all the top notes at the moment it is only because Ferguson is taking the opportunity to rest a few players. Louis Saha and Ryan Giggs were left out of the starting line-up, with Gary Neville recovering from a calf injury and Paul Scholes and Nemanja Vidic suspended, yet United were still sufficiently brisk to score first against the typically spirited Reading side that held Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week.
The two goals that briefly illuminated a mostly undistinguished first half arrived within six minutes of each other. Wayne Rooney had scuffed a volley at one end and Glen Little pushed a shot wide at the other before Cristiano Ronaldo opened up Reading in the way that few others can. Mesmerising Little with flickering feet rather than any actual pace or movement, Ronaldo sent over a cross from a stationary position on the left that picked out Ole Gunnar Solskjaer perfectly. The striker’s anticipation gave him a start on Ibrahima Sonko, and the accuracy of a glancing header from the six-yard line seemed to take Marcus Hahnemann by surprise.
Anyone who expected Reading to roll over and meekly accept their fate has not been paying attention this season, however, and Steve Coppell’s side were quickly back on terms. The visitors made a couple of half-chances around the edge of the penalty area before equalising from a set piece. Captain for the day Edwin van der Sar will not be thrilled with replays of Nicky Shorey’s free-kick, one that the goalkeeper tried to reach but only succeeded in stranding himself when Sonko’s head met the ball first.
The United response was to send on Giggs for the second half and step up their attacking efforts in front of the Stretford End. Solskjaer had a header saved, Rooney shot too high and Giggs put a header wide in a flurry of activity straight aer the restart.
A cool finish was what was needed, and Rooney was not quite up to the task when Ronaldo supplied him in the 54th minute aer a curving run and a delightfully weighted pass. Rooney did the hard work, holding off his man and nudging the ball inside to improve the shooting angle, only to fire too high when a clear sight of goal opened up.
Saha must have been fretting on the bench, but Solskjaer is still your man for a cool finish. He only managed to hit the post after Giggs and Rooney slipped him through aer almost an hour, though with Reading’s defence all over the place it was a simple matter for Ronaldo to tap in the rebound.
Reading were still in the game, albeit one that was being played almost exclusively in their own half, until their hopes of emulating their comeback at Chelsea were dealt a blow with the dismissal of Sam Sodje. It was not immediately clear what the visitors’ substitute had done wrong, since Rooney was the one with a sense of injustice after being pulled up harshly for offside, but dissent of some sort brought a second yellow card for a player who had only been on the field for nine minutes. The Reading fans were mystified and unamused, chanting ‘You’re worse than Graham Poll’ at Mike Dean.
As Jose Mourinho was saying only the other day, United seem to be getting the lucky breaks this season. No sooner had Reading gone down to 10 men than United made the game safe, Giggs crossing so accurately from the right that Ronaldo was able to score with a sidefoot volley at the far post.
Giggs could have made it four at the end, though no one minded him missing. Once the score came through from Chelsea no one even minded Leroy Lita making a fool of Mikael Silvestre in stoppage time and setting up an unnecessarily nervy last few seconds. At this rate Fergie will be here for ever.
TEAM
United: Van Der Sar; Brown; Heinze ; Ferdinand; Silvestre; Carrick; Ronaldo (Fletcher 78); O’Shea; Park (Giggs 46); Solskjaer; Rooney (Richardson 78); Park
Subs: Kuszczak; Saha
POST SCRIPT
Sir Alex: “It’s been a very good day for us really. We had to work hard for this victory. The rain was never-ending and it made the pitch a bit sticky and difficult to move the ball at times. Reading are a really good side and make you play for the whole 90 minutes and their delivery into the box was very good.”
Steve Coppell: “Today was our worst defending of the season. It (the second goal) was a slack goal for us to lose. Respect to my players, we kept going and sneaked a second goal and then you hope something breaks, but it wasn’t to be. There is an awful lot of self esteem and respect with the performance here, but no points.”
