starrystarrytwenty

beautiful disaster

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"No, there is no escape.
There is no heaven with a little hell in it -
no plan to retain this or that of the devil in our hearts or our pockets
Out Satan must go, every hair and feather."
- GEORGE MACDONALD

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen:
not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
- C.S. LEWIS

Monday, April 10, 2006

Race Still On As Rooney & Park Punish The Gunners

wOOhOO!!!! juz read the report.. hurhurhurhur.. :D *dancing and jumping ard* hOOyAH!!
oH sO sWEEt..!!!! heeheeheeeheeheehee.....

FA Barclays Premiership
Old Trafford, 9 April 2006

Manchester United 2
Rooney 54, Park 78
Arsenal 0

Another 90 minutes may have run out but the Premiership race is still on after United responded to Chelsea's big win over West Ham with an impressive victory of their own.

The Reds' record home crowd - 70,908 - saw Wayne Rooney and Ji-sung Park score the goals to polish off Arsenal, who started well but were clearly second best after the break.

A sensational performance by Rooney, 20, was highly appropriate on a day when United celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Busby Babes' first league title in 1956. And his display brought back more recent memories of Wayne's 19th birthday, in October 2004, when he scored in United's 2-0 win against the same opponents.

First Half

Arsenal came close to snatching an early goal in the 3rd minute when Van Persie, replacement for the rested Thierry Henry, forced a save from Edwin van der Sar. Just prior to that, Van der Sar was grateful to Vidic for a sliding clearance from inside the box.
Van Persie had another stab at scoring in the 8th minute but with the same result as van der Sar got his big frame down to halt the shot. Arsenal's number 11 was enjoying his run-out in Henry's surprising absence and was asking questions of the Ferdinand-Vidic partnership - now under internal pressure as well, following Wes Brown's recovery.

Gary Neville forced United's first corner after 13 minutes when his cross towards Rooney at the far post was headed out by Gunners right-back Emmanuel Eboue. Ferdinand joined the attack but his glancing header across the goalmouth failed to drop kindly for United and Ronaldo's subsequent pull-back could only go out for a goal-kick. Ronaldo was also inaccurate with a direct free-kick soon after, launching his shot high into the East Stand.

Park skipped past Eboue in the 18th minute but was prevented from crossing by Toure's fair challenge. Giggs swung United's second corner outside the box to Rooney who was fouled - Ronaldo's free-kick shot was this time on target and punched away, with two fists, by Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann.

Lehmann's next save was more difficult, as he dived full-length to his right and palmed away a rocket from Rooney. This followed yet another free-kick for the Reds, a swirling cross-field ball from Giggs.

Hleb looked dangerous when in possession for Arsenal but his rash effort after 24 minutes was anything but a threat to van der Sar's goal - sailing high and wide to the jeers of the United faithful.

Rooney's second shot on target brought another fine save from Lehmann after 26 minutes. On this occasion, the German's left hand denied United the lead they were beginning to deserve.
Giggs won and took another corner on 27 minutes but Silvestre's downward header was wide of the mark. By now the Arsenal half was bathing in sunshine, only an hour after a heavy hail-storm had greased the surface perfectly for two passing teams.

The bright light almost brought United a goal in the 33rd minute when the Arsenal defenders missed Gary Neville's bouncing cross and Giggs headed just over the top. Play quickly switched to the other end where Van der Sar completed a hat-trick of saves from Van Persie and the best so far - a quick reflex stop countering the striker's powerful shot.

The end-to-end stuff ensued with Van Nistelrooy firing wide and then Ferdinand scrambling the ball out for an Arsenal corner as the first half entered its last ten minutes.

Park created United's next opportunity with a measured left-wing cross - Lehmann saved Ruud's header with reasonable ease. The German shot-stopper was also equal to Ronaldo's rasping drive moments later. But it was the arm of another Arsenal player that illegally prevented United scoring in the 43rd minute.

Ruud slipped the ball through to Rooney and the England striker rounded Lehmann in a one-on-one, composed himself and then pulled the trigger. Arsenal's defenders scrambled to get back and two of them did - Eboue diving forwards and deflecting Rooney's shot onto the near post as Senderos stood helpless on the line.

TV replays later showed it was the right-back Eboue's arm, not his head, which stopped the certain goal and kept the score at 0-0 for half-time. Rooney and the United fans were furious but confident of gaining justice after the break.

Second Half

After the break, United carried on from where they had left off - forcing Arsenal to concede more desperate fouls. Gilberto body-checked Giggs in the 49th minute to earn the game's first yellow card.

"Same old Arsenal, always cheating" chanted the home fans - and that was before Lehmann fell in a heap in front of the Stretford End after minimal contact with Ferdinand.

The restless natives demanded justice for Eboue's misdemeanour just before half-time and Rooney duly delivered it in the 54th minute. The aggrieved number eight killed Silvestre's excellent left-wing cross with one touch and blasted home from 12 yards.

The majority of the club record 70,908 crowd were now thoroughly enjoying the show, although they had to endure a couple of Arsenal near-misses as Adebayor fired over and Van Persie miscued as Eboue's low ball skidded across the six-yard box.

The frenetic pace was making life difficult for referee Graham Poll - at one point he appeared to get an earful from both managers at the same time!

Ferguson replaced Ruud with Saha and Wenger responded with a double substitution - Diaby and Henry coming on for Van Persie and Fabregas.

A third change for the Gunners seemed likely when Pires limped away from O'Shea's foul, which was duly punished by Poll's third yellow card. Henry tried to compound the cost for United but his free-kick went comfortably wide - as did a Pires shot when the Reds only half-cleared Hleb's low corner from the right.

It was Hleb, not Pires, who made way for the third Arsenal sub Freddie Ljungberg after 74 minutes. The Swede was only just getting into the play when Saha's header missed the target from Ronaldo's right-wing cross.

Ljungberg somehow caused the fourth booking of the afternoon when he stumbled and Poll deemed it to be Silvestre's fault. The United full-back laughed incredulously as the referee took his name in the 76th minute.

The next United player to smile - a big, beaming smile - was Ji-sung Park, scorer of the crucial second goal. Rooney rode a challenge from Senderos close to the right-hand byline and slid a pass across Lehmann for Park to slot home at the far post.
Park duly took the applause as he left the field in the 84th minute, to give Patrice Evra another taste of the Old Trafford atmosphere. And what a jubilant atmosphere it was - the misery which might have followed Chelsea's 4-1 thrashing of West Ham long since blown away by a pulsating United performance and a ninth Premiership win in a row.

United: van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre; Ronaldo, O’Shea, Giggs, Park (Evra, 84); Rooney, Van Nistelrooy (Saha, 62).
Substitutes: Howard, Pique, Brown. Booked: Vidic, O'Shea, Silvestre.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Senderos, Toure, Flamini, Pires, Hleb (Ljungberg, 74), Gilberto, Fabregas (Diaby, 69), Van Persie (Henry, 69), Adebayor.
Substitutes: Poom, Djorou. Booked: Gilberto.

Attendance: 70,908 (United's record home attendance!)