Manchester United went top again in this years topsy turvy fight for the Premier League title passing the ball in the net 5 times in the process. iSporter Ankit Sharma reviews the action.
Manchester United annihilated bottom of the table club Portsmouth to go on top of the league table on the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Air Tragedy. Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov were on target for United and a hat trick of own goals resulted in a 5-0 demolition of Portsmouth at Old Trafford.
The match began like a training session of attack against defence as Pompey players struggled to get the ball out of their own half for most of the first 15 minutes. It looked only a matter of time before United would break the deadlock. However, some resolute defending and poor finishing stopped United’s charge. A quick move from Portsmouth left Gary Neville on his heels. However, Nadir Belhadji's powerful drive was cleared off the line by Johny Evans who showed great anticipation to keep the ball out of the net. After 40 minutes of goal-less play, Rooney broke the deadlock with his 23rd goal of the season. The goal also proved the improvement Rooney has made in his game regarding his headers. Portsmouth scored the first of the three own goals when Nani’s cross was deflected by Anthony Vanden Borre into his own net.
The second half started in a similar fashion with United showing no signs of letting up. Michael Carrick’s left footed shot was deflected by Ruchard Hughes for the second own goal of the match, Carrick however, is likely to contest that decision as it looked unfair to blame Richard Hughes who was only trying to block the on-target shot. Berbatov then made it 4-0 with a typical laid back build-up and then a powerful low drive to the left of David James. The game’s third own goal came when Patrice Evra’s cross was missed by Nani but Marc Wilson provided a cracking finish, though unfortunately, in his own net. Sir Alex then decided to give some rest to Rooney and Berbatov and brought on Michael Owen and Mame Biram Diouf. Diouf missed a golden opportunity to score his second goal of the season when he shot above the cross bar after he was one-on-one with James.
One couldn’t help sympathising with Avram Grant who has handled the crisis at Portsmouth with a lot of grace. However, his record of never having been relegated as a manager looks in great danger unless Portsmouth can bring their season back on track. United’s domination was accompanied by huge shouts from their fans whose chants of “We want Glazers out” are getting louder by the day. For now, United’s message to Chelsea is clear. The chase is on.
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