HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!
If there was one negative that I can pick from yesterday's fixture, it is that I lost my voice! It's one thing playing against a team with 5 aacross the back and it's another playing against one that has 11 across the back. Sunderland came to OT quite simply looking for aa point--and waht better chance does one stand at geeting it besides defending. Thank goodness for Vida's presence of mind to be at the far post!
Interestingly, a good number of tabloids are branding the win as a 'lucky one'-- I mean even Stevie Wonder could see that it was Sunderland that were lucky to come off the park with only a goal conceded.
PERFORMANCE:
It must have been too small a game for Darren Fletcher as he had no ideas when the ball came to him. He couldn't have come off sooner.
Rafael continues to do just enough to merit his place in the starting line-up. He does have this attacking mentality that gives us an alternative. He crossed the ball yesterday from the right numerous times. One would be forgiven for thinking that he was playing wide right!
There was nothing wrong with our defence yesterday quite simply because nothing was coming their way. Fergie has revealed that he played Vida upfront in the second half as there was nothing hurting us at the back--I mean Sunderland was that pathetic!
Van der Sar did well in Central Midfield--passing it up to the strikers at every opportunity.
Carrick has re-invented himself. It seems he has developed the confidence to shoot from range. It's no coincidence that he was our player of the month of November. He has scored a couple in the recent past and my word hasn't that paid off for us. It was his low drive that beat Fulop and crashed off the upright. Vidic benefited with a close range tap in in the 91st minute. What a relief! The celebrations were as vigorous as those witnessed when Anelka failed to beat Van der Sar from 12 yards in Moscow!
The win does keep us in the title race. Our title rivals had all won going into this fixture and that meant that we couldn't afford any slip up.
If we beat Spurs next week, we shall have given ourselves a staring point when we return from Japan. Unfortunately, we shall have to do that without Rooney and Evra. What luck!
