We wrote in the Wolves match preview that United just had to avoid defeat to break a club record of consecutive games unbeaten. The team of ‘99 went 29 games unbeaten and it was almost unthinkable that United wouldn’t smash (excuse the pun) that particular milestone on Saturday evening. Alas, they didn’t and to be honest, they didn’t deserve to. Despite racing into an early lead through Nani, United failed to seriously threaten thereafter and leaked two goals.
It was a poor performance overall and we lacked our usual tempo and incision. It was a lethargic display and a disappointing one. Having said this, all is not lost and there are some positives:
Main Competitors Failed to Capitalise
Even though we were beaten for the first time this season, we are only one point worse off than we were before the weekend’s action. Arsenal, incredibly, drew with Newcastle at St. James Park and are now four points behind us. The Gunners were 4-0 up at one point and outrageously, ended up drawing 4-4. It was a capitulation of mammoth proportions and a result that will surely play on their minds in the coming weeks. It still is not clear if Arsenal have the bottle to put in sustained title challenge. Not likely if this second half is anything to go by.
Chelsea also failed to capitalise, losing at home to a rejuvenated Liverpool side. Not even the £50 million signing of Torres could lift Chelsea and they put in a poor performance. Liverpool were tidy and controlled Chelsea relatively comfortably. Chelsea are still ten points off the pace and it looks a tall order for them now.
City won but are five points behind, having played a game more. Their form is too inconsistent however to go all the way.
Monkey Off Our Back
United were on a massive unbeaten run but with that comes its own pressure. The amount of press and media coverage around the undefeated run was already starting to get massive. Every game would have been ‘Is this the game the unbeaten run ends?’ Inevitably, as we head towards the business end of the season, the pressure to go go the whole campaign without a loss would have been massive. At least now, the team can forget about that and just focus on getting the right results. There will be no more questions asking if they can remain unbeaten.
Obviously, we all would have preferred to not lose on Saturday but that’s how it is. The invincible tag is now gone and we can get on with winning the league. There was minimal damage done, considering the results of the other teams. We are still in a great position. Roll on the derby.
Submitted by Glory Glory Man Utd
