Clint Dempsey scored the eventual winning goal for Spurs, one of three goals that were sank in less than 3 minutes.
Image retrieved from the Official Tottenham Hotspur Facebook page
Goals of the Game
Manchester United: Nani (51'), Kagawa (53')
Tottenham Hotspur: Vertonghen (2'), Bale (32'), Dempsey (52')
As many have said, it was a sensational, edge-of-your-seat, "game of two halves" at Old Trafford as the Reds tried but failed to fight back from an abysmal performance in the first half with two goals down to taking two back in the second-half, their change of play not enough to salvage any points.
Manchester United started their game at Old Trafford with a dispassionate display, as their defense was quickly dismantled at the two-minute mark, with winger Jay Vertonghen getting in the first goal. Thirty minutes later, Gareth Bale would make a lung-busting 40-yard run to ease past Rio Ferdinand and put his side on a two-goal lead. Needless to say, it'd be very accurate to say the Sir Alex Ferguson was livid at half-time.
Jay Vertonghen (second from right) makes a victory run as he put his side in the lead at the 2-minute mark
Image retrieved from Goal.com
Something happened in half-time, however, that changed the face of the game completely -- most likely, it was the patented Sir Alex Ferguson hairdryer blast. Giggs was replaced by Rooney, who was one of the United players that showered some magic into his side. Immediately, he made an impact, and this inspiration would help United pull a goal back with Nani scoring from the wings at the 51st minute. Spurs were suddenly on the counter-attack, and barely a minute later, Clint Dempsey would ensure that the Spurs had their 2-goal lead back... but wait, there's more! Van Persie, at the 53rd minute would make a cool run past defenders and a fluid pass towards Kagawa who chips the ball into the net. Yes, three goals in three minutes.
Kagawa's goal placed United in a perfect position to get back in the game
Image retrieved from The Telegraph
Unfortunately for the Reds, despite their dominating performance post-Kagawa goal (it was all one-way traffic, really, and the Spurs have pretty much "parked the bus"), it wasn't enough to lodge the North Londoners off the lead and Andre Villas-Boas' side win their first ever Premier League match against Manchester United since 1989.
So what went wrong? It was the whole team in the first half. United's performance at the first half was like their play at Anfield last week: sloppy, dispassionate, empty. It was as if the defense line had disappeared as they allowed Vertonghen and Bale to easily slip past them and score.
And yet, United showed their true grit at second-half, with Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes proving to be the catalysts once again. Scholes' laser-guided passing and Rooney's unrelenting drive moved the team forward, although the side had left too much for themselves to recover.
After an average run in the previous games, Kagawa seemed to have turned a better page. He was abysmal at the start, but proved valuable come the second half, making penetrating passes and scoring a goal.
Rio Ferdinand is showing his age, and the strain on him, especially now with Vidic out, is showing. Evans wasn't much help either, although both recovered and improved in the second half.
In the end, its the scoreline that matters and United, simply put, lost this one. Their second-half showing, while admirable and valiant, should've been their showing since the start of the first whistle. The Reds should know by now that they have to bring their A-game from the beginning of the match, but they didn't, and they have nothing but themselves to blame for that.
==========================
Remember, you can now...
follow this blog on Twitter: twitter.com/KanzlersTales
like this blog on Facebook: facebook.com/KanzlersTales
No comments:
Post a Comment