United dominated the entire match against the side bottom in the Premier League table, but went behind through Steve Sidwell’s first-half effort and toiled in vain with startlingly little imagination to try and find an equalizer. They finally broke Fulham’s increasingly desperate resistance 12 minutes from time when Robin van Persie finished from close range. When Michael Carrick’s effort deflected in off Scott Parker two minutes later, the relief of a victory appeared secured. Instead in the fourth minute of injury time United’s defense capitulated and Bent headed home in front of a stunned Old Trafford.
For all United’s domination, it’s hard not to see the result as a just one. While showing little interest in attacking, Fulham created three clear-cut chances, while they also held on manfully for long spells. For United, this was the second time in which he had the dream trio of Van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata starting in tandem, yet their tactics remained startlingly rudimentary. An incredible 81 crosses were heaped into the Fulham box during the 90 minutes, emphasizing the lack of imagination in Moyes’ approach, despite the talent at his disposal in the final third.
Even had United claimed the three points, it would have been difficult to take encouragement from the performance going forward in their efforts to close down the gap to the final Champions League. As it is, with nine points separating United from fourth-placed Liverpool, it would take the most optimistic of supporters to believe that, what would have been seen as a bare minimum target at the start of the campaign, remains within their reach.
No comments:
Post a Comment