Match Report : City 1 - 0 United
GOAL: Geovanni (31)
Toothless United slipped to defeat against neighbours City, leaving Sir Alex’s team trailing the Blue table-toppers by seven points.
United showed they had learnt none of the lessons from a poor second half display at Portsmouth in midweek. For the second time in four days, midfield dominance, this time anchored by the excellent Owen Hargreaves on his debut, brought no dividends. Deprived of last season’s top scorers Rooney and Ronaldo, Fergie’s team searched in vain all afternoon for the goal that their overall possession and control deserved.
Tevez in particular was guilty of a glaring miss of the match which might have spared United’s blushes. The Argentine was purposeful but looked nothing like the natural predator United now need to kick-start their season.
Sir Alex will be aggrieved that United didn’t open the scoring as early as the fourth minute. Scholes received a pass from Tevez in the penalty box and fed Nani, bursting towards goal on the left. The winger could only shoot straight at Schmeichel.
The move set the tone for the match. City, all but none-existent in midfield, allowed United to surge forward in the sure knowledge that the immaculate Micah Richards and the resolute Richard Dunne had the measure of all that came their way.
Nani was United’s most dangerous player until his surprise substitution. On 16 minutes, his fiercely struck shot from just outside the box was well-saved by City’s young keeper. Seven minutes later, a superb Nani back heel freed Evra running through towards goal. The defender couldn’t convert and the danger passed.
United’s inability to take their chances, plus the alert interventions of the tenacious Richards kept City in the game. They showed that the optimism of a greatly improved future under Sven’s guidance may not be hype alone, by seizing the lead with only their second shot of the game.
United seemed well set to counter any danger when Geovanni moved towards the visitors’ goal on 31 minutes. With Vidic hesitant and encouraging the player to advance, the Brazilian surprised everyone by unleashing a fierce shot from 25 yards which deflected off the Serbian defender and squeezed past Edwin van Der Sar’s dive to his right post.
It was against the run of play but the City fans were delirious.
City held their lead despite a heart-stopping spill by Schmeichel in the 38th minute and began the second half on the defensive. Vidic nearly brought United level when crashing a powerful header onto City’s bar in the 47th minute. Chances went begging as United set up camp in the home side’s half and searched for an equaliser.
A glorious Tevez back heel set Scholes up for a shooting chance which he skied into the crowd on 58 minutes. Another good opportunity was missed when Tevez sliced Giggs’ cross past the post in the 60th minute.
United looked increasingly to their Argentine forward to fashion the team’s way back into the game as the clock ticked down. In the 86th minute he shot wide from just outside the box after a neat United move and four minutes later looked for a place to hide, after heading Gigg’s corner wide when unmarked at the far post. It looked easier to score.
United left the field to wild Blue celebrations and will reflect on their worst start to a league campaign since 1992. They did win the title that season.
TEAM
Van Der Sar; Evra; Ferdinand; Vidic; Brown ( 72 O’Shea); Nani; (59 Eagles) Carrick (72 Campbell); Scholes; Hargreaves; Giggs; Tevez
Subs: Kuszczak; Silvestre;
POST SCRIPT
Sir Alex: “We had enough chances and played fantastic football at times. We were just wasteful, we had so many opportunities to win it ourselves. I can’t fault the performance - we completely dominated. But we should have sewn the game up.
“Of course you miss strikers but the number of chances we had and the amount of possession we should have won the game.We have given ourselves an uphill fight, there is no doubt about that. We have to get a win under our belts. We have Tottenham on Sunday. That has become a very important game for us.”
Sven-Goran Eriksson : “Three games, three wins, three clean sheets. I must be happy with that and I am. Today was our most difficult game so far.
“Of course, if you gave points for possession of the ball, shots on target and shots off target we would have lost. But we scored a goal and they didn’t.
“We have beaten Manchester United and that doesn’t happen every day, although we still have a long way to go yet.”
