In many ways, this defeat hurts but again, when you look at the line-ups and the performance, you feel that the United kids performed to expectation. Sir Alex took the gamble of resting senior players and calling upon the young lads to get us to the final but unfortunately, it was not to be. Firstly, Mike Riely turned down a legitimate penalty that would have won United the match and then Berbatov and Ferdinand missed their penalty kicks when I expected both to find the net from 12 yards. Penalties are a lottery! There is no way a team can be blamed for losing on penalties. The only frustrating thing about yesterday's team was that we used a better team to get where we were and I thought that would be the policy throughout the competition. In the end, it's fair to say that Fergie prioritised and the FA Cup loss will not be as major as losing our grip on pole position in the league. United's position right now is clear. Firstly, there will be no more talk of a quintuple! Then, I think the league from now on is top priority as it is our most realistic chance of lifting more silverware. The Champions League will be a bonus but league matters should not be put at risk in favour of the Champions League. As far as I'm concerned, Liverpool's match with Arsenal tomorrow will define this run-in as they are their strongest opponents till the end of the season. United need maximum points from their next two games as they are at Old Trafford. Frankly, we cannot afford any more lost home points! The Everton match will have taken a bit of confidence from the lads but if we carry on defending the way we are doing at the moment, we could still defend the big two trophies that made 2008 another Manchester United vintage year!
Labels: THE FA CUP
