Man United 2 Man City 1
An out of this world overhead kick proved to be the difference between the Red Devils and the Citizens at Old Trafford as the home side extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points and now sit eight ahead of their neighbours.
City were by far the better side in the first half, but as is so often the case it was United who went in at the break with a lead courtesy of a smash and grab Nani goal. A lead that Sir Alex’s side scarcely deserved on their opening forty-five display was cancelled out by a real stroke of fortune for the blues. Substitute Edin Dzeko’s shot cannoned off the back of David Silva to level the score, but Wayne Rooney completed his rehabilitation in the eyes of Red Devils fans with a world class finish twelve minutes from time.
When the team sheets came in there was a real fear that this match might repeat the drab goalless draw at Eastlands earlier in the season, with both Ferguson and Mancini going with five in midfield. Right from the first whistle these concerns were allayed, as the first real opening camie inside four minutes and for the visitors. Silva attacked down the right and fed Yaya Toure, who passed to Tevez who slipped the Spaniard in who had continued his run into the box, but poked his shot wide of Edwin Van Der Sar’s goal from a narrowing angle.
Much of City’s joy came from exploiting the space in the right channel between Vidic and Evra. On the quarter hour Silva fed Toure, but Chris Smalling came across to put it behind for a corner. The young defender had been earmarked by many as a weak link in the United back line, but performed with composure and maturity beyond his years throughout.
Similarly for the visitors, Vincent Kompany had an impressive display despite receiving the first booking of the match from referee Andre Mariner for a foul on Wayne Rooney. He was strong in the air all afternoon, riling the man he was marking. Further up the field City showed wonderful off-the-ball movement with Kolarov ending a spell of possession with a shot over from edge of the box.
It took United over half an hour to create a real chance. Ryan Giggs’s deep cross was met by the head of Darren Fletcher, but it was straight at Joe Hart. Nani then began to come off the right wing and had two sighters before firing the Red Devils into a half time lead. Van Der Sar’s long kick up field towards Rooney was won by the England striker in the air ahead of Joleon Lescott, Giggs then put a first time pass towards the Portuguese winger down the middle. His first touch was exquisite to bring the ball down and he rolled it into the corner with Hart exposed.
Mancini introduced Shaun Wright-Phillips off the bench five minutes after the break and Dzeko came on at the hour mark. The substitutes combined to set up the equaliser. Wright-Phillips put a low cross into Dzeko’s path and his shot deflected off the back of Silva with the ball looping into the corner with Van Der Sar wrong-footed. Ferguson responded to being pegged back by throwing Premier League top scorer Dimitar Berbatov on, but it fell to his strike partner to steal the headlines and earn the Red Devils the three points.
After some great build up, Nani’s cross from the right took a nick off a City defender but reached Rooney at the perfect height to execute his overhead kick which flew into the top corner leaving Hart with no chance. It’s no exaggeration to say that the United winner was worthy of settling any game and the strike will be one that is talked about for years to come. What technique and confidence to attempt such an audacious effort!
The extraordinary goal is not something that Mancini and the City players will admire as they have lost further ground on their neighbours and now face a mountain that may be too great to climb in order to win the Premier League title. The race is by no means over, but only Arsenal can now feel confident of catching United.
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