The finale to Manchester United's season is not turning into the serene victory tour that they might once have hoped it was with a lead of 18 points, rather they are meeting pockets of resistance everywhere. The outcome still feels inevitable, though, and it could still be over by the end of the month.
Another two points dropped to Manchester City, winners at home to Wigan, means that the once-mighty United lead is now down to 13 points with the second-placed team having six games left. Yet having trailed West Ham twice at Upton Park in a game that finally ignited in the second half, this felt like a decent, if imperfect, result for the champions elect.
On another night, in another season, they would have come from 2-1 down, after Mohamed Diamé scored in the 55th minute, and won the game but there is not the necessity to do so this year with the nearest challenger so far behind them. If results go the way of Sir Alex Ferguson's team they could still win the title at the Emirates a week on Sunday, a chastening possibility for all those who will gather there to tell Robin van Persie exactly what they think of him.
Van Persie's equaliser earned a point for United, a goal that should have been ruled offside. The best performer on the pitch – or certainly the most effective – was Andy Carroll, a missile aimed at the heart of United's defence and David de Gea in particular. Carroll was reckless in charging the goalkeeper before half-time and he walked off the pitch at the end with Nemanja Vidic complaining about his use of the elbow.
Vidic may wish to examine his own record in that department before dishing out advice. His team, without the pressure they are accustomed to at this point of a title race, did enough with a first-half goal from Antonio Valencia to level Ricardo Vaz Te's opener.
If ever it felt that the Premier League season was petering out then it was the opening stages of the night when a fixture that has generated some animosity in the past felt like a dead rubber.
It took a no-holds-barred challenge from Carroll at the end of the half, charging directly at De Gea as Manchester United defended a corner to get Ferguson out of his seat and berating fourth official Andre Marriner. To De Gea's credit he stood his ground and kept his eye on the ball, like a vulnerable furry creature in the lights of a speeding juggernaut.
Until that point, the spark had been missing apart from when both teams broke through and scored. Carroll, watched by England manager Roy Hodgson, was a marauding, intimidating presence in the United half but he did not do half as much damage as Sam Allardyce might have hoped.
The West Ham centre-forward's shot brushed a post in the fifth minute after he worked space in the box, with Valencia in particular getting a foot out the way to make sure he did not foul Carroll. Turning on the edge of the area his left-foot shot just crept wide.
Ferguson picked Michael Carrick and Phil Jones in midfield and there was not a surfeit of creativity from that area of the pitch. As for West Ham they broke away to score a wonderfully worked goal in the 17th minute that unfolded quite unexpectedly. Wayne Rooney lost possession on the edge of the West Ham area and Diamé carried the ball forward before moving it out to Matt Jarvis on the left. His smart change of pace left Rio Ferdinand behind and the cross to the back post was headed down by Carroll. Vaz Te met it with a second header to finish the job.
It took United more than 10 minutes to respond. The architect of the equaliser was Shinji Kagawa who, given the ball by Van Persie, dribbled wonderfully past Winston Reid and cut it back for Valencia to score his first league goal of the season. Nevertheless, United by no means took grip of the game and when Carroll came in to charge De Gea, it was West Ham who were once again looking the more dangerous.
The campaign against De Gea, conducted exclusively by Carroll and Kevin Nolan, continued with an elbow into the goalkeeper's ribs soon after half-time from Carroll, earning him a booking. They looked pretty certain that they had located United's weakest point but, in De Gea's defence, he hung onto the ball on that occasion.
In that opening 15 minutes of the half, Carroll looked at his best. He hit a dipping volley just over the bar with the kind of aggression that characterises the best parts of his game.
The second West Ham goal, however, came from that intriguing midfield talent Diamé, who scores few goals but picks high-ranking opposition to score them against. His other two of the season have come against Arsenal and Chelsea and his third was a superb left footed shot from the right after turning away from Rooney to make space.
A very poor night for Rooney ended when Ferguson replaced him with Ryan Giggs with just less than 20 minutes left. A shot from Rooney had been cleared off the line from Gary O'Neil after Jussi Jaaskelainen let it slip through. Otherwise he had seen little of the meaningful action.
The West Ham goalkeeper saved well from Van Persie's header on 68 minutes and he was unlucky with the second equaliser. Kagawa's shot from the edge of the area brushed James Collins and hit both posts. Van Persie, in an offside position when the ball was struck, tidied up neatly and the away side were level. In the end, a point was all the leaders deserved.
Man of the match Carroll.
Match rating 7/10.
Referee L Probert (South Gloucestershire).
Attendance 36,692.
Manchester United require just six points from their remaining five games to claim a 20th top-flight crown. Victory over Aston Villa on Monday will be enough if City lose at Spurs the previous afternoon, otherwise Sir Alex Ferguson's side could reclaim the crown with a win at Arsenal on Sunday week.
On another night, in another season, they would have come from 2-1 down, after Mohamed Diamé scored in the 55th minute, and won the game but there is not the necessity to do so this year with the nearest challenger so far behind them. If results go the way of Sir Alex Ferguson's team they could still win the title at the Emirates a week on Sunday, a chastening possibility for all those who will gather there to tell Robin van Persie exactly what they think of him.
Van Persie's equaliser earned a point for United, a goal that should have been ruled offside. The best performer on the pitch – or certainly the most effective – was Andy Carroll, a missile aimed at the heart of United's defence and David de Gea in particular. Carroll was reckless in charging the goalkeeper before half-time and he walked off the pitch at the end with Nemanja Vidic complaining about his use of the elbow.
Vidic may wish to examine his own record in that department before dishing out advice. His team, without the pressure they are accustomed to at this point of a title race, did enough with a first-half goal from Antonio Valencia to level Ricardo Vaz Te's opener.
If ever it felt that the Premier League season was petering out then it was the opening stages of the night when a fixture that has generated some animosity in the past felt like a dead rubber.
It took a no-holds-barred challenge from Carroll at the end of the half, charging directly at De Gea as Manchester United defended a corner to get Ferguson out of his seat and berating fourth official Andre Marriner. To De Gea's credit he stood his ground and kept his eye on the ball, like a vulnerable furry creature in the lights of a speeding juggernaut.
Until that point, the spark had been missing apart from when both teams broke through and scored. Carroll, watched by England manager Roy Hodgson, was a marauding, intimidating presence in the United half but he did not do half as much damage as Sam Allardyce might have hoped.
The West Ham centre-forward's shot brushed a post in the fifth minute after he worked space in the box, with Valencia in particular getting a foot out the way to make sure he did not foul Carroll. Turning on the edge of the area his left-foot shot just crept wide.
Ferguson picked Michael Carrick and Phil Jones in midfield and there was not a surfeit of creativity from that area of the pitch. As for West Ham they broke away to score a wonderfully worked goal in the 17th minute that unfolded quite unexpectedly. Wayne Rooney lost possession on the edge of the West Ham area and Diamé carried the ball forward before moving it out to Matt Jarvis on the left. His smart change of pace left Rio Ferdinand behind and the cross to the back post was headed down by Carroll. Vaz Te met it with a second header to finish the job.
It took United more than 10 minutes to respond. The architect of the equaliser was Shinji Kagawa who, given the ball by Van Persie, dribbled wonderfully past Winston Reid and cut it back for Valencia to score his first league goal of the season. Nevertheless, United by no means took grip of the game and when Carroll came in to charge De Gea, it was West Ham who were once again looking the more dangerous.
The campaign against De Gea, conducted exclusively by Carroll and Kevin Nolan, continued with an elbow into the goalkeeper's ribs soon after half-time from Carroll, earning him a booking. They looked pretty certain that they had located United's weakest point but, in De Gea's defence, he hung onto the ball on that occasion.
In that opening 15 minutes of the half, Carroll looked at his best. He hit a dipping volley just over the bar with the kind of aggression that characterises the best parts of his game.
The second West Ham goal, however, came from that intriguing midfield talent Diamé, who scores few goals but picks high-ranking opposition to score them against. His other two of the season have come against Arsenal and Chelsea and his third was a superb left footed shot from the right after turning away from Rooney to make space.
A very poor night for Rooney ended when Ferguson replaced him with Ryan Giggs with just less than 20 minutes left. A shot from Rooney had been cleared off the line from Gary O'Neil after Jussi Jaaskelainen let it slip through. Otherwise he had seen little of the meaningful action.
The West Ham goalkeeper saved well from Van Persie's header on 68 minutes and he was unlucky with the second equaliser. Kagawa's shot from the edge of the area brushed James Collins and hit both posts. Van Persie, in an offside position when the ball was struck, tidied up neatly and the away side were level. In the end, a point was all the leaders deserved.
Man of the match Carroll.
Match rating 7/10.
Referee L Probert (South Gloucestershire).
Attendance 36,692.
Manchester United require just six points from their remaining five games to claim a 20th top-flight crown. Victory over Aston Villa on Monday will be enough if City lose at Spurs the previous afternoon, otherwise Sir Alex Ferguson's side could reclaim the crown with a win at Arsenal on Sunday week.
1 comment:
still leading with 13 points united 4 life
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