Showing posts with label Scholes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scholes. Show all posts
Premier League, Old Trafford – Manchester United 4 (Scholes 51, Hernandez 63, Buttner 66, Powell 82) Wigan Athletic 0.
Four goals in an inspired second-half showing gave Manchester United a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in their Premier League encounter at Old Trafford.
A missed spot kick from Javier Hernandez in the fifth minute after a very dubious penalty was awarded left the match goalless at half-time, but goals from Paul Scholes, Hernandez and debutants Alexander Buttner and Nick Powell gave United all three points.
It was a landmark day for three United players: Scholes made his 700th appearance for United, Ryan Giggs became the first player to feature in 600 Premier League games, and Rio Ferdinand hit the 400 mark, and it would prove to be a fine afternoon for all three after an unconvincing first-half showing from the hosts.
Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa were both confined to the bench for United as Sir Alex Ferguson handed a debut to defender Buttner at left-back and Danny Welbeck and Hernandez were paired together in attack.
Anders Lindegaard was again preferred to the dropped David de Gea between the posts, and the Dane was left flat-footed early on as Ivan Ramis rose above Ferdinand to head narrowly wide of the far post from a corner.
Welbeck was very lively early on, and he won his side a penalty in just the fifth minute as he stormed forward and took a dramatic fall as Ali Al Habsi closed him down. Replays showed that there was little or no contact, and Wigan were furious with the decision from referee Michael Oliver.
The visitors’ sense of injustice did not last long, however: Hernandez planted a dismal penalty tamely to Al Habsi’s left, and the Oman goalkeeper was able to make a comfortable save down low with the Mexican left to bemoan his effort.
United, who had won all 14 meetings in all competitions with Wigan prior to their defeat in April last season, did not have things all their own way in the first half as striker Arouna Kone fluffed his kick at the back post after the excellent Jean Beausejour curled over a pinpoint cross.
Nani and Welbeck each managed to get in behind the Wigan back four courtesy of sublime through balls from Scholes, but the Portuguese was too cute with an attempted chip which drifted over the bar, while the latter was denied by an impeccable last-ditch challenge from Maynor Figueroa.
Neither manager made any changes at the break, and Wigan continued where they left off in the second half, building from deep and breaking at pace with Beausejour and Kone using their speed to good effect, stretching the United back four.
But Scholes marked his landmark match with a tap-in from the six-yard box after a fine cross from Nani which Al Habsi could only parry to the midfielder. It was the 37-year-old’s 155th goal for the club, and turned the match decisively the way of the home side.
Just seconds later, Nani roared down the right once more and cut the ball back for Welbeck, whose first touch left him with his back to goal, and his inventive overhead kick just drifted the wrong side of the far post.
Roberto Martinez introduced Jordi Gomez at the expense of Shaun Maloney on the hour mark in an attempt to inspire a fightback from his side, but United continued to dominate the play from midfield, and they made it two as Wigan lost their composure in the penalty area.
Welbeck won the ball back for the hosts superbly in the Wigan box, before debutant Buttner's shot was turned past Al Habsi by Hernandez, who was played onside as he stole in to grab an opportunist goal.
Minutes later, it was game over as the provider turned goalscorer: Buttner rampaged down the left and brushed past both Boyce and Ramis before driving a low shot past the helpless Al Habsi. It was an inspired strike from the defender.
The old guard were withdrawn after 71 minutes as Scholes and Giggs made way for 18-year-old Nick Powell and Van Persie, who had scored four goals from just six shots on target so far for United before the game and netted a staggering 52 goals in his last 58 Premier League games.
Van Persie missed from close range two minutes later as Nani forced his way down the right once more and cut the ball back, but the Dutchman got his feet tangled up and failed to convert from the six-yard box as Al Habsi swooped to gather.
But Powell added more gloss to the scoreline in the 82nd minute. Wigan failed to clear a loose ball on the edge of their own box, and Hernandez found Powell who jinked inside a challenge from Caldwell with real poise before firing an emphatic finish inside the near post.
Ferguson called for his side to be more solid defensively before the match, and he could hardly have wished for a more convincing display from his side at both ends of the field ahead of the Champions League clash with Galatasaray on Wednesday.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Paul Scholes (Manchester United) – On his 700th appearance, it was the midfielder who broke the deadlock with an opportunist close-range finish, and his creativity from deep that kept Wigan on the back foot for most of the game.
Robin van Persie's Manchester United debut proved a chastening experience as Everton, inspired by a majestic performance from Marouane Fellaini, opened their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.
The Dutchman was restricted to a place on the United bench following his £24 million move from Arsenal and prior to his introduction on 68 minutes the vantage point offered him an excellent view as Fellaini enthusiastically and ruthlessly laid waste to a brittle and vulnerable United defence.
A spate of injuries forced United to pit Michael Carrick against the Belgium international but it was not just the makeshift defender that Fellaini terrorised: few players in a United shirt were left untouched by a bruising display of physicality and technical ability that took the game away from the visitors and decisively towards Everton.
It was fitting that Fellaini scored the winner after 57 minutes, and so too was the manner in which he beat David De Gea, brushing Carrick aside to power home a header that ensured United's first defeat in their opening league fixture since 2004.
Only twice in the history of the Premier League has a team lost their first match and gone on to win the title.
Citing Van Persie's lack of football since Euro 2012, Ferguson opted to leave his new signing on the bench but Shinji Kagawa - whose arrival has been overshadowed by that of the former Arsenal captain - was given his Premier League debut, playing in front of Tom Cleverley and Paul Scholes.
At 37 years and 278 days old, Scholes was the oldest outfield player to have appeared in the opening round of Premier League fixtures and he soon demonstrated that none of the famous facets of his game have dulled with his advancing years as he linked up nicely with his team-mates, went close with one volley from outside the box and earned a yellow card for a horrible challenge on former United man Darron Gibson.
Still, Scholes and his two midfield cohorts were comprehensively dominated by an outstanding performance from Fellaini, as the big Belgian picked up from where he left off in the 4-4 draw between the two sides at Old Trafford last season that effectively ended United's title aspirations.
His masterful display unsettled United with regularity and as early as 15 minutes he struck the post from a tight angle after escaping the clutches of makeshift defenders Antonio Valencia and Carrick all too easily.
Fellaini then clattered into De Gea from a corner, an incident that early last season may have left the young Spaniard disorientated and reticent. However, the United keeper responded to the challenge and was his side's outstanding player.
After 24 minutes the Spaniard was forced to tip over an opportunistic header from Steven Pienaar from a corner having already repelled a low effort from Nikica Jelavic in the move that led to the set-piece; later he looked on helplessly as Fellaini found space once again, produced an outrageous piece of control to pull down a cross at the back post and spin in one swift movement before thumping his shot wide on the turn.
United threatened only sporadically. But Kagawa's debut was promising - the Japan international replicating the fluidity of movement and deftness of touch that made him such a resounding success at Borussia Dortmund, and on one occasion teeing up Wayne Rooney for a header that went wide with a gorgeous floated cross.
The visitors were struggling to turn possession into chances, even if Rooney saw one good free-kick turned around the post and should have scored when drilling a shot at Tim Howard from 10 yards.
However, the first half continued to mould itself around the figures of Fellaini and De Gea: while Everton's midfield juggernaut continued to swat opponents aside with contemptuous ease and continually punch holes in the visiting defence, the United keeper responded admirably by denying Pienaar and Leon Osman with two tremendous stops, before topping even those efforts when stretching out his right arm to paw at a Leighton Baines free-kick that was destined for the top corner.
Having presumably spent a decent portion of the half-time team talk discussing coping strategies for Fellaini, United were once again left helpless just four minutes into the second half.
Fellaini started the move as Everton shifted the ball wide to Tony Hibbert and then charged into the box to jump above Nemanja Vidic and head the ball down to Osman, who connected well with his volley but saw the ball cannon off the underside of the bar.
United broke immediately, and only a desperate challenge from Phil Jagielka prevented Danny Welbeck from testing Howard following another neat through-ball from Kagawa. But there was no mistaking the most influential man on the night, and on 57 minutes Fellaini scored the goal his efforts more than merited.
Baines delivered a fine corner from the right and, exploiting once again the fact that United had put Carrick up against him from set-pieces, Fellaini rose above his marker - beaten and broken in the presence of the Belgian - to thump a header past De Gea in the United goal.
Cleverley saw an effort cleared off the line by Jagielka following a cute lay-off from Kagawa but with United struggling for a consistent threat, Van Persie was introduced after 68 minutes in place of Welbeck, the Dutchman's arrival seemingly convincing Everton to sit back on their lead.
With 10 minutes remaining, Van Persie collected the ball to the right of the box and slipped a sumptuous pass through the legs of Sylvain Distin to try and find Kawaga square. However, Howard raced off his line quickly to put the Japan international off and deflect the ball over the bar. It was perhaps the brightest moment from the Dutchman in a rather subdued performance.
Everton invited pressure late on but Jagielka led a fine defensive performance as United proved unable to open up the home side. Fellaini and Everton departed with the three points they so richly deserved.
Manchester United's ailing Premier League title challenge sustained another damaging blow as they were held 0-0 at Blackburn Rovers.
With star man Wayne Rooney missing through injury, United lacked the sparkle and guile required to break down an organised but unambitious Rovers side at Ewood Park.
Antonio Valencia missed a good opportunity late in the first half, and Dimitar Berbatov a decent opening with 10 minutes left, but otherwise the visitors were restricted to long shots and half-chances.
United were dominant statistically - enjoying over 60 per cent possession and depriving Blackburn a corner until the 77th minute, but their performance was anaemic and lacked genuine threat.
There was further misery - and concern for England fans - as Rio Ferdinand first suffered a gruesome-looking broken or dislocated finger, then appeared to sustain a groin injury.
Sir Alex Ferguson sprung some major surprises with his team selection, as Patrice Evra was left out of the starting line-up for the first time in the league this season.
Up top, teenage striker Federico Macheda got the nod to play alongside Berbatov in front of a very attacking midfield. Wingers Nani and Valencia flanked veterans Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes in a quartet lacking any ball-winning pedigree.
How would they fare against a notoriously physical and hard-working Blackburn engine room? Fairly well, as it turned out. United quickly asserted themselves by dominating possession, with Giggs and Scholes displaying a sprightliness that belied their combined 71 years.
However, the problems were further forward where there was precious little end product, with Nani seeing plenty of the ball and wasting most of it. The frustrating Portuguese, who scored twice against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, showed plenty of individual ability but had little to show for it as he misplaced his crosses and repeatedly shot wildly off target.
Berbatov and Macheda dovetailed relatively well, but found space in the home box hard to come by. The Bulgarian wanted a penalty when challenged by Ryan Nelsen as he attempted to jink into shooting position, but might have been better advised to get his shot away instead of crumpling to the floor.
Nelsen was a first-half substitute for skipper Christopher Samba, who went off injured after registering the home side's only shot on target of the opening period; a diving header that forced Edwin van der Sar into a diving save away to his right.
Valencia should have broken the deadlock three minutes before the break when found by a perceptive Berbatov through-ball. The Ecuadorean spun past his marker to go clean through, but Paul Robinson stopped his shot with an outstretched leg.
Rovers came into the game having won 16 points out of a possible 18 in their last six home games and showed exactly why they are so hard to break down, even when playing some way below their best.
They defended in numbers and challenged United to produce the quality required to cut them open. One such moment came in the 80th minutes when Scholes played a superb diagonal ball to Gary Neville who headed down to Berbatov, but the first-time shot flew straight at Robinson.
At the other end, Steven N'Zonzi might have put United out of their misery but saw his goalbound shot superbly blocked by Neville.
United poured forward as time ran down, but still failed to test Robinson properly. Perhaps tellingly, Neville came closer than anyone as he hit a left-foot half-volley that bounced agonisingly wide.
Ferguson's side are still only one point off the top, but have played a game more than both Chelsea and Arsenal, and need the leaders to slip up twice in the last five games to have any chance of winning a fourth consecutive championship.
