Manchester United played brilliantly last night, kept Benfica under pressure and their ‘keeper busy and it was a brilliant performance…eventually.
Not for the first time I was sat there thinking that the visiting team could do us a huge favour and score first, which thankfully they did. That goal, great as it was, allowed the real Manchester United to emerge; the team that stopped arsing around with 4-5-1 and Rooney wide or whatever the formation was, the team that took the game by the balls and didn’t let go until we had scored to draw level. Manchester United are a team that makes it hard, maybe because it makes it more memorable when we get to where we want to go but half the time I feel like throttling them when they play like they did in the first twenty minutes.
Who are Benfica to come to our home ground, and have time and space to pick out passes? Getting us through last night, eventually as group winners, was the most important thing. Sir Alex could mess with 4-5-1 when we were five nil up and playing the ole football. All things said, that is exactly what happened. So we can put the ECL to bed now for a few months and concentrate on consolidating our lead at the top of the Premiership.
Let’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief and admit that eventually the passion and play was as good as we wanted. Phew!
The Everton game passed without incident in terms of getting three of us up the motorway in a cab to see the game and then back, relatively easily. The football was interesting enough – Michael Carrick continues to grow into quite a good United player, Darren Fletcher not so much. The team sheet surprised a few people, me included, my Evertonian friend lapped it up as we sat there in the Ability Suite reading our team sheets – “Ha, looks like you’re giving us a chance with that line up!” I could not disagree, although we should have had enough to beat Everton and that is how it worked out thankfully.
Given to Score 