Monday, 11 November 2013

Manchester United 2: FourFour Two

15:49

By: TBMU Admin On: 15:49   In:   No comments

Manchester United 2: FourFour Two

Debrief: The Premier League weekend reviewed

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 04:51 PM PST

Pigeons, meet cat There can't have been many times that only three of the Premier League's top eight have won over the weekend. But it's somehow typical of this season, which critics will see as a lack of consistency while romantics enjoy a closer title race than is frequently the case. Quite simply, the big boys aren't having it all their own way. Chelsea started it on Saturday, scraping a 2-2 home draw with a West Brom side rendered incandescent over a very arguable late-doors penalty; meanwhile across the capital, widely-dismissed cannon fodder Crystal Palace stopped Everton converting possession into goals in a proud 0-0 draw. But the snook-cocking went into overdrive on Sunday. Firstly Newcastle surprised Tottenham with a well-constructed 1-0 White Hart Lane win, even if they owe three weeks' wages to wonder-keeper Tim Krul. Then Sunderland got their annual 1-0 home win over a Manchester City side acting like a happily-married agoraphobic: very happy at home, can't function anywhere else. ANALYSIS Lessons learned at White Hart Lane And finally, Arsenal dominated their game but couldn't score and lost. It might seem odd to describe a Manchester United home win as an upset, but according to the script this was supposed to be the match in which the league leaders snatched the champions' Biggest Team mantle. Instead, David Moyes' side have sidled quietly into fifth place, one of several hunters in the pack behind the leaders. The Premier League goes into the international break in a fascinating state. Arsenal have impressed but been found wanting on a couple of occasions, the other being the home loss to Dortmund in the Champions League: do they have the ruthlessness to win enough truly crucial games? But even if not, can any of the other hopefuls reman consistent enough to overtake them? Good weekend for Saints and a devilish Red In his Saturday Analysis, FFT's Jonathan Fadugba wondered if Luis Suarez is the best player in the Premier League. Some might argue that the top man would have made more of an impact on last weekend's trip to Arsenal, but he excelled again in the 4-0 filleting of Fulham, and eight goals in six games are certainly keeping the Anfield side well in the title race. Tucked just a point further back, Southampton crowned a great week with a thumping 4-1 victory over Hull. It's hard not to laud the Saints without sounding condescending, but their commitment to youth develop is especially noteworthy, and after starting the season with a reputation for unspectacular narrow wins they have started to spread their wings: Hull were the fourth successive visitors to be beaten with goals to spare. Southampton's next two games, at Arsenal and Chelsea, will go a long way to suggesting whether the title race will have a neutrals' favourite for a while yet. Possession is nine-tenths of not much... Ladies' favourite and published author Sven-Göran Eriksson once noted that "football is much harder if you don't have the ball," but it's obviously not that difficult. Of the seven Premier League sides to win this weekend, five had less possession than their opponents. (The exceptions, again, were Liverpool and Southampton.) Newcastle had 34.7% at Spurs and Sunderland 36.9% against Manchester City, but it wasn't just teams playing rope-a-dope with the big boys: Aston Villa only had 43.2% at home to newly-promoted Cardiff, while Norwich had 47% at home to West Ham, hardly renowned for their dominance of the ball, even if they now spend a lot of time passing it around wondering where the big fella up front has gone. ...but some fans may demand it Put away those fingers and thumbs: the fifth team to win despite minority possession was mighty Manchester United. Scoring in the first half – not to mention Arsenal's love of caressing the ball around in midfield – tempted the champions into retreating into their own territory for much of the second half. After the break, United completed just 30 passes in the final third, compared to the Gunners' 84 - and of those 30, just two ended in the Arsenal box. Yes, they were winning, but this is not the kind of attitude Old Trafford fans are used to witnessing, and when they cranked up a chant of "Attack! Attack! Attack!", it sounded more in retort than support. Not one to be swayed by popular opinion, David Moyes resisted the temptation to bring on Nani, Javier Hernandez or Adnan Januzaj: his first unforced substitution was to bring on wise old Ryan Giggs for the typically anonymous Shinji Kagawa, and his second one replaced goalscorer Robin van Persie with self-styled defensive midfielder Marouane Fellaini. That final switch brought what sounded a lot like boos from some corners of Old Trafford – and while the away fans may have been clearing their throats for their former hero, it's not hard to find United fans who aren't ecstatic about grinding out results. Although beating Arsenal will always prompt United fans into fist-pumps, the battle for hearts and minds is far from won. More FFT weekend ponderings:Ben Welch on Spurs-Newcastle • Jonathan Fadugba on Saturday

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Facts: The must-share pub ammo from the Premier League weekend

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 04:23 PM PST

Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal Robin van Persie has scored in the last 5 league encounters between these two sides: twice for Arsenal, three times for United. The Dutchman has scored in each of his last 4 league appearances. Arsenal didn't register a shot on target until the 59th minute. Ryan Giggs made his 50th appearance against Arsenal in all competitions: 36 in the Premier League, six in the FA Cup, four in the Community Shield, two in the Champions League and two in the old First Division. This was the first time Arsenal have failed to score in the league this season. The last team to stop Arsenal from scoring in a league match was David Moyes' Everton on April 16th, 16 games ago. Manchester United have lost only 1 of their last 10 league encounters with Arsenal (W7 D2). Just 4 of the 15 attempted shots in this match were on target (26.7%). Arsenal have won only 2 of their last 17 Premier League games played in the late slot on Sundays (excludes final-day games). Match report • Stats Zone analysis Swansea City 3-3 Stoke City Jonathan Walters started his 100th consecutive Premier League game - the longest current run in the top flight. Walters' opening goal was the first that Swansea had conceded in 216 minutes of league football on home soil. Stephen Ireland scored his first Premier League goal since December 2011, when he scored for Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge (680 days ago). All 4 of Wilfried Bony's Premier League goals for Swansea City have been scored at the Liberty Stadium. Stoke haven't won any of their last 8 league games – the division's joint-longest winless run, with Crystal Palace. Between Stoke's second goal and Swansea's third, the hosts had 12 shots to the visitors' 1. This was only the second time the Potters have scored 3 away goals in a Premier League game; the first was in November 2010 at West Bromwich Albion. At 95 minutes and 20 seconds, Charlie Adam's penalty was the latest Premier League goal this season. Match report•Stats Zone analysis Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City Sunderland have won each of their last four home league games against Manchester City 1-0. Manchester City have won just 2 of their last 9 away league games (D2 L5). Sunderland were the last Premier League team to record a clean sheet this season. Sergio Agüero failed to score for the first time in 6 Premier League appearances. Manchester City didn't find the net for the first time in 7 Premier League games, last drawing a blank at Stoke. Yaya Toure failed to register an attempt on goal for the first time in 7 Premier League appearances. Manchester City completed 220 passes in the final third, compared to Sunderland's 48. Match report•Stats Zone analysis Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Newcastle United Loic Remy has scored 7 goals in his last 7 Premier League appearances. Loic Remy has scored 47% of Newcastle's league goals this season, the highest proportion of any player in the top flight. Tim Krul made 14 saves, the most by any keeper since Opta started recording full data in 2006/07. Tottenham's tally of 14 shots on target without a goal was the most by any side since 2006/07. Christian Eriksen created 8 chances, more than any player in a single game this season. Newcastle have won 7 Premier League games at White Hart Lane; their only happier hunting ground is Villa Park (8). None of the 34 Premier League goals Newcastle have scored in 2013 have been by an Englishman. Spurs have only scored 5 goals in 6 home league games this season. Under Andre Villas-Boas, Tottenham have scored 34 goals in 25 league home games. This was Newcastle's first clean-sheet away win since May 2012's 2-0 at Chelsea. Tottenham have scored with just 5.7% of their shots this season, the top flight's worst conversion rate. Match report•Stats Zone analysis Norwich City 3-1 West Ham United Norwich have lost only 1 of their 7 Premier League games versus West Ham (W2 D4) The Hammers have won only 1 of their last 10 league games. Ravel Morrison has scored with all 3 of his shots on target in the Premier League. Morrison's goal was West Ham's first in the Premier League outside London since April 27. Gary Hooper's opener was only the second West Ham had conceded in their last 6 league trips. Norwich have scored 5 times from direct free-kicks since the start of last season, a total only Man City can match. In their last home game (against Cardiff) Norwich had 31 shots and didn't score; this time they had 14 and scored 3. The Canaries scored more than once for the first time since the opening day of the season (2-2 vs Everton). Norwich scored as many goals today as they had in their previous 7 Premier League games. Match report•Stats Zone analysis Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff City Aston Villa's first goal ended a run of 451 minutes without a top-flight strike. Villa opened the scoring for only the second time this season. Cardiff only conceded 3 fouls in this game, but one caused the free-kick from which Leandro Bacuna scored the opener. Villa scored their second direct free kick goal of the season; only the two Manchester sides have scored more. Cardiff are yet to keep a clean sheet away from home in the Premier League. Match report•Stats Zone analysis Chelsea 2-2 West Bromwich Albion Chelsea have won only 1 of their last 4 league games against WBA. Chelsea have conceded in 3 successive league home games under Jose Mourinho for the first time since October 2005. Samuel Eto'o has now scored 4 goals in his last 4 Stamford Bridge appearances (all comps). Other than Eden Hazard's late penalty, Chelsea didn't have a shot on target after the 77th minute. Those were their only shots on target in the second half; WBA had 3 shots on target after the break. This was the first time WBA have scored more than once in a top-flight game at Stamford Bridge since September 1978. Eden Hazard created 3 chances and had 4 shots. Jonas Olsson has made more clearances than any other Premier League player this season (112). Match report•Stats Zone analysis Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton Everton have gone 330 mins without conceding a league goal. This was the second time this season that the Toffees have drawn consecutive league games 0-0. Marouane Chamakh recorded his third shot of the season (in his 11th appearance). Everton's possession figure of 72.5% is the highest recorded in a Premier League game this season. Palace recorded their first clean sheet of the season. Leighton Baines created 3 goalscoring chances, more than any other player in this game. Match report•Stats Zone analysis Liverpool 4-0 Fulham In 13 Premier League home matches against Fulham, Liverpool have only conceded 3 goals. Luis Suarez has scored 8 in 6 league appearances this season. Suarez has scored 7 and assisted 1 in his last 4 league home games. This is the 54th time Liverpool have scored 4 or more in a PL home game; only Man Utd (74), Chelsea (63) Arsenal (62) have more. Liverpool have scored 15 first-half goals this season, more than any other side. The Reds have scored 8 first-half goals in their last 3 Premier League home games. Liverpool's 32 shots is the most recorded by a team in a PL game this season. Only Aaron Ramsey (51 in 11 games) has made more tackles in the Premier League this season than Lucas Leiva (50 in 9). Fulham had 4 shots in total, including blocked efforts; Philippe Coutinho alone had four shots on target. Match report•Stats Zone analysis Southampton 4-1 Hull City Southampton have won 5 of their last 6 league games against Hull City. Rickie Lambert has 8 Premier League assists since the start of last season. Southampton are unbeaten in 8 games. This was the first Southampton PL game to see more than three goals since March 16, 20 games ago. Hull conceded more goals today than they had in their previous 5 league games. Adam Lallana attempted 7 take-ons, succeeding with 5. Match report•Stats Zone analysis

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Moyes delighted with effort against Arsenal

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 11:07 AM PST

United climbed to fifth in the Premier League table after their victory, as Robin van Persie's first-half header saw them extend their unbeaten run to nine matches in all competitions. League leaders Arsenal struggled in the first half and, despite an improved showing after the break, their winless run at Old Trafford - which stretches back to 2006 - continued. "This was a big result for us today," Moyes told Sky Sports. "Arsenal have been in terrific form this season and we had to play very well ourselves. "I thought we started the game well. We were very good in the first 20 to 30 minutes. I thought in the end, our whole determination, effort and good play helped us in the second half when we were under more pressure. "I thought we did that (apply pressure) much better in the first half. I thought we gave them a bit too much room in the second half. "In the second half I think we had the best opportunities but we didn't take them. But overall, three important points." Moyes also revealed that defender Nemanja Vidic had been sent to hospital after being hit in the head by the hip of team-mate and goalkeeper David de Gea in an innocuous collision late in the first half. "He's gone to hospital. I've only just seen it myself," Moyes added. "It's a terrible clash. It's an accident. Hopefully he will be OK. I'll find out more from the medics later." Wayne Rooney swung in the corner for Van Persie's goal against his former club and the England forward produced an all-action display, with his work-rate and tenacity standing out. Only one player – Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey – covered more ground than Rooney during the match, and the striker felt his side's defensive effort was crucial. "It's a great result. Arsenal are a good team," Rooney said. "We knew we had to win today at all costs. I think it's the toughest we've been to play against, to break down. We defended really well. Thankfully Robin got the goal and we got the three points. "We knew we couldn't afford to lose today. We knew Arsenal couldn't get 11 points ahead of us. We knew a victory would put us right back in there. We're in a great position."

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Wenger bemoans slow start at Old Trafford

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 10:52 AM PST

The league leaders saw their 10-match unbeaten streak in away league matches – of which nine have been wins – come to an end at Old Trafford, as former player Robin van Persie scored the game's only goal. The Dutchman's 27th-minute header, his third strike against Arsenal in as many matches since making the move, saw Arsenal miss the chance to reclaim their five-point lead at the summit. Wenger remained upbeat despite the defeat – which followed impressive victories over Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund – but admitted his side were made to pay for their slow start. "It's difficult to lose the game. We conceded a goal on a set-piece," Wenger told Sky Sportsafter seeing Arsenal's winless run at Old Trafford extended to 10 matches. "In a big game, that made the difference. In the first half I felt we were too nervous and rushed our game too much. "In the second half, when we played composed and had a real go and played our usual game, we were very, very, very, very close to scoring. "We have to digest that and come back in a strong way. The heart and the desire (from the players) was in it, maybe a bit too much in the first half." A sickness bug went through the Arsenal camp in the build-up to Sunday's fixture, with defender Per Mertesacker and midfielder Tomas Rosicky not involved in the squad. Mikel Arteta and Serge Gnabry were also affected, but featured at Old Trafford, though the absence of Mertesacker robbed Arsenal of their tallest defender. Van Persie exploited that to full effect, rising above striker Olivier Giroud to head in Wayne Rooney's corner, but Wenger refused to use the absence of the German – who was replaced by Thomas Vermaelen – as an excuse for the goal. "We are quite strong recently on set pieces," Wenger said. "I was surprised that were caught on the near post. "I believe Vermaelen had a very good game (though). He did lead the (defensive) line very well." Wenger has now called on his players to hit back strongly after the international break, as they prepare to face the high-flying Southampton. "(What am I looking for is) the response after the break," he added. "We had to give a lot this week. "We played against Liverpool, Dortmund, here today, (but) I think a draw would have been a fair result today."

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Premier League: Man United 1 Arsenal 0

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 10:08 AM PST

It was no surprise that van Persie was Arsenal's nemesis; the striker has now scored in the last five matches between the two teams and his 27th-minute header was responsible for deciding this encounter, inflicting a blow to the momentum Arsene Wenger's men have built up this term. Neither side were at their best during the much-anticipated fixture and although Arsenal improved after the break, they lacked cutting edge, with Wayne Rooney going closest to scoring in the second half when he shot just wide. One goal was enough for David Moyes' side, though, who are now unbeaten in nine matches, as Arsenal – who entered the match on the back of wins over Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund – failed to reinstate their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Van Persie headlined Manchester United's four changes from their goalless draw against Real Sociedad on Wednesday, while Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans also came in after overcoming calf and back niggles. A sickness bug forced Arsenal into two changes, Thomas Vermaelen and Mathieu Flamini coming in for Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky, who were not even among the replacements. Arsenal shaded a cagey opening in which United's Rooney was the only player to test a goalkeeper, albeit with a relatively tame effort from distance. Van Persie breathed life into the contest, though, converting the first genuine chance of the game from a Rooney corner. The Netherlands star rose above Oliver Giroud and produced a soaring header that crashed into the top-right corner, too well-placed for Kieran Gibbs – who was on the line – to do anything about. Arsenal were unable to muster a significant response before the break, but were thankful to see goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny emerge from a nasty clash of heads with Phil Jones in good health. Manchester United were not so lucky, with defender Nemanja Vidic failing to return after being hit on the head by the hip of his own goalkeeper, David De Gea, on the stroke of half-time. Arsenal improved after the break but struggled to create clear-cut chances, Mesut Ozil going closest when firing into the side-netting in the 58th minute. Rooney nearly doubled United's lead on the hour mark after Arsenal's defence failed to clear a clever flick-on header from Shinji Kagawa, but, after feigning to shoot and creating space, the England star tugged his left-footed effort past the right post with Szczesny beaten. A long-range effort from Gibbs tested De Gea when it took a late van Persie deflection while Chris Smalling failed to take advantage of a teasing cross from the goalscorer at the other end. There was a late chance for Giroud, but his shot on the turn went wide as United held on for a crucial win that sees them rise to fifth in the table.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Written by TBMU Admin

We are Manchester United Fan located around the World which provides user friendly, effective and easy to browse info regarding our Team. Each support/info is free. Support us by clicking the ads located in this site. Thanks

0 comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )
Click Picture Below for More Info

Popular Posts

Share

 





© 2013 TBMU . All rights resevered. Published by The Best Manchester United Admin Blogger

Back To Top