The Soccer Blog: Sweet smell of justice (vs Chelsea)

Thursday, 7 April 2011

Sweet smell of justice (vs Chelsea)

By: Shaun | April 6th, 2011
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rooney open Obviously, there was an uproar at the final whistle due to the penalty that Chelsea were NOT awarded when Evra clattered into Ramires at the end. As a United fan, I can say definitively that it was a penalty and that Chelsea were unfortunate to not get one awarded.

With that said, it’s nice to be at the end of 90 minutes vs Chelsea and not be on the wrong end of some incorrect refereeing. We had to endure some terrible game changing (title altering) calls last season in our games against the Londoners that essentially decided the title. When we met up a few weeks ago in the league, a couple of questionable decisions by the referee culminating in the awarding of a penalty that a Chelsea player himself (Ivanovic) said should not have been awarded.

My intention is not to rub it into anyone’s nose because the game as we know and love it should ultimately be decided by the 11 players on each team and no one else. It should certainly NOT be determined by the guy in black/yellow (whatever other colors the refs wear these days). The way today’s game finished was an unfortunate end to a rather engaging encounter that would have left the paying fans feeling like they got their money’s worth.

Just a couple of other quick impressions:

rio team 1. VDS – how awesome is that man? I don’t care who we bring it to replace him, no one is going to be able to step into his shoes for at least a few years and bring the stability and assurance that he exudes everytime he trots out of the tunnel with the first team.

2. 1st goal was a masterclass. Michael Carrick delivered the kind of ball that we know he’s capable of, but seldom executes. It landed right at the feet of Giggs who showed the perfect first touch to get the ball forward past the defender before squaring it back for Rooney to roll into the bottom corner. Every part of that move was brilliant.

3. Evra could have been hero and villain by the end of the 90. He cleared well off the line toward the end of the first half when it looked like Chelsea would scramble the loose ball in. Then, he bundled over Ramires at the end of the second only to have the ref wave play on. A lucky boy that Patrice.

4. Rio and Vidic at the back are a sight for sore eyes. The issue is ensuring that they stay free from injury (Rio) and suspension (Vidic).

5. This tie is still as wide open as can be. For all our neat play in the first half, we’ve seen Chelsea turn it on and put us under intense pressure (both in the 2nd half of today’s game and the 2nd half of our league encounter). We know they have the firepower in their ranks to score goals for fun. The second leg should be a nervy, but incredibly entertaining encounter.

I’m going to enjoy this win for a little while more simply because of the away goal advantage it provides us heading into the second leg. The Chelsea fans I know are still outraged over the calls/non calls from the game. We know how it feels because we were in their shoes way too often and it’s just nice to have the tables turned for once.

Hopefully the 2nd leg can be decided solely by the players on the field and not the man with the whistle. Based on history however, I highly doubt it.

Some Related Man United Posts:Martin Atkinson is a…(vs Chelsea)Chicharito getting it done (vs Marseille)Top of the group (vs Valencia)Hard fought win at Ibrox (vs Rangers)Another away draw (vs Marseille)

Category: Champions League, Manchester United, Match Reports

Tags: Champions League, Edwin van der Sar, Manchester United, Match Reports, Patrice Evra, Wayne Rooney
Tweet « 2 match ban for Rooney | Home | chupAs a Chelsea fan, I can tell you there's no way we can turn this tie around. Especially not at the Old Trafford. Torres looks like the same player he was in South Africa (meaning he'll never score, especially not against a defense like that of United), Anelka lacks the quality to be a decisive player in big matches and Drogba is getting old and seems a bit out of form. Lampard, Essien, Malouda are all out of form. Kalou, Ramires and Mikel are not good enough to compete against the biggest of teams and they will never be. Chelsea lacks quality from the midfield upwards right now.

We need a miracle to qualify.Swapnilin a way i don't mind rooney's ban.we still have a lot of work to do in the second leg it the weekend's rest will mean rooney will be fresh for the tie.i think berba and chicha are enough to see fulham through.chelsea on the other hand have to play their best 11 on the weekend to stand any chance of winning the league.will miss rooney for fa semis though but i still think we'll win that.we haven't won the fa cup for a long time and the players will be itching to go to the finals....
also i'm glad torres wasn't sent off for diving twice,as long as he plays i don't see chelsea scoring!!!lol...Alan HoldenMy heart was in my mouth when Evra scissored Ramires, but for once (in 7 years) the ref was on our side.
Everything about the goal was sublime, and Carrick was my man of the match. We have the vital away goal to bring to fortress OT. Bring it on!Swissdevilyour wrong mate, the foul was comitted outside of the box, should have been a freekick though...NickI just watched the replay and I agree with you. Ramires' foot was still outside the 18 yard box when contact was first made. He really does make a meal of any contact near the areablog comments powered by Disqus

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Thursday, 7 April 2011

Sweet smell of justice (vs Chelsea)

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