In typical fashion, Manchester United had the Old Trafford faithful at the edge of their seat in their thrilling 4-2 win over Blackpool to cap of their 2010/11 Barclays Premier League season.
After the win, Sir Alex Ferguson sounded off in his normal end of the season speech, and he hailed the spirit of the club this season by recognizing the pillars, which has built United into what it is today.
The United boss thanked the supporters, the staff, promoted the youth and finally signaled recognition onto two great servants of the club – and without the collaboration of these four vital pieces of the puzzle the dream of the 19th title would not have been a realized.
The fighting spirit of United showed through with flying colors against Blackpool, because they were handed a raw deal after Ji-Sung Park clipped them into the lead.
Like it or not, Mike Dean, as well as his assistant on the near side, could have not have only cost United the match, but they could have cost some clubs millions of pounds in the process. United should have had a penalty when Park’s heel was clipped, but the referee, for some unfathomable reason, refused to properly award the penalty that would have sent the Reds well on their way.
In comical fashion at the other end, Dean’s linesman flag signaled offside, which should have nullified Nemanja Vidic’s lackadaisical challenge on Blackpool’s forward, Gary Taylor-Fletcher. Anyone with any sense at all knew that Charlie Adam was going to equalize from the ensuing free-kick, which he did in emphatic fashion.
Then the linesman, who could have very easily signaled for a penalty, like the one at Ewood Park last week, against Park, and he drowned himself in further turmoil. Blackpool grabbed a dramatic go-ahead goal through Taylor-Fletcher, but it should have been ruled out, because his body, which could be used to score a goal, was behind the second-to-last defender.
Even though Dean did his best to deflate the Old Trafford crowd, the Reds rose above him and his classless antics and showed real quality getting the win. It has to be noted that this was not first time this season this referee has done anything to prevent No. 19 – Rafael’s sending off at Tottenham was a joke as well.
The club is filled with players that care about the ultimate goal – team objectives, not individual. Anderson’s equalizer epitomizes the threat of United’s attack, because it came completely out of nowhere and was created by a defender’s forward thinking run. For some unbeknownst reason, Jonny Evans was one of the furthest players forward for the Reds, and it confused Blackpool. Anderson sprayed the ball out wide to a wide open Park only to get it right back in acres of space of his own which allowed him to bend the ball into the far post netting.
Most clubs would have sat back and played out the last 25-plus minutes to earn a draw, but not United. The Reds pushed forward as though they were down two goals, and it was not if they would get a goal, but when. They eventually got the go ahead goal through a combination of grit, determination and a slice of luck.
Chris Smalling, who is a natural center-back, was deployed as right-back after halftime and his low cross was unfortunately diverted into the Tangerines’ net by Ian Evatt, who was denied an equalizer moments later by a superb save from Edwin van der Sar.
When a team does not take their chance, especially against United, they will be put to the sword at the other end. This time the sword was swung by none other than Michael Owen, who made a precise run and finished off in the most clinical way to rub Liverpool’s nose in it. The best part was his quote at the end of the match when United No. 7 said, “If you cannot beat them, join them,” which will endear him to the Old Trafford faithful even more.
Owen did something that Dimitar Berbatov did – and that was score.
The Bulgarian did his best to win the Barclays Premier League Golden Boot outright, but even with six of the best chances to score, he couldn’t. Matthew Gilks denied Berbatov on three different occasions with fine last-ditch saves and on the other occasions the 21-goal hitman failed to hit the target. Even when Evatt turned the ball into his own net, Berbatov showed his frustrations that he was not the one to do it, which is two-fold.
The emotions showed that he wanted to score and be the top scorer in the league, but, at the same time, it showed that pressure of that was too much for him to handle. What was most amazing is that at the end of the match, many of his teammates passed up chances to increase the lead from better positions to try to help their fellow comrade.
No matter if Manchester United won the match against Blackpool or not, it would not have even come close to taking the gloss of capturing of the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League trophy.
Submitted by The United Religion
