Review: Aston Villa vs. Manchester United
11. Feb, 2010
4 Comments
“Proud” is how Sir Alex Ferguson described last night’s performance against Aston Villa.
The performance was indeed heroic considering Manchester United played sixty minutes with only ten men against a potential top four team; however the result left me with a hint of disappointment. I’m always disappointed when we fail to pick up the full three points. If Villa were dominating and we were under severe pressure to save match, I’d take the draw in a heartbeat. However, even with ten men United were far the better team and looked the most likely to score a winner.
The three stand out United players were Rooney, Carrick and Fletcher. Rooney was yet again sensational; he has stepped up his performance level, he is playing the best football of his career. I’m a massive fan of Carrick and Fletcher; I’ve praised their performances in previous blogs. It’s no surprise to me we are now reaching top performance levels with the return of form of Carrick.
The sending off of Nani was a tad harsh in my opinion. Nani lunged for the ball but it wasn’t two footed and he got the ball. Definitely a yellow card and a severe talking to, but nothing more. I’m slightly surprised Fergie and Mike Phelan agreed with the Referee’s decision in the after match press conference.
Mentally, I hope the red card has no affect on Nani’s confidence. His recent form has been there for all to see, with improved performances his confidence has visibly grown. I hope his now found confidence is now not dented… Nani will miss a tough game against Everton, a home match against West Ham and devastatingly for the lad The Carling Cup Final.
Perhaps we were slightly lucky with a penalty shout with the referee favouring in on our side this occasion. I feel Johnny Evans brought down Carew in the penalty area and I would have had no complaints if a penalty was awarded.
Evra had one of his poorer games last night; his performance level in recent weeks has slightly dropped which is understandable considering he has played in every league match this season. Evra has been superb all season, has been ever present in a make shift defence and it was no surprise to me Sir Alex Ferguson appointed him captain against Arsenal recently. Evra needs a little break in my opinion; obviously this will not come against Milan but hopefully against West Ham.
Last night was a precursor for the Carling Cup final later this month. There is no real advantage to either team after last night’s result but united may have the slight psychological advantage after competing and playing the better football with only ten men for sixty minutes.
Considering Chelsea lost at Goodison Park perhaps I’m wrong to have a hint of disappointment with our result. If Chelsea would have won last night I’d be truly gutted this morning but because they lost I feel we’ve missed an opportunity to go top but I know I’m being greedy.
One point behind now, the title can go either way and perhaps Arsenal may even sneak in due to their easier remaining fixtures… I really do fancy us to win the league however, especially if we continue our current form.
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sorry but nani was a straight red for me,i would not have liked a utd player to have faced that(even though that was the norm when i first started watching them).i was a bit disgusted with villas tactics (60 mins playing ten men and you go on the defensive at home)but to me that game was crying out for berbatov,he’s not somebody who can come on and get into the pace of a game straight away aka solskjaer,but overhaul a very satisfactory night,and just a word for giggs ‘get well soon’ cances now for obertan.
A fair point mate regarding Nani’s tackle. I agree, Villa’s tactics were poor for a team with supposed ambition for a Champions League spot.
I hope we see Obertan. I think he can develop into a top player. Are you a fan of his?
Nice, well-balanced, blog. When I saw the replay of the tackle, my first thought was that it was a yellow, because I thought that the second foot came in a little late and didn’t hit Petrov. However, I cannot fault the referee as the rules are pretty clear and it was a lunge. I guess Sir Alex knew that he wouldn’t get any advantage out of questioning the decision. I wonder which United matches ref Walton will be officiating in next
Thank you for your kind comments, Earl.
There has been bit of a backlash this season to Fergie’s after-match moaning. Perhaps a reason why he hasnt made a fuss or he purely believes the tackle deserved a red card.
Seeing as Fergie hasnt made a fuss of sending of a wouldnt be surprised to see Walton ref a United game soon…