Look at the picture of the incident. It is clear the stewards have the renegade fan under control. Perhaps Bellamy felt he needed to assist the stewards in further neutralizing the invader? What a good guy. Sympathy lost, and for Mark Hughes, there goes another striker to the FA review board.
Something is awry at Man City. Despite some great results thus far this season, Mark Hughes has already lost two players to violent outbursts. City beat Arsenal and narrowly missed out on taking a point from Old Trafford - results suggesting they are worthy of a top four place. What should be a glowing moment for City is instead overshadowed by the petulance of their stars.
Onto the game's other double goal scorer: Darren Fletcher?!? Yes, that's right, the lanky Scot has turned himself into a player capable of truly earning a spot on Manchester United's starting XI. He used to be a hard tackling, hard working utility man, but through playing with and against the best for so long, Darren Fletcher has blossomed into a fine player. He will never have the explosiveness of Rooney, the finesse of Giggs, or the vision of Scholes, but he does bring the same consistency that those three have brought throughout their careers. His selection used to make me cringe when I saw the team sheets, when he was a below-par replacement on a less than adequate United squad. But as the team grew and improved, so did he. Sir Alex gave him his chances, played him amongst quality players, and the quality rubbed off. Congratulations, and thank you, to Darren Fletcher.
Other players Sir Alex Ferguson gave a chance to? I'm almost hesitant to mention Michael Owen's contribution to Sunday's goalfest. I almost feel too smug saying that Sir Alex's genius has again prevailed, and that Owen played the part Sir Alex knew he would perfectly. And it's almost too ironic that for the 100 million euros City spent this summer, it was the cheapest man on the field who nabbed the winner. Almost. Who writes these scripts?
As for the extra time that allowed Owen to his dramatic winner, I did some math. There was a substitution of Anderson for Michael Carrick, as well as the minute long celebration of Craig Bellamy and the City players. His celebration stretched 56 seconds past the 90 minute park, and the substitution took 30 more. Four minutes were added on by the referee, plus that extra minute and a half, which all adds up to five and half minutes. Owen scored 5 minutes and 27 seconds past the 90. Cue City silence.
With United pressing for the winner late on, perhaps the official felt it inappropriate to blow the whistle in the midst of a final attack. And if Man City feel they can challenge for greater honors this season, wouldn't they feel that those extra minutes offered them equal opportunity to score a winner of their own?
Only one team wished to keep playing Sunday, and that's the mark of an experienced champion. Between the trademark late winner, the incredible performances of Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher, and the omnipotent power of Manchester United in the second half against a team supposedly ready to contend with them, one thing is still certain: Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson simply will not go away.
Who is this Matt Red Card guy? He's got the most well-written soccer blog I've seen yet. Ives should hire him now - or step aside later.
ReplyDelete