Glory Glory, Manchester United!!

United's Winning Ways

For United supporters, like myself, Christmas could not get any better as we have guaranteed our spot on top of the Premier League after today's win against Sunderland. 

I am excited about how great our team has come together, working well and their passing is nearly master class compared to other teams. 

Derby Match

Every football fan in the city of Manchester knew that on the 9th of December, it was going to be one of the most important matches for both teams that reside within' the city.

Going in this game, United sat on top of the League by only a handful of points against second place City, who wanted to catch United on points. 

City had an unbeaten record at home at the Etihad Stadium and were looking to push the record on, as they have made their home a pure footballing fortress. 

Start of the match, City pushed hard for fifteen minutes, really testing United defense  which has had a run of bad form with many injuries plaguing the back line, but they held the Blue advance, and on a brilliant piece of counter attacking, struck first against the home side with an amazing piece of play between Evra, Young, and Rooney.

After this goal, City took another blow as Captain and main defender, Vincent Kompany came off for Kolo Toure as he picked up an injury and had to get it checked out. 

 A bit over ten minutes saw United really start to take control of the game as Rafael and Valencia, a partnership that has proven itself over and over already for United, began their one-two run down the side lines.

As City defenders looked to close down the pair running down the wing, Rooney slowly crept into the box, getting a pass from Rafael to punt into the box, giving him a brace of goals and United a two to nill lead. 

The game went into half time, with United leading 2-0 and City left with nothing but questions, no answers. United were completely in form, dominating when they had the ball and defending really well, only allowing a couple of chances from City.

The second half started off with a bang, with United almost getting two more goals when one hit off the wood work by RVP, bouncing to Young who was deemed offside, and the other coming when Evra was clipped inside City's Box, but it was not called to much objection from United fans.

City came back though, with hunger in their eyes not to be swept under the rug so easily. City pounded on the door of the Red Wall, as United tried to defend that clean sheet, De Gea making great saves, but it was City who scored their first goal at the 60th minute by Yaya Toure from the center of the box, giving hope to all Blue supporters.

I could not get any gifs of the Manchester City goals, so I apologize.

At the 86th minute, after much pressure from Manchester City, hoping to get another goal and draw the game, Pablo Zabaleta followed up Yaya Toure's strike by pounding it home, giving them the goal they needed to tie up the game.

Then, in the third minute of injury time, Rafael was pushing up the wing, then started to press down into the box when Carlos Tevez came from behind and clipped his heels, drawing a free kick for United.

RVP and Rooney stood next to each other, covering their mouths as they chatted about who was going to take it. After the game, RVP mentioned to Sky Sports News when interviewed that he told Wayne Rooney that he wanted to take it, he could make it. 

It wound up with him being right, as Manchester City made their wall, RVP ran up and took the kick, it brushed on Nasri's leg and went soaring in, the Etihad Stadium erupting as United fans went wild, as well as City fans.

After this, City tried for the handful of seconds they had the ball, then the Ref called the game with Manchester United's 3 goals beating Manchester City's 2.

United players celebrated with each other, beating their most bitter rivals and getting revenge for last year's losses to City. The City Fans went absolutely crazy, throwing huge amounts of coins and missiles at all of the players, with Ferdinand getting clipped above the eye, giving him a nasty wound. 

A Manchester City Fan also stormed the field, going after Rio but only to be stopped by Manchester City Goal Keeper, Joe Hart, who grabbed the fan and held him till officials came and wrestled the fan off the pitch.

It was a massive win for United, obviously it is not the number one most important match since we aren't even halfway through the Premier League Season, but it is a huge boost for United, to be able to go away to City and grab all three points. 

It was a shame the game ended in the way it did, both teams did very excellent but after an emotional game like that, it's hard to not imagine something like this happening, but come on, drawing blood from a player because your team failed you is just down right silly. 

Sunderland

Today's game saw Sunderland travelling away to Old Trafford to face Manchester United at home. After coming off a huge Derby match win, there were a few pundits who wondered if United could keep carrying on their brilliant form, and today The Red Devils proved that they can.

It only took sixteen minutes before Robin Van Perise, the big summer signing for United, booted home the first goal for United, giving them an early lead.

A few minutes later, Thomas Cleverley came and slotted home a beautiful ball after receiving from Carrick, with this middle of the field partnership proving to work really well together in today's match. 

First half ended with United sitting comfortably in the game, two nill ahead.

The Blackcats tried hard to get a goal that would get them in the game, and came close many times, but eventually it was United again, who scored. RVP, who kept trying to pass the ball and get more assists, dodged two Sunderland defenders while setting up Rooney, who would tap home United's 3rd goal. 

Frazier Cambell would score a nice header after another United defense blunder, but from that the game ended 3-1, with Vidic, who was injured for a while, came on and played out the rest of the game. 

The Way Manchester United Is Playing

It's amazing to think about how many problems we had last season are seemingly not that visible lately, minus our continuing problem of keeping the ball out of the net. 

Manchester United is setting up brilliant counter attacking players, a lot of the time holding onto possession and dominating in a lot of the areas. 

Since the start of the season, United's main line up was never really known, with every game having a different line ups then the previous game. It wasn't till late October/early November that United found it's main line up, and it breaks down like this:

RVP sits comfortably out front, doing what he does best.

Rooney sits behind him, feeding him and the wingers balls all day, while managing to sneak into the box and get glorious goals

On the wings we have had the consistent line up of Young (LM) and Evra(LB) working together, while on the other side we have Valencia(RM) and Rafael(RB) working together. 

Then down the middle, we are offered with plently of options, which include today's line up of Carrick and Cleverley, working well together. We also have Fletcher, Scholes, Nick Powell, and Giggs, all who are fit right now and able to play.

Now, with Vidic playing a bit in today's match, we have our defenders almost sorted. We can have a great rotation of Rio, Vidic, Jones, Evans, and Smalling, all fighting for time to play and all, hopefully, giving their best games. 

It breaks down to a pretty fluid 4-2-3-1 which has worked out great for United and keeps proving itself over and over with every game.

Theory Crafting

One has to wonder what is next for Manchester United, with the Winter Transfer Window coming up soon and some problems still showing up in some matches, who can United bring in to fix those? 

Right now, we have Anderson, Kagawa, and Nani all out with injuries.

 Anderson has really stepped up his game and has been a beautiful player in the central midfield role, and I cannot wait to see him play again with Carrick and the others, giving Sir Alex Ferguson and United supporters faith that we won't have to worry about a shaky midfield anymore.

Kagawa, was and is an very interesting but neat buy that Fergie picked up. He played in the early stages of the season and after playing six matches, had two goals and as assist for United. 

But I am not sure how he is going to fit in, bearing in mind that he usually plays in the CAM role, which is being filled by Rooney.

I am of the opinion that Kagawa, if he wants to be playing first team a lot, will either have to adapt to another position, such as being a winger, which will make more sense for the way he plays and his build, or even trying to drop back in the CM role, which has a lot of contenders already fighting for first team play. 

He could obviously play in his more natural role at CAM, if RVP is having a bad game and Fergie feels like moving Rooney up to his spot and bringing Kagawa on, but that means he is a super sub, which isn't bad for some players but I believe he deserves more play.

It's either he changes, or the team changes and right now I do not see that happening unless this formation stops producing results for us. 

Then we end up with Mr. Problematic, Nani. There are so many rumors about him, we all really cannot be sure if he is going to stay with United throughout the rest of the season and then go, or will he go during the Winter Transfer window? He had about a half of a game that he played like himself, but otherwise he has not produce any good form since last season, and it is a bit depressing to watch. 

I am of the opinion that it is time for Nani and United need to part ways to benefit for both parties. If Nani stays, and Kagawa is able to play in a winger role, then that means Nani is going to be dropped even farther back on the pecking order and that can cause a row within' the team, which we do not need right now while our emotions are flying high.

Nani deserves to be playing every game, and maybe he just can no longer produce brilliant games for United anymore, so a move away can help him continue his great career. Especially now that Ashley Young has proven that he can play consistently and his partnership is solid with Evra. 

I really am enjoying United's style right now of play, between their formation, the players, and the fluid play is beautiful to watch and I am glad to see United bring this kind of play back to the Premier League, after struggling in the past couple of seasons with so many problems and injuries. 

Next for United, in of course my opinion, is to find Ryan Giggs replacement(s). Nick Powell is a young kid, who has gotten a couple of matches under his belt with United and is proving that he will grow into a great midfielder, but it does not help that we are still relying on our two old guard players, Ryan Giggs (39) and Paul Scholes (38). 

Both are supreme legends at Manchester United, and I believe their skills can be used better as midfield coaches to raise players like Nick Powell and others up. 

They both still posses their brilliant passing and crossing skills, but they lack the pace and stamina to last long at all. Right now, they either play in not so important matches with the kids to give them veteran experience, or they are brought on late to give United that last few minutes of brilliance and to hold the midfield. 

Michael Carrick is also 31 years old, which isn't bad but if he got a really bad injury it could be career ending at this point. Buying a more experienced CM to come in and bring support, we can make sure Ryan Giggs can have his retirement at the end of this season. 

Sadly, United missed out on some big targets this past transfer window, people like Lukas Modric and Eden Hazard, which would have really been great for United, but there are other options, including Wesley Sneijder, who United almost picked up last season and is going through contract disputes with his current club.

There are also players like Kevin Strootman, Victory Wanyama, and even Theo Walcott. The options are there, all of them very good options for United to let Giggsys off after this season. I would say let us hold onto Paul Scholes for one more season, giving us to have him as a super back up and an Veteran that we can rely on during our desperate times. 

And the Reds go marching on, on on!

Right now, I could not ask for much more from Manchester United. Their play is beautiful  we have seemingly created a solid and brilliant midfield, all of our strikers are on fire, and our two wing partnerships are working like a smooth machine. 

With the return of Vidic and De Gea working every game to better himself as a GK, the future looks great for Manchester United. 

Robin and Rooney

         Robin and Rooney

         The best problem for Sir Alex

      It's been a interesting past few months with Manchester United coming up short for the Premier League title last season, then getting some great improvements for the team with new players Shinji Kagawa and Robin Van Perise stepping up to the plate and dominating.

        Sir Alex Ferguson had to make a very important decision on the first match day against Everton away, and he decided to trust his main stay striker, Wayne Rooney. It turned out to be the wrong decision, as the game was played out to a 0-1 loss for United, with Rooney staying in the entire length of the game and Robin bringing brought on as a sub late game. 

The only good thing received from that game, was Shinji Kagawa who played a beautiful game, dictating the midfield completely, but to no avail. Next match was our home opener against Fulham. Fergie decided against using Rooney, keeping him on the bench and bringing on RVP to start. It turned out to be the right decision as Kagawa and Robin worked so well together they both netted a goal each, with the game eventually finishing 3-2 for United but gave Wayne Rooney a injury that would leave him out of the game up to four weeks. 

Today, marked the third Premier League match of the season for United and it wound up being too close to call. South Hampton grabbed a early goal by a Rickie Lambert header, but it would be only a few minutes later that Robin slots home a goal, to tie the match up at 1-1.

The game kept that score line up till half time and a few minutes into the second half, till another cross from South Hampton got them a beautiful header, making the game 2-1 in the favor. Robin would eventually get taken down in the 69' minute, but tried to be too clever on the penalty take and the GK was able to stop the shot.

The game continued, with minutes flying down the timer as the boss of South Hampton seemingly was about to pull off a great upset, one that his team really could have benefited from. With the introductions of some new players, United's attack started to pick up in the 80th minute, the red wall of South Hampton standing strong against United but corner after corner it was bound to happen. 

Nani lined up for the corner, crossing the ball into the middle of the pack and Rio Ferdinand managed to get his head on it, clearing the crowd as the ball headed for the goal only to smash against the far left post, but it bounced right to a waiting Robin who smashed the ball home, giving Fergie and United fans a chance to breath, with the game tied up at 2-2. 

It wasn't enough though, United seemed hell bent on getting the winning goal, and their diligence paid off when again, Robin Van Perise scored the match winner, giving the game to United 3-2. It looked completely certain it was South Hampton's game, and it left many fans questioning what happens as yet again, a team from Manchester crawled back against them to win. 

After today's game, it leaves many United fans not even questioning who should be starting, with RVP already 4 goals in his new season as a United player, and this leaves the question, What about Wayne Rooney?

When the deal was made, 24 million pounds for RVP from Arsenal, many people speculated that Sir Alex would fall back to some sort of a 4-4-2 system, with Rooney and Robin together out front. After the Everton game, the formation seemed to have strayed away from that and to a 4-2-3-1 system, which has worked very well with Nani, Kagawa, Valencia dominating right behind RVP. 

So, what happens to Rooney, who is still sitting out with an injury? It's in my opinion that both the injury and RVP in such great form, will only push Rooney back into the goal scoring machine that he once was when he first started playing for United.

Rooney's form has always been in question, even more so lately, as the striker only managed to tie with RVP last year for the Premier League Golden Boot. His position started with him out front but he has slowly crept back into the midfield, playing a sort of CF position, wanting to always feed the balls and sometimes take that shot.

Now with RVP, either Rooney can fight for the striker position and that can only benefit United if he can actually produce a good fight for it, or we'll see him drop back and play behind RVP with Kagawa, Nani, and Valencia. It could mean he may even get less playing time if that was the case, with Young and Cleverly both showing some sort of form to give them a chance to play.

Rooney has to step up his game and give Ferguson the only best kind of headache a manager could ask for, which one of our great strikers gets the start? Javier Hernandez is always biting at the chomp to get playing time, as well as Dany Welbeck.

Before the end of the transfer window, there was some rumors rushing around England about a transfer involving Wayne Rooney and his depture from the club. At this point, it would be silly. RVP has only a few more good years before he becomes the way of Berbatov, who left the club this transfer season for Fulham ( :( ), while Rooney has many years left in his life to continue building on this impeccable skills he has shown in the past. 

No one can complain about RVP, scoring his first United hat trick already in his second game starting, making this problem of two great strikers a happy problem that any fan would be glad to take on. Rooney still has time, and I am sure he won't get a start right away but he'll be coming back soon with some passion in his game that he's been lacking, if he wants to prove to the team and to Sir Alex Ferguson he is worth it. 

Who will win in the end? Only time will tell, but for now let's hope they both continue scoring!

Wow, it's been awhile..

It's amazing how long it's been since I last posted, and so much has happened since then. I am hoping after the Christmas break I'll be able to post a lot more than usual, and keep my blog more active than normal.


Premier League Update

Sadly, there has been so much that has happened since I last posted in September that catching up on every detail on every game will pretty much force me to write a entire book! So, I am just going to sum up most games, and the biggest games I'll talk a little more about, so hang tight!!

September 24th

Manchester United traveled to the Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke, hoping to carry on their great start to the season. A early goal from Nani in the 27th minute looked to hold the game for United, till Crouch scored a smasher goal in the 52th minute, which lasted till the end of the match, the game ending in a one one draw. Rooney did not play during this game.

October 1st

United hosted Norwich City at Old Trafford, hoping to recover quickly after drawing against Stoke during their last game. A game dominated mostly by United, lasted till the 68th minute when Anderson scored a goal. Then in the 87th minute Welbeck scored another goal, giving United the seal they needed for the game, winning two nill.

October 15th

After a bit of time off due to International play, United traveled to Anfield to take on long time rivals Liverpool, hoping to beat them at home and carry on riding at the top of the Premier League. A Steven Gerrard goalat the 68th minute almost sealed the game for the home side, but Javier Hernandez scored late in the game, at the 87th minute to recover the game for United, sending them packing with a one one draw.

October 23rd

This day was a very dark day for any United fan. Manchester United hosted their noisy neighbors, Manchester City, hoping to win again after their Carling Cup win over them before the season started.

City had other plans. United went down one nill at half time, seemingly a very close game was forming, but it wasn't till the second half when City took off. Balotelli scored for the second time in the 60th minute, then Aguero scored 8 minutes later.

Darren Fletcher scored late in the 81st minute to try and draw United back, being down 3-1, but two goals from Dzeko and a goal from Silva sealed the fate of United, sending them tumbling out of the top of the Premier league and their first loss of the season, six one.

October 29th

United, heart broken and feeling majorly down about the derby match, rode away to Goodison Park to take on Everton, hoping to start re-building their self-esteem and to carry on in the Premier League. Javier Hernandez scored in the 19th minute, and it stayed that way for the rest of the game, a one nill win for United.

November 5th

Sunderland traveled to Old Trafford to fight United in another Premier League match up. Right before half-time, Wes Brown, former United player, put the ball into the net after heavy pressure from United.

Yet again, United walked away with a one nill win, seemingly thanking their former team-mate for the goal.

November 19th

United was struggling at this point to keep up with Manchester City, who sat five points up on them. They traveled to the Liberty Stadium to face off against Swansea city, who held a unbeaten record at their Stadium at the time United arrived.

Another early goal sealed United another one nill win, in the 11th minute from Javier Hernandez. Slowly but surely, United was creeping their way back towards the top of the Premier League.

November 26th

In a very important match United hosted Newcastle, who was sitting directly behind United on the table, at Old Trafford. The game was very controversial, with a few reffing decisions failing to go either side which could have changed the out-come of the game completely!

Instead, the game ended in a one one draw, another Javier Hernandez goal and a penalty shot from Demba Ba for Newcastle, giving both teams only one point to go into next weekend.

December 3rd

United quickly traveled to Villa Park, to take on Ashley Young's former team. New-come player Phil Jones scored the only goal in the game at the 20th minute, giving United three points.

December 10th



The latest Premier League match up, had Manchester United hosting Wolverhampton Wolves, who constantly year in and year out had given the Champions such a hard time whenever they played.

Well, two braces from Nani and Rooney, sealed the game and made sure United were only two points away from Manchester City, after City lost to Chelsea. Rooney hasn't scored since September, strangely the last time I posted a blog.

Today

Here is the current layout of the Premier League team tables;

Manchester City - 38 points

Manchester United - 36 points

Chelsea FC - 31 points

Tottenham - 31 points

Arsenal FC - 29 points

Liverpool - 26 points

Newcastle United - 26 points

Stoke City - 21 points

Aston Villa - 19 points

Norwich City - 19 points

Swansea City - 17 points

Everton - 16 points

QPR - 16 points

Fulham - 15 points

West Bromwich - 15 points

Sunderland - 14 points

Wolverhampton - 14 points

Wigan Athletic - 12 points

Blackburn Rovers - 10 points

Bolton Wanderers - 9 points


Champions League



If you do not know by now, United are out of the Champions League. I only have a few games to go over, and it'll be quick since I have many more things to go over!

September 27th

Manchester United hosted FC Basel after their previous match, hoping to gain some points over a seemingly easy to beat team, which was Basel. Instead the game ended in almost a horror way for United.

Welbeck scored twice back to back in the 16th minute and the 17th minute, which held out till halftime. After halftime though, something sparked inside the Basel team as they started scoring, Fabian Frei scoring in the 58th minute and then Alexander Frei scoring two minutes later to tie up the game.

Then, FC Basel was given a penalty shot in the 76th minute, which Alexander Frei again smashed home and gave Basel the lead over United at Old Trafford.

Ashley Young, new-boy to United, scored in injury time to give United a bit of a breather, giving them a three three draw, though still disappointing.

October 18th

United traveled to the Stadionul National to take on Otelul Galati. After suffering a draw against FC Basel at home, United looked to get some sort of revenge and put actual points on their group table, which they were able to successfully do.

A Wayne Rooney penalty at the 64 minute gave United the lead, but it was slightly spoiled by Vidic being sent off two minutes later. It wasn't late until injury time when another Wayne Rooney penalty gave United a two nill victory over Otelul Galati.

November 2nd

United hosted Otelul Galati, looking for another win against a team they beat earlier on. It was that case, another two nill win for United, who had goals come from Valencia in the 8th minute, and a Cristian Sarghi own goal in the 87th minute, giving United another victory for them in the group stages.

November 22nd

United hosted Benfica at Old Trafford, hoping to carry on their good form in the past two games they had, but it was not the case this time around as they left the game with another draw, two two.

Benfica jumped on the board early, due to a Phil Jones own goal, but it was later canceled out by a smashing goal from Dimitar Berbatov, at the 30th minute. After halftime, Darren Fletcher sent another United goal in, giving United a two one over Benfica, but only a minute later, Pablo Aimar scored for Benfica, pretty much sealing the game for the two teams, giving a point each.

December 7th

A must win away game, United traveled to St Jakob-Park to play FC Basel. United had to either draw or win the game to move onto the knock out stages, but from the start it looked like it was going to be one helluva a fight for United.

With such a strong battle waging within the first few minutes, it ended quickly with Basel scoring first, by the way of Marco Streller. After that goal, United had chance after chance after chance to score and keep scoring but none of the United players were able to put the ball home.

Alexander Frei nearly killed the hopes for United fans, as he smashed home another goal for Basel in the 84th minute, with everything seemingly all over. A quick counter-reaction goal from Phil Jones in the 89th minute gave United some hope, but it was all but over, as the final whistle blew and United marched back to the locker room, crashing out of the Champions League.

Carling Cup



United dominated the Carling cup for most of their time in it, winning early against most of the teams they were paired against, until a surprising home loss.

September 20th

United went to Elland Road to play long time rivals Leeds United in the fourth round, with Ferguson letting Michael Owen play, which proved to be the best choice as he scored a brace with Ryan Giggs scoring a goal, giving United a three nill win over Leeds.

October 25th

United, again on the road, traveled to the EBB Stadium at the Recreation Ground to play Aldershot in the third round of the Carling Cup, leaving the stadium with another three nill victory, with goals from Berbatov, Owen, and Valencia.

November 30th

Finally hosting a Carling Cup game, United hosted Crystal Palace and maybe over estimated the team that was coming to play them, as Ferguson fielded a very young squad. United came crashing out of the Carling Cup, losing two one to Crystal Palace, the only goal from United came by way of a penalty shot from Federico Macheda, but Crystal Palace smashed two goals from Darren Ambrose and Glenn Murray to give them the win.

FA Cup

United was drawn against Manchester City in the third round of the FA Cup, giving many fans on both sides a reason to look forward as the up-coming Derby match can be very important for not only the FA Cup, but also how the Premier League can keep running.

Europa League

Both Manchester clubs crashed out of the Champion's league on the same night, even though City made the 10 point "usual" limit, Napoli was able to secure a win and move on instead of them. Both teams now relegated to the Europa league got drawn up against two tough match ups. For Manchester United, they will play Ajax Amasterdam, a team Sir Alex Ferguson has never played in his long stint at United and all of the team is looking forward to it.

Manchester City got paired up with last year winner's Porto.

Closing Notes



As a United Fan, I cannot lie that I am not a little bit worried as we look at our current squad and all of the injuries that we are sitting with, so the January transfer window will be very important for the team, with the hopes Ferguson will boost our currently crumbling mid-field. I have much faith in our current squad, but I do not believe some of our newer youngsters, such as Pogba and Morrison, are fully ready to play first team football on the level that United needs them too.

But, with City finally losing and United only two points off, the next few matches will be especially important for both teams, and the Winter is really heating up!

Stay tuned, I'll be posting more and more as I gain more time to actually take time out and post, which I should have!

United March On

What can anyone say right now, except that the reds in Manchester simply cannot stop their roll through the Premier League. Wayne Rooney is in great form, with two back to back Hat tricks, and all of our new players are making such a smashing statement! Sadly, there has not been many posts in a little while, but I will catch up now!

Opening EPL Match



The season opened up for Manchester United away at The Hawthorns, playing against West Brom. The game was one of the tougher starts for United, mainly with the defense losing both Vidic and Ferdinand.

Wayne Rooney opened the scoring in the 12th minute, with lovely passing between him and Young, who started on the his debut for Manchester. With a lovely back heel pass to Young after catching the pass from Rafael, Rooney charged up the middle of the field and waited for Young, who then would pass to him and let Rooney work his magic, his eye on the ball and slotted it near the right post.

Sadly, after a tough but strong game against Manchester City, new goalie David De Gea, let Shane Long cross in such a long ball that should have been easily collected by the 20-year old goalie, but instead slipped past him into the net, to tie the game up at 1.

It wasn't till the 80th minute of the game, when Ashley Young charged down the left side of the field, pushing into West Brom's box and shooting the ball, catching off of Steven Reid's leg and going in, giving him his first score and sealing a win for Manchester United, 2-1.

Manchester v Tottenham



The second game for United in the new season found them at Old Trafford, playing against Tottenham. The game, ramped up to be one of the first and major slug matches, slowly turned to be true during the first half, with both sides struggling to find too many chances.

It wasn't till the 60th minute, when Tom Cleverly crossed in a ball into Tottenham's box, aiming for Danny Welbeck, who smashed the ball with a lovely header. It was the 20 year old first start, and first goal of the season.

After a few more back and forth, United again started putting the pressure down on Tottenham's back line, who was left in the dust by United's passing skills, the ball bouncing around between everyone before finding Danny Welbeck. He would, instead of falling down on a defender's challenge, back heel pass to Anderson, who simply tapped it in past the goal keeper, United jumping up to celebrate both Welbeck's amazing pass and Anderson's lovely tap in.

Finally, before the 90 minutes was up, Ryan Giggs crossed in a lovely ball for Rooney, letting Wazza smash in another header, sealing the game up completely at three to nill, United walking proudly to the locker room.

Arsenal v Man United



No one can doubt that United are Champions and they continue to prove it with their next game, again at Old Trafford, versus Arsenal, who were considered to be serious title contenders. The game instead turned into a slaughter of Arsenal, all starting with Danny Welbeck who met a cross in the Arsenal box and lifted the ball over the goalie and two defenders with his head, giving the first goal at the 21st minute.

A few moments later, United pulled off another strong charge down the field, with Young holding the ball outside of the Arsenal box, letting loose with a shot that would send the ball flying to the top right corner, above everyone.

United continued to keep the pressure on Arsenal, eventually at the 40th minute gaining a free kick, which Rooney took by giving a small tap to Young, who held the ball in the spot and allow Rooney to curl the ball into the net, giving United a three, nill lead.

It wasn't till a bad defender mistake in United's box that would give Theo Walcott a chance to squeeze the ball between De Gea, after De Gea beautifully stopped a penalty shot taken by Robin Van Persie, early in the 27th minute.

After half time, United was given another free kick outside of the Arsenal box, and yet again Rooney and Young pulled the same deal, same result, giving United a four to one lead over Arsenal, till Nani a few minutes later caught a lovely cross and chipped a goal home.

Arsenal looked in serious trouble as the minutes continued to tick by, reaching the 70th minute when another lovely passing display by United allowed Ji-Sung Park a lovely goal.

Another silly mistake by a United Defender not clearing a cross well enough led to Robin Van Persie to smash home a ball, giving United a 6-2 lead over Arsenal.

In the 81st minute, United was at it again, charging down the field towards the Arsenal box with lovely passing in between. It wasn't till Javier Hernández received the ball and walked into the box that he was tripped up by Carl Jenkison, who was given a red card and United a penalty. Rooney completed his hat-trick, first of the season, faking out the Arsenal goal keeper and sending it home.

Finally, before the game was officially over, Ashley Young proved again why he wears the number 18, sending in another lovely curl ball, hitting the net and rolling in.

The game was over, Arsenal was in shambles, and United walked off with a EIGHT to TWO demolition over Arsenal.

Bolton v United

United find themselves on the road again, heading to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton. At this point in the season, the only two teams to be on a 100% start come from Manchester, with United and City fighting for the top spot.

Javier Hernández opened the scoring in the 5th minute of the game, showing that yet again United will display their awesome passing game, dominating Bolton all around, and even De Gea stepping up the plate and stopping a few worthy attempts on goal. Rooney would score on the 20th minute and the 25th minute, giving United a three to nill lead going into the half.

Javier Hernández completed his brace of the game, getting his second goal at the 58th minute, while Rooney completed his second hat-trick of the season, and first time back to back hat-tricks, at the 68th minute.

The game ended with United heading home with another win, a five - nill win.

Champion's League Match-up

This was the first Champion's League group match, with United taking on Benfica. Unlike many of United's games, this one wound up as a draw for both sides, with many chances in between. Benfica opened up the scoring in the 24th minute, with Óscar Cardozo striking from long range to smash home a lovely ball. United would answer in the 42nd minute, with old timer and United Hero, Ryan Giggs smashing home a lovely ball after a strong United counter attack.

The game ended 1-1.

Chelsea v United



Today's game was the next top title contender slug match in line for United, who were at home to play Chelsea.

In a game of epic porpotions, United, to the surprise of a few, opened up the scoring from a Chris Smalling goal, in the 5th minute of the game. This led to a strong United half, even though Chelsea had many attempts, and too many close calls.

Around the 37th minute, United pushed yet again down the field,which Juan Mata was brushed aside by Nani,but once the midfielder was out of the way, Nani advanced with confidence and drove a 20-yard effort into the top corner, giving United a very early two - nill lead.

By half-time, United got a third goal as John Terry's attempted clearance of the ball from the Chelsea Box bounced off Nani and into the path of Rooney, who tapped home his ninth of the season. Just a couple minutes later though, Fernando Torres finally got the goal he was looking for, bringing Chelsea up one, with United sitting comfortably at three.

The second half was filled with missed chances, and more heart-breaking tales about Torres, who had a completely empty net to score and only managed to hit the bar and watch it roll out.

Wayne Rooney had a chance at a penalty, but found himself remembering of John Terry's miss in Moscow years ago, slipping when he got to the ball and falling on his back, sending the ball high and wide.

The game ended with United going two points up top, because Manchester City gave up a two goal lead against Fulham and drew with them, two - two.

Closing notes



It has been such a great start for United, and I cannot wait till we get deeper into the season, as so many people are already saying to just hand the title to United. Can United retain the Premier League title? Can they also win in European clashes? These questions and many more will be answered in the next few weeks, as United now sit on the lead.

Good Ol' Times

It has been to long since my last post, but hopefully I will clear the air as to why and start this season off with a great big bang. I have a few things to catch up, which ranges from departures of old players and arrivals of new players, plus the new kit, the American tour, the Community shield, and the upcoming weeks for United.

Edwin Van Der Sar



In his last game, Edwin Van Der Sar had to play against the World Champions, Barcelona. As we all know, the game ended with Barcelona winning 3 - 1 against Manchester United. A very sad game for United all around, losing the Champion's League and losing one of the greatest keepers to step on the pitch, as proven by his long and illustrious career.

On August 3, 2011 a testimonial match was played in the Amsterdam Arena in honor of Edwin van der Sar. The match featured the goalkeepers' "dreamteam" consisting of: Wayne Rooney, John Heitinga, Louis Saha, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nemanja Vidić, André Ooijer, Dirk Kuijt, Gary Neville, Michael Carrick, Edgar Davids, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Boudewijn Zenden and Dennis Bergkamp with Sir Alex Ferguson as manager. They faced the current AFC Ajax first team led by Frank de Boer. His team managed to pull off a win, 2-1, against Ajax.

It was also noted that he would eventually start beginning his coaching career, but has stated many times that he wished to take his time with it and enjoy the time off he has with football.

Paul Scholes



Another long term and great player of Manchester United, Paul Scholes announced his retirement at the end of last season, at the age of 36. Paul spent his entire career playing for Manchester United, boasting some incredible stats for a midfielder.

Coming off of a pretty strong season, Scholes decided to hang his boots to give way for some of the new players coming through the United camp.

He played a testimonial match against New York Cosmos at Old Trafford to honour his 17 years of service to United. Manchester won the match 6–0, with Scholes opening the scoring with a trademark strike from 25 yards out.

Check out his goal right here!

New players coming in!



This summer's transfer window saw Manchester United dominate the market, picking up Ashley Young, David de Gea, and Phil Jones, with other signings also able to happen, most notable is Wesley Sneijder.

David de Gea

David de Gea is a 20 year old Goalie from Madrid, who was brought in at the age of 10 by Atlético Madrid to be raised in their enviroment to be first choice goalie. After many successes with the club, including helping his team win both the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup, while his performances attracted the attention of Manchester United.

He was signed on to compete with Anders Lindegaard to replace Edwin Van der Sar, Anders, who signed on last year, hasn't played a match since last season.

Ashley Young

Ashley Young is a 26 year old, winger who came over and signed to United from Aston Villa. He ended the 2010/2011 season with nine goals and fourteen assists in 39 appearances for Villa in all competitions. He played during the American Tour and also during the FA Community shield match, which happened today.

Phil Jones

Phil Jones is a 19 year old defensive midfielder/defender who had played his very short and early career with Blackburn Rovers. He signed with Manchester United during the summer and played during one of the matches along the American Tour and played in the FA Community Shield, getting a chance to prove his defending skills.

American Tour




This year during the off-season, we find the team is back on United States soil, playing against the MLS and all that they have to offer, while giving a chance for the team to learn how to work with the newer players.

Here is the results of the amazing tour that I wish I could have taken part of!:

Jul 13 FT New England 1-4 Manchester United

Jul 23 FT Chicago 1-3 Manchester United

Jul 27 FT MLS All Stars 0-4 Manchester United

Jul 30 FT Barcelona 1-2 Manchester United

As you can see it was very favorable for the team as they marched across the US, winning everywhere they went and even getting slight revenge against Barcelona, who knocked them out of the Champion's League and won the cup last year. The only player missing from their line up, was of course, Messi.

FA Community Shield



Today saw the beginning of the Premier League with a Manchester derby match for the FA Community Shield. In front of a sold out crowd at Wembley, Manchester City and Manchester United clashed together early in the day (Early in the morning for me, 9:30 AM!!).

The match started out as a great battle, with both sides' defense really stepping up to the plate, but it was Manchester City, who looked almost on their heels, that came out and scored first with a shot into the corner net in the 38th minute from City's Joleon Lescott, which slipped past a slow moving de Gea.

It was almost a surprise, with the likes of Rooney, Welbeck, Young, and Nani just shredding City's mid fielders and dancing around the field with some amazing passing, but they could not get the ball into the net.

After 45th minute came and gone, before half-time, City's Edin Dzeko grabbed a nice Milner, and United's midfield left him alone for far too long. Dzeko laser shot the ball into the net, which looked like it could have been a easy save for de Gea, who let the ball go in.

Ferguson decided at the half to use three subs right out of the gate, replacing Vidic, Ferdinand and Michael Carrick and introduce a trio of youngsters in Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Tom Cleverley.

Within six minutes of the ball drop and the second half starting, Chris Smalling had dragged the champions back into it, touching home Ashley Young's free-kick after City's Dzeko had completely failed to track his run.

Then came the equaliser, with Rooney, Nani and Cleverley opening City up with a devastating series of short passes before Nani beat Joe Hart with a delicate chip.

De Gea finally stepped up his game during the second half, proving that he is here to earn his position and right to play, by beating away a smashing goalbound effort from Adam Johnson, then palming Richards' powerful header over, keeping it out of the goal.

Eventually, Welbeck was replaced by Berbatov and Rafael replaced Evra, and it took the game to late into injury time when a blunder happened with City's Kompany failing to read Rooney's clearing punt, allowing Nani to rob him and charge forward, rounding Hart before tapping home to score for United, giving them yet another great comeback and the Community Shield.

The start of the season, finally!



With the Community Shield match over, it pretty much means the start of the Premier League next weekend and it could not have come at a sooner time! The transfer window is still open till August 31st, so more players could come to United, but so far the squad is looking strong and could be another title season!

personal notes: So like I was saying, I pretty much burned myself out last April and decided to take time off and just enjoy my summer as much as I could, preparing for the new season. I have a few plans, including a second blog for all Football news that any Footballer will want to read! Stay tuned! Glory glory!

Another Big Week

Once more we find ourselves in the winner's circle with Wayne Rooney claiming the ball for his strike for the only goal in the team's first win since 2002 at Stamford Bridge. Due to work, I was unfortunate to watch the game live and report on it like I said I would, but I did get home and was able to watch a replay of the match!

Manchester United 1 - 0 Chelsea



The stage was set, the teams lined up on their respective sides of the pitch. It was one of the biggest games in the line up of the Champions League, easily out-shadowing the Barcelona match being played at the same time.

Having not won in Stamford Bridge since 2002, it almost looked like Manchester United were going to sit back and try and defend as long as they possibly could for a draw, then letting the teams meet up again at Old Trafford the next week.

Well, Wayne Rooney had other ideas. As his first-time effort simply tapped the base of Petr Cech's left-hand post and rolled gently into the back of the Chelsea net, he again ran towards the camera.

This time, he stopped well short, slid to his knees and waited to be mobbed by ecstatic team-mates. They had every right too, especially Ryan Giggs given his great first-touch ball.

Having watched Michael Carrick deliver a pinpoint crossfield pass that was sensational in itself, Ferguson could only sit back and admire Giggs' sublime first touch, which took him careering past the stranded Jose Bosingwa, and the coolness of his second, which left Rooney with a tap-in.

It was a glorious goal for Rooney, who had to yet again prove himself to the media after his hat-trick swear during the West Ham Premier League match.

But on the other side of the pitch, things looked great for most of the game, sort of at least. Fernando Torres yet again failed to produce anything at all, yet a couple of attempted run ins, only to be shut down by the Red Wall of Defense.

Didier Drogba on the other the hand looked a lot like his last season's performance, running the length of the pitch and making spectacular attempts on goal. The only thing that could have added to his delightful form would have been a goal, which Chelsea heartily deserved near stoppage time when Patrice Evra sent Ramires tumbling but referee Alberto Mallenco failed to award what seemed to be a clear penalty.

In the end though, there was still time for a Torres yellow card for diving under Valencia's challenge, adding the cherry on top of Chelsea's home loss to Manchester United and slipping behind 1-0 on aggregate. To win, they will have to travel to Old Trafford and win 2-1, which they have done during the Premier Leaague Season. Otherwise, Sir Alex's men look keen to move onto the next stage.

Goalie Trouble?

In related news to the Champion's League Match, Edwin Van Der Sar has stated that he has not suffered another injury relating to his recent injury on his groin in which he sat out for the West Ham game.

Here is the ESPN article;

Edwin van der Sar insists he has not suffered a recurrence of his groin injury after Nemanja Vidic was forced to take over goal kicks during Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League victory over Chelsea.

Van der Sar was left out of the team for Manchester United's 4-2 win over West Ham on Saturday as a precaution after sustaining a groin problem, and Tomasz Kuszczak - who took his place at Upton Park - was sent to warm up on two occasions at Stamford Bridge.

However, Van der Sar - who was booked for time-wasting when Vidic went to take a goal kick - has suggested the problem was caused by cramp.

"When I dived to save a shot from Torres, I went 105% for my take-off," he said. "My calf gave way a little bit and I ended up with cramp.

"I didn't train a lot in the last couple of weeks, so maybe it was a bit of tiredness or something."

Manchester United play Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday before hosting Chelsea for the second leg of their Champions League tie on Tuesday.

Wayne Rooney's Ban



It's been almost a whole week since his hat-trick swearing, and finally Rooney met with the FA to appeal his two match ban. With most of the media strongly standing behind him, Rooney went in feeling proud of his hat-trick either way it would turn out.

I am sure you could only guess what happens next. The FA bluntly ignored anything Wayne had to say, and then they showed him the door, telling him they'll happily see him on the pitch in two games.

Sadly, this means the striker will miss Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham as well as the FA Cup semi-final against City next weekend.

Rooney said through his spokesman, Ian Monk: "I am gutted to miss two matches, one of which is an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. I am not the first player to have sworn on TV and I won't be the last.

"Unlike others who have been caught swearing on camera, I apologised immediately. And yet I am the only person banned for swearing. That doesn't seem right."

Sir Alex Ferguson spoke to ESPN about all of this, including a superintendent who claimed that Rooney COULD have been arrested for the way he swore at the cameras.

Now Ferguson has accused superintendent Mark Payne of courting the limelight with his assessment of the situation. "Everyone has an opinion today," he said.

"There is an issue in the modern world of a need to be noticed. There is a wee guy, sitting down there in the Midlands, probably never been recognised in his life, managed to elevate himself to whatever it is in the police force.

"Have you ever seen Wolverhampton on a Saturday night? Do police ever arrest anyone for swearing on a Saturday night? Deary me. That is a good one."

Ferguson has also expressed sympathy with referee Lee Mason, who he feels was pressurised in the wake of the West Ham fixture. "The one I feel sorry for is Lee Mason," he said. "He has put himself in a terrible position. He has been put under pressure. There is no doubt about that.

"It is hard to imagine the referee would send a player off for scoring a hat-trick. But he has now put himself in the spotlight. If he doesn't send a player off for swearing the question will be, has he got double standards.

"It is a very difficult position the lad is in. I feel for him. I really do. I don't know where his career is going to go now. I think he was put under pressure."

Rooney was unsuccessful in his bid to overturn the suspension, and Ferguson has suggested his plea for a rethink was a futile exercise. "We put an appeal in, and the lad's wrote and apologised for swearing, but obviously I don't think we expected to get a result, to be honest with you," he said.

On the injury front, Ferguson has received a boost with the news that Rafael da Silva, who was carried off in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Chelsea, will be fit for the Old Trafford return on Tuesday. The United boss also suggested he would reshuffle his pack against Fulham on Saturday, with one eye on the Chelsea clash.

"Rafa won't be fit tomorrow, he's got bruising and we sent him for a scan, which showed no ligament damage," Ferguson said. "No knee damage at all, so I think he'll be good for Tuesday. John O'Shea and Wes Brown are fit again. Anderson played last night [for the reserves] and will be available for tomorrow. There will be some changes."

Gary Neville granted Juventus testimonial

Retired Manchester United defender Gary Neville will be rewarded for his 18 years of service with a testimonial against Juventus at Old Trafford on May 24.

Neville, 36, hung up his boots in January following a series of injury problems and a lack of form during the first half of the season. His final game at West Brom saw him fortunate to escape a red card for the second time this term.

The veteran full-back had intended to play a testimonial fixture at the start of the season but was forced to put the game back due to the impossibility of finding a suitable date.

During his heyday Neville was one of the best right-backs in England and his difficult last few games will not be allowed to overshadow a fabulous career, which began with a debut against Torpedo Moscow as a 17-year-old.

By the time he retired, Neville had made 602 appearances for the club he supported all his life, won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and the Champions League in 1999. In addition, Neville won 85 England caps.

"I am delighted to be given this game by the club,'' Neville said. "It is going to be a very emotional night for me, especially as I pull on that red shirt once more in what will be my last game for the club.

"I intend to savour every moment and I hope the fans can share in my special night.''

Neville has pledged to use the proceeds to support sustainable projects within the community, an issue close to his heart, and also has plans for supporter initiatives at home and abroad.

"Gary has been a loyal servant of Manchester United and this is a fitting tribute to honour Gary and his career,'' said Sir Alex Ferguson. "It also gives the fans the opportunity to show their admiration and appreciation for a player who is very much one of them.

"We have had many great games against Juventus in the past and I am sure this will be another memorable night.''

From ESPN

He was asked about the possibility of a treble this season;

“I was at the Chelsea game last month and it took the wind out of our sails for a few days,” said Neville.

“We played really well and deserved better. Things like that happen, but nobody panics, especially the manager. The team are experienced enough to know there will come a point in the season when you have a little setback.

'But our form in the last few weeks seems to be getting there. The concentration is getting higher and higher and you can see that in the level of performance and ­determination.

“We went 2-0 down at West Ham last weekend but I just knew we’d win. It didn’t surprise me in the slightest that we turned the game around.”

Fullham v Manchester United Preview by ESPN

Sir Alex Ferguson has assured Chris Smalling he is not going to be forgotten but feels Rio Ferdinand proved on Wednesday night why he was immediately drafted back into the Manchester United starting line-up.

Ferdinand had been missing for nine weeks with a calf injury sustained in the warm-up to United's shock Premier League defeat at Wolves.

Yet Ferguson still had no hesitation in pitching the deposed England skipper straight into the white-hot atmosphere of a Champions League quarter-final.

It was harsh luck on Smalling, whose performances in Ferdinand's absence had shown a maturity that belied his 20 years.

But Ferdinand has the class and experience to make a difference.

And in silencing Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres, he did exactly that.

"It was a terrible for me to explain to Chris Smalling that he wasn't playing given the way he has performed for us this season,'' said Ferguson.

"He understood. He is part of the squad and he won't be forgotten.

"But it's Rio's experience isn't it. He has such composure. He talks to players.

When Antonio Valencia went to full-back he was talking all the time. He was phenomenal.''

Ferguson must now decide whether to give Ferdinand a second start in four days against Fulham and risk a reaction ahead of Tuesday's second leg with Carlo Ancelotti's men.

With the Manchester derby FA Cup semi-final to follow that, it is a crucial time for United, and their veteran manager realises he must get major decisions correct.

"Picking the right team is always an issue when you have a run of important games,'' he said.

"You are dependent on your squad, not on your team.

"Yes, there will be changes of course. We picked a team for obvious reasons on Tuesday but it could be a different team next Tuesday.

"That is the great value of having a good squad.

"But a lot of things help us (against Fulham).

"The fans were fantastic on Tuesday and they will be again. They know the importance of being united at this time.

"That will be a really good thing for us.''

Fulham manager Mark Hughes does not expect Manchester United to take their eye off the ball but will be ready to exploit any opportunity if they do.

The Red Devils will be without Wayne Rooney as he serves the first of a two-game ban following Football Association sanctions after he swore into a TV camera during last week's win at West Ham.

England striker Rooney will also miss the FA Cup semi-final showdown against Manchester City at Wembley, but kept Sir Alex Ferguson's men on course for a potential treble with a crucial away goal in the midweek Champions League quarter-final first leg win at Chelsea.

With United still fighting on all three fronts, it is likely Ferguson will rotate his squad for the match against the Cottagers, who have been beaten nine times away this season.

However, Hughes believes his old club will not lose any focus as they look to extend their seven-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the table.

"Past experience suggests that won't be, but we have got to be ready if they are not on their A game. If they are not then we have a chance to win the game. We are looking to be positive,'' said Hughes, whose men have moved away from the relegation zone following a run of just two defeats in the last 11 Premier League games.

Hughes had two successful spells at Old Trafford as a player and believes his old club continue to show the true spirit of champions, while other sides like Arsenal and Chelsea fail to make the most of any opportunities presented.

"As the season progresses towards the business end, United are getting stronger and stronger,'' said the 47-year-old former Wales manager.

"They understand exactly what needs to be done and are going about their business in a fantastic manner and sweeping everyone aside.''

Hughes knows better than most the aura which surrounds United when they play at Old Trafford, with visiting teams sometimes appearing beaten before they step off the coach.

However, the Fulham manager expects his squad to be fully prepared for what awaits them.

"The quality of the opposition you are against and the stage can undermine the confidence of the players going there, the history of the club and the support they have around them - come 3pm on a Saturday, sometimes that can be too much for players,'' he said.

"I don't anticipate for one moment it will be too much for my players because we are enjoying what we are doing at the moment, so we are very positive we can go there and get a good result.''

Final Words

It'll be a interesting couple of matches. We are playing Fullham this weekend, with a Tuesday clash against Chelsea again, this time at Old Trafford. I will be trying to report on the Fullham game, but I will most likely be working so I doubt it.

Tuesday's game I will be reporting live for, giving you guy's up to date stats and my own view of the game. Until then, leave a comment below on what you think about the FA and how they continue their campaign against Manchester United.

Welcome Back, Mr. Rooney.

It only took nearly a year and many bad games, but Wayne Rooney finally scored his first hat-trick this season. Rooney's incredible three goal run during the early morning match at Upton Park proved to be enough to bring Manchester United a whole 7 points ahead of second place Arsenal, who drew against Blackburn.

Things are looking good in the Premier League, but Manchester United is coming up to it's Champions League clash against Chelsea, starting Wednesday.

Manchester United 4 - 2 West Ham



This game was becoming a important one, making or breaking Manchester United's 19th league title run. This was also another match Sir Alex Ferguson would be sitting out from the touchline, but over watching his players like a hawk in the stands.

The game started out relatively quiet, with each sides making long demanding strides but both starting keepers, Tomasz Kuszczak for Man United and Robert Green for West Ham. It wasn't till the 11th minute when a cross ball landed on top of Evra and Carlton Cole, with Evra seemingly able to handle the ball but from another angle it showed to be a hand ball. Referee Lee Mason called for a penalty and Mark Noble stepped up to the plate, sending Tomasz the wrong way and sending cheers around Upton Park, and around the league for Arsenal and Chelsea fans.

After the penalty kick, Manchester again re-gained control of the match, taking much of the possession in the first half. It wasn't till 24th minute when Carlton Cole was in control of the ball near Manchester's box, teasing Vidic into making an obvious foul, but Referee Mason called for another penalty kick, which the Manchester players and fans argued about. Yet again, Mark Noble stepped up to the plate to smash into the roof of the net to make the game 0-2 West Ham.

Manchester was in control for most of the game, firing volley after volley towards Robert Green who seemed unmovable. Even with the welcomed additions of Park Ji-sung and Vidic, the back line for Manchester just could not hold against West Ham. Another take down by Vidic against Demba Ba produced yellow cards for both of them and Manchester went into half time still behind by 2.

During the break, Ferguson threw on Hernandez for Evra, moving Giggs to play left-back. Javier almost made an instant impression when his improvised flick from Giggs' cross sailed over the bar. Rooney, who was leader behind United's good play in the first half began to look lost. His hesitation soon got him a kick on the ankle from Da Costa, who was rightly yellow carded.

United went for broke in the 64th minute when Dimitar Berbatov replaced Park, who walked off to a standing ovation from the Manchester fans in the stands, as they were awarded a free-kick, which saw them finally get back in the game as Rooney curled home from 25 yards for his first goal of the game.

With a almost scary line up of Hernandez, Berbatov, and Rooney all being on the field, it just seemed to break down West Ham completely as shots started to come all over the place towards Robert Green. Rooney came to the rescue again when Antonio Valencia's ball found him on the edge of the box and West Ham's defence allowed him to take a touch and fire low across Green.

As I had said in one of my previous blog posts, Antonio Valencia is most likely the key that unlocks Rooney's superior skill as Rooney has been collecting more and more goals during these last few games and has been a obvious great addition for the team during their run up to their 19th League Title.

In the 79th minute, Fabio was making a dashing run deep into the West Ham backline, reaching the Hammer's box, when Fabio's skill left Matthew Upson on the deck and when the defender got back up, the full-back kicked the ball against his arm. While the Hammers opposed the decision Rooney stepped up to complete the most unlikely of hat-tricks and in another amazing game, Manchester came back from behind to take the lead. Gibson should have made it 4-2 before West Ham brought on a couple of subs, but it instead went too high.

Smalling survived another handball shout before sending the ball deep towards West Ham's side, Hernandez pounced on a piece of terrible defending six minutes from time to turn in Giggs' cross, which had bounced it's way across the box to Hernandez. Rooney was taken off for Nani as United comfortably saw out their latest fightback.

At the end, Rooney strolled across the field making sure that he got the match ball, and rightly he deserved it.

After the match, Sir Alex was talking to ESPN and said this;

Ferguson said: "We played like champions today, we kept our heads up and didn't lose faith in our ability. It's never easy coming here. They are fighting relegation but we had to do our thing. We dominated that second half and it was a real championship performance.''

"It was eventful. Being two goals down was a travesty in terms of possession and chances created. We were under the cosh so I felt we had to go for it. We needed to get something from it.''

Victory put United eight points ahead of Arsenal before the Gunners' evening kick-off against Blackburn but Ferguson added: "Arsenal have a game in hand. It could go to goal difference but I somehow don't think so.''

The Old Trafford manager insisted Nemanja Vidic's tackle on Carlton Cole which resulted in West Ham's second penalty was outside the box although he conceded the Serb could have been sent off later when he fouled Demba Ba.

"He could have been sent off for the free-kick outside the box and maybe got a lucky break,'' he said. "It would have been harsh but he could have been sent off.''

After the game, it left Manchester United sitting comfortably on top with a huge lead and very few games left. Chelsea drew against Stoke, and Arsenal failed to produced anything in their draw against Blackburn.

Champion's League Match Up



Revenge? It must be. Even though both sides have stated they are just looking to push their respective teams forward, it is very obvious on the fan side to see how the revenge tie is running up.

If you don't know what I am talking about just simply take a gander at this picture from their last clash in 2008;



In 2008, Chelsea came within one kick of becoming the first London side to win the European Cup, only to see John Terry slip and send his penalty against the post in a dramatic shoot-out. This image above is of the Chelsea captain with his head between his legs, regretting his slip and wishing it was all a dream. Those memories will be rawer than usual when Manchester United and Chelsea meet for the first time and even against what the media has been blasting, it's going to be one of the more explosive ties, even quite possibly more than the famous Barcelona vs Real Madrid.

While Chelsea have one solitary aim, United have an unprecedented second Treble still in their sights, but many wonder if their focus been disrupted by external pressures, such as the media storm caused by Wayne Rooney's decision to swear into a TV camera in the 4-2 win over West Ham at the weekend has shown no signs of abating with the striker now subject to an FA charge.

Doubt surrounds the participation of Rio Ferdinand, who is an outside chance to feature having suffered from a calf injury of late. Owen Hargreaves, John O'Shea, Rafael, Darren Fletcher, Anders Lindegaard and Wes Brown could all be absent, but goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar could return after missing the West Ham win due to a small injury.

But the current United side, after their win against West Ham, looks most likely to produce the strength needed to get past this tie and pull off a win. I am expecting a simple draw at Stamford Bridge, were the first match will be played on the 6th. As usual with Manchester, the second and final game will be played at Old Trafford on the 12th, giving United the extra power and fan support to fight for a win.

Will it end in another shoot out in United favor, or will one side pull through? We will find out with tomorrow's first match at Stamford Bridge, April 6th, 2:45 PM ET.

Rooney's Swearing




As many know by now, Wayne Rooney was reported swearing into a Sky Sports camera after scoring his hat-trick, and bringing Manchester United another come from behind win. Since the words have come out of his mouth, the media and FA has been all over him and Manchester United, with the FA riding in on their high stallions on properness and well-being.

Now, it looks like the FA are aiming their sights at Rooney with a shot of 2 game match ban for his words. This could mean, if Rooney accepts and doesn't fight it, that he would be out for a Premier League match and a FA Cup draw against Manchester City.

I can understand why everyone is being all up in arms about this, he stared right into the camera and started shouting his swears, but I think if everyone was asked and responded honestly, who wouldn't?

After coming from a horrible World Cup, a bad start to the season, contract negations, and all around poor form for nearly a year and a half, since his injury against Bayern Munich. Now he has 10 goals this season, and three of them produced a hat trick for him against West Ham, who played and beat Man United already a couple of times this season.

I truly hope that the FA does not ruin this for Wayne and the United fans, as this is a very resounding statement. Rooney seems to be back to his old wonderful ways and United is happily marching on towards another league title, and even a possible treble if things go Sir Alex's way, winning the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup all together.

As of right now, Rooney has obviously admitted to his swear words but will go in and appeal his ban and as many are saying, he should. Being a fan since Rooney came from Everton, it only warms my heart to see his passion in every match that he is playing and this is just another prime example of Roonmotions. I personally believe he should be fined, it was a bad action he decided to take, emotional or not. But to take away a player from two matches, and let's be honest super important for Man United, and make him sit out in a already horribly filled injury list could just spell trouble for the team.

For now, all we can really do is wait and see what the FA decides and how Rooney and Sir Alex respond.

I will be posting live for tomorrow's game, unless something work related comes up for me during the day. So if I am not able to make live posts, I will do another sort of post like this one tomorrow.

Until then, tell me what you think in the comment section below what the odds are Manchester United could pull out a sneaky away goal at Stamford Bridge, which United hasn't won at since 2002.