People might not consider the Carling Cup the greatest of glories, but it is also a trophy for which the top clubs in England always end up fighting for. In this week’s ‘Shady View’, iSporter Pulasta Dhar analyses how Man Utd took on Aston Villa and emerged victorious in an entertaining fixture.
Aston Villa have always looked dangerous on the break since Martin O’Neill took over the reign of a club which somehow ended up on the wrong side of the table for a lot of seasons and for the wrong reasons. Even though rhyming is one of my hobbies, the above was a co-incidence. But playing Young, Downing, Agbonlahor in a gung-ho attitude wasn’t one. These three Englishmen can be lethal on the counter attack with their speed and agility and that is where United fail to defend. Vidic and Evans have never been as fast as they are strong and with Brown and Ferdinand missing, the center forwards could take them on with only their pace.
That is what happened when Agbonlahor collected a long ball and ran towards goal with just two options in his mind...score a goal or force a foul in the box. Vidic ended up trying to tear open Gabby’s jersey and in the process felled him to the ground. It was a no frills penalty decision and Milner’s strike was as crisp as the new Oat Meal biscuits my mother bought for me to have with my morning coffee.
The pitch at Wembley as usual was in a dismal state with the ball almost rebellious every time it was rolled on for a simple pass. The players wanted grass, not Persian carpets. Valencia was enjoying the softness on the other hand, because he seldom has to play a low ball since his high ones are so perfect. Berbatov was at his flicky best and Carrick’s freekicks almost did not make it to this article.
Berbatov and Park were running the show, trying to get Michael Owen into his instinctive runs. The lad showed glimpses of ability when he took on a couple of defenders and made them look like statues until one of them came to life and tripped him. Berbatov also went on one of his rare runs and when he was robbed doubtfully in the box, Mr. Owen was there to roll it in brilliantly. It was sad his day ended early with an injury sustained just when he was about to put his left foot through the ball for a probable second goal.
Whatever happens, happens for the better. Rooney runs like a raging bull when on a spree, and these days he acts as a bull’s eye for Ecuador starlet Valencia. With the target set, he let the crossing begin. After a few failed attempts, he found it and The White Pele did not disappoint. He rose gracefully into the air and pompously got his header over the despairing dive of Brad Friedel. 2-1 to United and Wazza had his 10th header in 7 games. Just as my teeth took the next slice of the pizza I was gobbling up, WR10 was back in action….again with his head but this time onto the post. Need I mention the crosser? The name is Luis ‘not Nani’ Valencia. The cheese is still on my tshirt as I tried punching the air and forgot what I was holding.
Aston Villa gave a great game to United on a night which could have belonged to them if the pressure on United had remained constant. In the typical tri-system attacking that O’Neill’s team show which consists of pace, power and height, the United defense looked shorter than ever. The Villans an average height of 6 feet 1 inches precisely. Richard Dunne ended up playing center forward in the closing minutes but could never get the job done!
Whatever the average height might be, Evra stood higher than the rest to lift the trophy. The only cup United have ever retained. Mark my words, league titles do not count as cups.
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