Manchester United 1 - 0 Liverpool

United Stun Rivals


YEAH!!!

This was a tightly fought game all about pride and passion. Although a draw would have been fair, if a winner had to be chosen, Man Utd certainly deserved it. With the pitch in such a poor condition, most of the game of was filled with scrappy passing with few chances for either side. The reason I felt we deserved to win was that we never gave up. Even in the last 10 minutes, it was all about fighting for the victory.

Liverpool were more content to sit back and fight for the draw which was obvious from the substitution of Kromkamp for Sissoko. But that was exactly Liverpool's undoing as Kromkamp's failure to mark Ferdinand was all it took for the game to be decided.

Once again, Rooney was all over the place, displaying the fighting spirit that makes him favourite player. He looked to be the most dangerous player on the field during the 2nd half.

On to the talking points of the match. I don't really see what's all the fuss about Rooney's tackle on Sissoko. The replays show he got the ball. Fair enough, he caught the man as well, but if Gerrard's 2 footed tackle on Evra's knee went unpunished, Rooney's tackle shouldn't even be mentioned. Besides, tackles like that are common in derbies. At most it was a yellow card, which Rooney got.

Also, the foul that led to the free kick in stoppage time was such an obvious one. Finnan's hands were on Evra's back and anyone who plays football knows that once you hands are on your opponent's back, it's a straight foul. I learnt that the hard way playing for my secondary school team when I did the exact same thing, causing my team to concede from the eventual free kick.

Liverpool fans might point to the moment when Ferdinand tugged Crouch's jersey to claim a penalty but I felt that the tug wasn't enough to impede him at all. Besides, if you're fouled but don't fall down, and instead continue to tussle for the ball, it's highly unlikely that the referee will give you a penalty. I've learnt that from experience as well.



"F*** off wanker!" is probably the message the home fans have for Cisse judging by their expressive hand gestures.


Lastly, thank God for Djbril Cisse. He's the new Emile Heskey of Liverpool. Like I always say, even my dog could have scored from that chance. And literally that might even be true, considering how close he was to the goal. It was a good thing he missed too, because Cisse was wrongly judged by the lineman to be offside. If that had gone in, all the Liverpool fans today would be grumbling at how they should have won the game but were let down by the referee, that Man Utd won by luck, etc.



Captain Gary Neville celebrates in front of the Liverpool fans. I'd have done the same.
(Picture credit: Stoned Nerd)


Considering that Liverpool were the favourites for this game, closest contender for 2nd place and our biggest rivals, makes this victory all that much more sweet.