Tale of Two Halves

By Premiership Talk | September 20 2009

The Manchester derby was an enthralling affair providing us with one of the games of the season. The momentum ebbed and flowed between the two teams throughout as both searched for the upper hand on the other. Before kick off we were greeted with the news Carlos Tevez would start, which added even more spice to the game. The tone for the game ahead was set by the tremendous atmosphere at the start which turned to boos as Tevez re-introduced himself to the Old Trafford fans that once worshipped him.

The first half started as the game ended with a goal. Wright Phillips was caught out by Evra and he found Rooney who superbly finished to put United ahead. Then as United typically do, they made life difficult for themselves, allowing City to gain a foothold in the game through a terrible error by Foster. Ferdinand should have cut out the pass before it reached Foster but the goalie most likely gave a shout and the rest is history. The rest of the first half was evenly matched with City just edging it. Tevez missed a glorious chance to silence the United fans. United’s lack of width was badly affecting their ability to create chances and a lot of work had to be done at half time.

The second half started in the same manner as the first with United re-taking the lead and then Manchester City equalising through a superb shot by Bellamy. But United’s tactical change by making Giggs play on the wing started to reap dividends. The City box was bombarded with crosses and Berbatov had a few opportunities to give United the lead. The woeful Park was replaced by Valencia and this gave United more threat on the right.

To counteract this, Mark Hughes switched to a 4-4-2 of his own with Steven Ireland moving to the left of midfield. This was a turning point as United now gained the upper hand in midfield as Anderson dominated De Jong and Fletcher gained the upper hand over Barry. Fletcher gave United the lead again, living up to his reputation as a big game player, but as United looked to be heading towards victory, a moment of madness by Rio Ferdinand let Bellamy notch a superb second for him.

But the final chapter still had to be written. Some questionable timekeeping meant United attacked again, Giggs found Owen with a superb pass, and Owen showed his finishing prowess by coolly putting the ball in the net and becoming a United legend in the process.

It was certainly a great derby. United below par in the first half and then playing superbly in the second half. Goalkeeping and defensive frailties may have been present throughout but the form-book is often torn up for games like this. Foster will learn from his mistake and Ferdinand certainly should know better than to be so lackadaisical near the end of games when so much is at stake.

City will certainly be in the hunt for the league title at the end of the season - they showed quality today and with players like Robinho and Adebayor missing they will keep progressing. Tevez didn’t star throughout the game but he did force the mistake from Foster for the first goal and was busy throughout.

Ryan Giggs was my man of the match, especially for his contribution in the second half as he looked like the Giggs of old, threatening teams from the left wing. Finally, this derby showed City have joined their neighbours in the top four and will break up the long existing monopoly in the top four for the last number of seasons.