34 And Counting
In the 27th cup final of Sir Alex Ferguson’s career, he picked up his 34th trophy since taking over at Old Trafford. Most managers will not even win half as much silverware in their lifetime.
And here we have a 68-year-old legend who celebrates every trophy as if it were his first and last. It may be “just” the Carling Cup but that winning feeling never gets old, just as Ferguson himself never ages.
The match itself was a free-flowing spectacle with both sides providing loads of entertainment and referee Phil Dowd giving us plenty of confusion.
Nemanja Vidic could have been sent off twice. First for denying Gabriel Agbonlahor a goal-scoring opportunity (a straight red card in the laws of the game) and later for two cynical fouls that only earned him a booking.
Manchester United loves to do things the hard way in finals so it was no surprise that they were a goal down before all the VIPs could find their seats in the Wembley stadium boxes.
Just as journalists were powering up their laptops to begin writing about how Ferguson’s decision to bench Wayne Rooney has cost United the cup, Michael Owen popped out of nowhere with a typical poacher’s finish.
Richard Dunne was so surprised by Dimitar Berbatov’s work rate that he just decided to give him the ball as reward. A few bobbles later, it was tucked into the corner of the net by England’s forgotten striker.
It was truly a breathless first half of play, with Agbonlahor and Ashley Young opening up United’s backline to the point that Rafael da Silva looked to be on the verge of tears.
Martin O’ Neill’s game plan to exploit the youngster’s defensive frailties was itself flawed because getting on the end of his speedsters’ crosses was Emile Heskey, a man who makes falling down on his rear end look like an art form.
The burly forward, who continues to defy logic by being included in the England squad, may work hard for the team but the only way he was going to score was if Lukasz Fabianski was in goal to punch his shot into the net.
Everything changed in the 41st minute when Owen’s hamstring decided to call it a day. Off went a man whose only hopes of being in South Africa in the summer was if he went on holiday there, and on came “The Man”.
Rooney cemented his status in the footballing elite by showcasing his ability to grab a game by the scruff of its neck and choke a goal out of it. He took a while to get into his usual groove but when he did, he got help from his new best friend on the pitch.
Antonio Valencia provided a pinpoint cross from the right flank for him to notch up yet another headed goal – seven of his last eight goals have come this way.
For a player who scored only four headers in the first 316 games of his Premier League career, his off-season training in this aspect of play shows that practice does make perfect.
He is well on his way to surpassing Ferguson’s target of 30 goals for the campaign. One wonders what other records will fall in the way of this bearded maestro that we have not seen the likes of since the days of George Best.
The hallmark of a great manager is making the critics who question his decisions eat humble pie. Resting the most in-form player in the world days before an England friendly is one such example.
Whether by design or fluke, it led United to one more piece of silverware to add to an already stacked trophy cabinet.
With a brilliant mind and lady luck by his side, I would not rule out a 40-trophy haul for Ferguson by the time he finally calls it quits.
Maybe, by that time, Roberto Mancini would have won his first trophy for Manchester City – assuming he’s still got the job.
No trackbacks yet.