P: United 2 - 0 Charlton
PREVIEW
A home match against Charlton, second bottom of the Premiership and heading south is a no brainer.
United have hit a purple patch, scoring 10 goals in their last three outings with only one in reply. The strikers and midfield have revelled in the attacking might and one-touch interplay that has brought misery to Premiership middleweights like Portsmouth and Spurs. United carved poor Watford like a Sunday roast. What will they do to Charlton just one place above the division’s weakest unit?
If only football played out on the turf as easily as it does on paper. Then again, United showed appropriate disdain for the eternal pessimists who see them sliding onto a banana skin in every match. United oozed class against Spurs in a powerful second half display last Sunday. There is no reason for them to take the foot of the pedal against Charlton this afternoon.
Certainly, Sir Alex is aware of the danger of foregone conclusions. “Everyone expects us to beat Charlton,” the manager said. “Fans come expecting miracles and dreaming about what can be achieved in a couple of months’ time. But as professionals, we have to recognise all these games are difficult - and we have to approach them in that manner. If we keep our feet on the ground and keep playing the way we have been, we have a good chance.”
Today might be the best time to play the Londoners, who are in the midst of an injury crisis. The potent Bent is out and Hreidarsson wont play either. Alas, the recently arrived thug Ben Thatcher is available for duty and as an ex-City man, will enjoy a warm relationship with the home fans.
Whisper it softly but Charlton don’t really expect to get anything at Old Trafford and understand that forthcoming games against West Ham, Watford, Wigan and Newcastle will have a far greater bearing on the club’s perilous hold on Premiership status.
With February a decisive month in United’s quest for glory, fringe players are again likely to see action today. Definitely starting is the Polish stopper Tomasz Kuszczak and Sir Alex may risk run outs for Park, Richardson and Fletcher. The Scot impressed against Charlton in the away match last autumn but has had few chances since to show his worth.
Also in need of match practice is Louis Saha. Once described in these pages as ‘Mr Indispensable,’ the Frenchman has found his importance to United’s team pattern growing less obvious with every Henrik Larsson demonstration of technique and pedigree.
However, the run and pass Saha engineered to release Giggs for his goal against Spurs last weekend, showed the Frenchman has lost none of his touch after an injury break. Saha must hope to come back into the first team soon and will want to show he remains United’s foremost striker.
This match has to be a stone wall home banker. United should win at a canter.
PREMIERSHIP RESULTS :
Reading 2 - 0 Aston Villa, Chelsea 3 - 0 Middlesbrough, Everton 1 - 0 Blackburn, Newcastle U. 2 - 1 Liverpool, Sheffield U. 2 - 1 Spurs, West Ham U. 0 - 1 Watford, Portsmouth 2 - 1 Manchester City .
RESULT: United 2 - 0 Charlton
Park (24) Fletcher (81)
MATCH REPORT…
Telegraph : It was a satisfactory afternoon for Manchester United, who took another firm step towards the restoration of their erstwhile status - six points and 18 goals ahead with just 11 matches left, they should be champions now - and not a wholly discouraging one for Charlton either.
While neither Alan Pardew nor his team enjoyed losing, they would be the first to acknowledge that their prospects of staying in the Premiership were always less likely to be affected by this match than their next. And nobody even remotely connected with Charlton will need any reminding that is two weeks hence, at home to the West Ham of Alan Curbishley, who expertly guided the club’s fortunes for so many years, becoming almost a sort of mid-table Sir Alex Ferguson, before taking a rest from management at the end of last season.
Pardew, into whose job he stepped after the Norwegian take-over at Upton Park, saw his Charlton go down with a degree of honour here, limiting the number of United openings and trailing by but a single goal until the closing stages, when Darren Fletcher nodded his third of the season. Some of the credit had to go to Wayne Rooney, who, not for the first time on his return, displayed lovely control before trying a shot that Scott Carson parried but could not prevent from reaching Fletcher on the rebound.
To no one’s great surprise, Rooney had recovered from the hip injury that caused him to miss England’s friendly against Spain on this ground: an occasion best remembered for Andres Iniesta’s smart goal and the storm of booing with which it concluded, prompting Gary Neville to berate the crowd for not being as tolerant and supportive as United’s. Perhaps it would have been different had the customers been delivered a half-decent performance; this was certainly the best by a home side at Old Trafford since United beat Watford 11 days ago.
With United bent on the title and back in form after what Ferguson chose to regard as a wake-up call at Arsenal - less partial observers might have mistaken it for a thrilling vindication of the persistent passing football in which United, too, believe - the chances of Charlton interrupting their progress had seemed slim all along. Especially as they fielded two debutants. Yet Alexandre Song, a midfielder from Arsenal, and Madjid Bougherra, a defender late of Sheffield Wednesday, played their full parts in making United work and wait for a ninth consecutive home victory in the Premiership.
Tomorrow, Pardew is to take his squad to Spain for a few days of bonding and motivation. “Our season starts now” was his message, reinforced by confirmation that his most dangerous attacker, Darren Bent, is over a knee injury. “We’ve got to improve and really attack in the remaining games,” he said.
They had, of course, plenty of defending to do here. Although Cristiano Ronaldo was absent with a cold, any encouragement the visitors might have taken was soon dissipated as Ji-Sung Park, his right-flank replacement, burst between Ben Thatcher and Souleymane Diawara and let go a rising drive Carson had to move sharply to divert. And before long the Korean had put United in front - with a header, moreover, of which Ronaldo would have been proud.
First there were skirmishes and Tomasz Kuszczak, deputising in goal for United while Edwin van der Sar’s nose heals, did well to deny a superb header from Matt Holland low at a post. Meanwhile Rooney was playing himself in, contributing to the team. Midway through the first half, moving left to take a pass from Ryan Giggs, he swiftly transferred possession to the overlapping Patrice Evra, whose cross the challenging Bougherra unluckily deflected high into the air. When it fell in the goalmouth, Park timed his leap so that he utterly dominated Thatcher and could glance the ball wide of a helpless Carson.
Next Rooney treated us, albeit without further damaging Charlton. Giggs again picked him out, this time with a chipped through ball and he applied a nice first touch before letting it bounce, nudging it over Diawara near a corner of the six-yard area and gently half-volleying for goal as Bougherra slid in; it went just outside the far post, to the regret of neutrals as well as the majority.
After half-time Bougherra’s failure to control a long ball let in Rooney, who shot forcefully but was confounded by Bougherra’s enthusiastic dash, the ball ricocheting into the crowd at the Stretford End. Eventually Rooney helped Fletcher to let the fans relax. Not that all of them deserved it. Not after the stick they have given Fletcher over the years. Here he was the perfect stand-in for Michael Carrick, who cost a lot of money.
TEAM…
MANCHESTER UNITED
Kuszczak, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Scholes, Giggs (Larsson 62), Rooney, Saha (Richardson 80) .
Subs Not Used:, Heaton, Brown, Silvestre.
POST MATCH COMMENT…
Sir Alex: “It was hard work for three points. There were periods when there was a stalemate about the game and you have to give credit to Charlton, I thought it was a really good performance by them. It was a surprising performance I must say, because when teams are at the bottom of the league they don’t always have the confidence to play, and I thought Charlton did.”
Alan Pardew “We have only picked up 20 points so far this season but now we are going to have to improve.”
