With pressure of knowing that the title was on the line, Sir Alex Ferguson must have been glowing to see that each one of his Manchester United players put in a performance worthy to be called champions.
There was no doubting the fact that the Reds were full value for their victory over Chelsea, which even their manager, Carlo Ancelotti, humbly admitted afterward for the third time in as many games.
There were so many amazing displays throughout the match, but the only thing that the Ferguson can even question following the resounding win was how United did not beat the Blues by even more than they did.
The Reds have now beaten Chelsea four out of the five times they faced them, which is sign that the momentum is swinging back in their favor in this newly-formed title challenging rivalry.
The deafening noise and boisterous celebrations that followed the final whistle were heightened by the relief and frustration that this title, which is still not done and dusted, has not already been settled.
Because of last weekend’s loss to Arsenal and Chelsea’s record at Old Trafford, a lot United supporters were very nervous heading into this match, and it could have really been negated if they just trusted the manager and the United players that were being selected for this massive occasion.
Like it or not, trust is a very finicky thing in any walk of life, and being burnt by the Blues before definitely weighed heavily on each of their minds, but that was quickly put to bed in the opening 36 seconds of the match.
One thing that nobody can ever doubt is the faith that Sir Alex has in his entire squad, and over the last two games none of them have let him down. The Gaffer nearly relied on every member of his 25-man squad – using 21 different players in the last two games. A couple of those players showed not only the willingness, but versatility to play in different positions as well.
With the reliable John O’Shea succumbing to an injury before halftime, Ferguson had no option but to call on Jonny Evans to fill in at left-back, and the young center-back did not let his manager down. Evans showed composure and ruthlessness on the ball, but he also showed some style and flair in attack. With no natural right-winger in the Blues’ team, Evans was afforded the chance to get forward when he was needed, and his slick skill with the ball left his marker for dead, and Wayne Rooney should have applied the finishing touch.
There was a heart-in-mouth moment for Ferguson when three-fourths of the United backline were sprawled out on the Old Trafford pitch needing treatment. Evans was clattered into, Fabio got stomped on and Rio jarred his leg making a clearance, and that is when the worries were diminished.
To inspire his teammates, Ferdinand, who has been plagued with quite a few injuries over the last couple of seasons, leaped to his feet, but that was not all he did. Seeing Evans still down, he walked over and, amazingly, gave him a soft kick in his side to get up and said, “Come on Jonny get up!, you’re needed man,” which he quickly obliged. And that was the turning point of the match.
Fabio though, was not as lucky, because the young, enthusiastic right-back was forced off to be replaced by Chris Smalling, which meant that the United was back-four was filled with four central defenders. Smalling deployed as an emergency right-back, and the very nimble, young center-back make a darting 40-yard run, which affirmed Ferguson made the right decision with his squad selection.
In the middle of the park, United, despite losing out on the battle of possession, controlled the ball. That was simply down to the fact that four midfielders combining ever so well to win the ball back at crucial times.
Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Ji-Sung Park and Antonio Valencia all threw their hats into the Man of the Match ring, any of them could have claimed it without any complaints. Carrick and Giggs operated mostly through the middle, and they completely outclassed their opposition. Like they have been both doing since coming back from their respective injuries, Valencia and Park have produced terrorizing displays that have helped United become one of the most feared clubs on the counterattack, but they also add tremendous value nullifying other wingers and advancing full-backs.
Even though Manchester United only scored two goals, it was another fantastic display that used members of the entire 25-man squad, which further proves that Sir Alex Ferguson knows best.
Submitted by The United Religion
