Dominator

The papers are pretty positive this morning, headlines, which all concentrate on missed opportunity, aside. Then again, given our utter domination, they don't really have much choice do they.
This, from Kevin McCarra in The Guardian is pretty typical, although it does express the truth of the situation pretty clearly:

Manchester United overwhelmed ­Arsenal, yet neglected to leave the full evidence in the result. That could be termed ­carelessness, but it is the habit of this side, with its emphasis on control, to show circumspection. In consequence the visitors will have left Old Trafford in good heart, but that is simply because they avoided devastation in the first leg

"Emphasis on control" - we had total attacking domination without ever risking a goal (Bendtner's header aside) at the other end, and Arsenal being happy at avoiding devastation, the fact that we outplayed them with such seeming ease must be on their minds for the next game (and the approaching Premiership game), as well as ours, we must know we're better and must be confident of showing it again at The Emirates.
Daniel Taylor on The Guardian Blog describes our performance as, "an epic, lyrical performance", before going on to look at the negative, but at least he recognises it:

A negative tone, perhaps. But 1-0 felt like a meagre reward when you totted up all those scoring chances inside the Arsenal penalty area. In fact, 2-0 would have still seemed rather miserly given the near-unremitting nature of this onslaught. Ferguson's men were so superior, so utterly rampant at times, it is not an easy thing to criticise them but you would have to think this was a missed opportunity.

Yes, a missed opportunity, but the important words are "so superior".
Matt Dickinson in The Times continues this theme, but looking from an Arsenal perspective:

Arsenal looked so callow, so raw, at times so bewildered in the first half of this semi-final, first leg that, with his neatly brushed hair and his sober suit, Arsène Wenger might have been their headmaster rather than their manager.

As Wenger gets older, his team seem to get younger: and they have never looked so youthful as last night.

Of course the age of Kieran Gibbs, the 19-year-old who was being asked to shackle Cristiano Ronaldo in only his second European start, did not mean that he could not make several telling interventions — any more than the relative experience of Emmanuel Adebayor did not protect him from repeatedly giving the ball away.

And it is worth asking of a player such as Alexandre Song whether it is a question of age or simply not being good enough. Either way, there were spells last night when it really did feel as though Manchester United should pick on someone their own size. This was a tie that would not have required a second leg had United converted even half their chances.

He then goes on to offer the usual "Arsenal - team for the future" argument, but even here there is a rare moment of press self-awareness:

He must have looked at players such as Gibbs, Song, 21, Abou Diaby, 22, Theo Walcott, 20, and even Cesc Fàbregas, the wily old captain at 22, and wondered if this was going to be part of the learning process rather than, truly, “their moment”, as he had publicly stated pre-match.

And then he could have consoled himself that he is building a team for the future — isn’t he always — and he is certainly not under pressure to win the Champions League in the way that managers of Liverpool or Manchester United are, not least because Arsenal have never won it.

It must have been some performance by us to bring this (admittedly tiny) kind of criticism of Arsenal. He finishes well, "you were left to conclude that it would be a miracle if this Arsenal team were being saluted a month from now as champions of Europe."
In the same paper Oliver Kay returns to the usual Arsenal version:

In one sense, it did not look a fair fight. These things are not easy to say with regard to a club who do not disclose their transfer fees, but Arsenal’s entire starting line-up cannot have cost Wenger much more than the £30.75 million that Ferguson spent on Dimitar Berbatov, who was left out of the United team.

Whatever.

Jim White in The Telegraph continues the theme:

It was all about experience against innocence, achievement against potential, serial trophy accumulators against a work in progress. They had a point. After all, of the total of 13 major medals won by members of this Arsenal starting 11, eight had been earned by Mikael Silvestre. And he had won them all in his time at United.

We get the message, honestly. We play a young team in a semi-final and get slaughtered for it, Arsenal base their entire transfer policy on it and get nothing but praise for consistently failing to win anything...

Even the generally reliable Henry Winter falls into it:

Arsenal remain a work in progress, a potential work of sublime art but needing more time.

(I apologise if this is concentrating on Arsenal rather than praise for us, but when every sentence of praise for us ends in "but", it isn't easy to avoid getting involved in the bit that follows the praise...) And his reading of the second half seems a trifle optimistic:

If Arsene Wenger’s players perform with the character they showed in the second half, however, battling to turn the tide, seeking to impose their celebrated passing game, then they have a chance. It all comes down to firepower and fire in the belly.

Because to me, no matter how Arsenal played second half, we still controlled it, still had, Bendtner's aside, all the chances. They may have seeked "to impose their passing game", but they failed to in any meaningful way.

Martin Samuel in The Mail avoids all that type of thing and writes a decent article on Berbatov and Tevez:

It is a fee that would appear to be too rich, even for a club of United's wealth, meaning Tevez is for sale. Certainly last night, he played like a man open to offers.

Sir Alex Ferguson does not do sentiment, so one can safely presume that he did not give Tevez his first Champions League start of this year to placate him over a lack of first-team opportunities in the biggest games.

Tevez was scowling when he was substituted after 67 minutes but in the time remaining his replacement Dimitar Berbatov demonstrated why Ferguson has a decision to make.

As wholehearted and tenacious as Tevez is, so Berbatov is all subtle efficiency. It is easy to see why the work ethic of one appeals and the demeanour of the other does not, but Ferguson must consider more than appearances.

Tevez plays hard, but Berbatov is more effective. The fee that United will not pay for Tevez is roughly what Ferguson pulled up for Berbatov without a second thought. That is not to say Tevez failed to impress when at last given the opportunity to lead the line, more that he failed to capitalise on the moment.

And he gives an eloquent and fair assesment of the state of the tie, and looks at a problem with Tevez into the bargain:

United did not put Arsenal to the sword, so much as take them to it, show it to them, then shy away from using it. Ferguson said he would be happy with a 1-0 victory before the game, but he was probably revising that opinion with hindsight.

Arsenal are still in with a shout and, after a performance as disappointing as this, should not be.

Manchester United's absence of a cutting edge last night reflected the issue with Tevez. His work rate is exceptional, yet his great strength is his build-up play.

I like this, on Arsenal's defending, in The Sun:

The whole night was summed up by the most bizarre moment of all played out a quarter of an hour from the end right under the Stretford End.
Ryan Giggs, on as a substitute, crossed from the left, Manuel Almunia flapped at it and missed whereupon the ball struck the unsuspecting Mikael Silvestre on the side of the head before rebounding over the bar for a corner.

David Pleat praises Rooney in his Guardian Blog piece:

This was a big test for Theo Walcott ... but another Englishman stationed on the wing last night, Wayne Rooney, helped to nullify his threat. Arsenal would have been hoping to counter-attack against United using Walcott's pace from wide but a combination of their slow passing – when possession was gained – and the efforts of the workaholic Rooney ensured he was unable to make an impression. ... The indefatigable Rooney was putting in a shift and a half on the left touchline, threatening every pass that may have come Walcott's way but also being a constant danger with the ball when United broke.

Onto the quotes and Sir Alex sounded pretty happy and confident after the game:

"The most positive aspect is that before the game we spoke about trying to win without losing a goal and we've done that," he said. "The performance was very good and we've given ourselves a really good chance. The tie is obviously not over but we have players who can score a goal at their place and we have shown that we definitely carry a goal threat. We know we can go there and score and that's the problem for Arsenal."
When Ferguson was informed that Wenger had struck an equally optimistic chord. "He has to," the United manager responded. "He'll be thinking it's a good day for him because he could have been out of the tie and he's not. We tend to do things the hard way at our club and once again it's a night when our supporters have been frustrated because we could have been in the final. We had enough chances to score four but their goalkeeper [Manuel Almunia] was really fantastic."

John O'Shea:
“The goal was a little early birthday present for me,” O’Shea said. “Their keeper made some great saves. We could have scored more but we are capable of scoring at the Emirates. Arsenal are a good team and they kept the ball well but overall we have to be happy.”
Sir Alex on Ferdinand and a fairly humorous look at our's and Arsenal's weekend fixtures:

“He’s gone for an X-ray and it doesn’t look too good at the moment,” the United manager said. “He’s got a crack on the ribs and we hope nothing is broken.”

“We have to play a team to win at Middlesbrough in the lunchtime kick-off, which I don’t think is right, while it doesn’t really matter who Arsène plays against Portsmouth,” he said. “They can play Pat Rice at right back and Arsène at centre forward. It doesn’t matter and that’s to Arsenal’s advantage.”

All the footprints you've ever left and fear expecting ahead (Arsenal)

There's a great quote in this report:

Ferguson is infamous for throwing in a strategic red herring when it comes to United's key games and once warned journalists "never try to read the mind of a madman" when it came to his team selections.

And so I'm not going to try, but I also think this is true of the game as a whole. I think it's one of those games in which anything could happen. It could be a drab affair where two teams cancel each other out and the occasion makes defending a priority, or it could be a game of attacking flair, a game of many chances where the game lives up to the occasion and all the prematch talk of it as the "perfect tie". Obviously that would be nice, but the most important thing is to actually win the game, well if possible.
Here's an interesting, and comforting, stat from The BBC:

United have never been knocked out of European competition by an English club; The Gunners have never progressed from a European tie against another English club. They lost 3-2 on aggregate against Chelsea in a 2003-04 Champions League quarter-final and lost 5-3 to Liverpool at the same stage last season.

As to team selection, Sir Alex confirmed a few things:

John O'Shea will replace Rafael da Silva following the Brazilian's raw performance against Tottenham. Ferguson conceded the teenager has still to develop the positional sense of playing at right-back. "We expect that – he is only 18 and that's young for a defender."

And the way he talked about Evra he'll definitely be starting. So the back 4 (and VDS) are pretty certain (throw in Vidic and Ferdinand). It's further forward where things get interesting:

Talking ahead of what he described as "the perfect semi-final", Ferguson said he was reminded of the thrilling quality of his opponents when Arsenal beat United 2-1 at the Emirates in November. "There will be more vigilance this time in terms of not losing a goal, particularly on your own ground," he added. "That will be the key to it. We need to win without losing a goal, put it that way."

Yet the manager later returned to the idea of carrying straight on from how the game finished against Tottenham and, at the very least, it would be unsurprising to see his four most dangerous players on the pitch together at some point of the second half. "Listen, football is all about taking risks," Ferguson said. "You can see how we've risked over the years. It's a part of Manchester United. You've got to risk to win games – it's not a problem for me, that. It's always worth it to win a game."

United, Ferguson said, had been "unstoppable" once he had gambled on Saturday. "The energy of Tevez electrified us and Rooney weighed in with a ­brilliance that ran through the whole team," he said. "There were two goals for Wayne, two for Cristiano and Dimitar responded to over-the-top criticism with a class performance."

So which will it be, the vigilance or the risk taking? My money's on the vigilance. Playing Tevez, Rooney, Berbatov and Ronaldo would certainly be a romantic propostion, but unless we go a goal or two down I don't really see it happening. I can maybe see Rooney and Giggs occupying similar roles to the ones they had against Porto with Ronaldo and Berbatov upfront. In fact it occurs to me that I'm basically picking the same team that we had against Porto, and considering the performance in that game, I'm not sure that that would be a bad thing.
Some facts from The BBC, one I hadn't realised:

Wayne ROONEY is the only member of United's squad to have played in all 10 CL matches this season.

Yellow card watch:

ROONEY and Patrice EVRA will miss the second leg of this semi-final if they receive a yellow card.

Which must leave the awful prospect of Rooney getting booked in the second leg and missing the final... Arsenal in a worse position in this respect:

Robin VAN PERSIE, Alexandre SONG, Abou DIABY and Samir NASRI will miss the second leg of this semi-final if they receive a yellow card.

As well as being Giggs' 800th Man Utd game (if selected) other landmarks:

If involved, Cristiano RONALDO will play in his 50th Champions League match. He made his debut on 1 October 2003 in Manchester United's 2-1 defeat at VfB Stuttgart.

Manchester United trio Edwin VAN DER SAR, Paul SCHOLES and Ryan GIGGS can all play in their sixth CL semi-final. Claude MAKELELE is the record holder, having played in eight semi-finals.

SCHOLES and GIGGS will be the first players ever to play in six CL semi-finals for the same club.

And so to the prediction. Man Utd 2 Arsenal 1. I see Arsenal scoring, but I think we'll take attacking momentum into the game from Saturday and ultimately win the game.

The Perfect Kiss

Why Howard Webb decides to come out now and say he made a mistake, Jesus, why comment at all? Anyone would think it was the most important decision ever made. If that had been a Liverpool penalty decision no one would be talking about it at all. Imagine if it had been Arsenal, people would be falling over themselves to pay tribute to their beautiful attacking play sweeping aside the opposition. Us, all we get is pathetic moaning about a close penalty goal which was 1/5th of our goal tally that day. Can we forget about it now please? Please? Why can't the papers go back to discussing Ronaldo going to Real Madrid...
And so to the actual business of football. A quality European Semi-final to look forward to. Sir Alex was certainly talking the tie up yesterday, from The Times:

“I hope we play a fantastic game and win. I respect Arsenal's ability to play good football, too, and it could be a cracker.

“Looking at the tie itself, and looking at the players who will be on view, you almost think this is the perfect semi-final. It is full of terrific footballers and both teams play terrific football. It could be that way. It has an appetising look about it.”

Although that prospect of great attacking play should be tempered with his other comments from yesterday:

“No, I don't think so,” Ferguson said when asked if the fans could expect a repeat of the open style of play that made their 2-1 league defeat by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in November such an enthralling game to watch. “There will be more vigilance from both teams in terms of not losing a goal, particularly on your own ground. That will be the key to it. We need to win without losing a goal, put it that way. I'd be delighted to win the game 1-0.

“Of course we have concerns [about the defensive performance against Tottenham] but in all honesty I thought they were a bit fortuitous with the first goal and it gave them a great fillip.”

He also reckons Evra, much criticised for his performance against Aaron Lennon on Saturday, will be alright against Walcott:

“Patrice is quick enough to deal with that,” Ferguson said. “He's played against Walcott a few times. We are all right with that.

“When you are playing against good players, you have got to assess everything about them in the sense of looking at the best way to oppose them and we have to do our homework in that respect because the boy Walcott is very quick. He's probably the quickest forward in England at the moment so we just have to prepare the right way.”

Daniel Taylor in The Guardian suggests that Rooney will probably start wide on the left to aid Evra:

Rooney, for one, is regularly asked to play in a wide midfield position rather than that of an orthodox striker and the same may be necessary again to provide cover for Patrice Evra. Wenger will have noted the way Tottenham's Aaron Lennon had, to quote Harry Redknapp, the "hoodoo" over Evra until Ferguson moved Rooney to the left wing at half-time on Saturday, the idea being that he would offer the left-back greater protection.

Ian Ladyman in The Mail looks at the same thing, with a nice diagram, and comparisons to the Porto game:

in Porto earlier this month, Ferguson's favourite Scouser contributed one of his very best performances; the type that will often go unnoticed by fans and man-of-the-match adjudicators, but never by coaches and tactical planners.

Stationed deep on the right of midfield, his role offered him little hope of personal glory as he was told to restrict the attacking advances of Porto's leftsided players, Ally Cissokho and Cristian Rodriguez, and supplement Ronaldo's offensive efforts whenever possible.

With Ryan Giggs attempting to provide similar cover on the other flank, United at times played with supplementary full backs. It was a stroke of tactical wisdom by Ferguson - who had seen Porto cause havoc down the flanks in drawing 2-2 in the first leg - but one that could be put fully into effect only by a player of Rooney's diligence. ...

it will be a surprise if he doesn't start on the left as Ferguson looks to find a way of stopping Arsenal's Theo Walcott isolating Patrice Evra down that flank.

Ferguson is desperate for a clean sheet and Rooney will be a crucial part of his plans again.

Oliver Kay has a fairly downbeat look at the game, concentrating on a theory that we're tired... it certainly looked that way second half on Saturday...

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that they are tired and increasingly reliant on adrenalin to propel them towards the goals ahead.

No doubt Ferguson and his staff will be fiercely protective of the answers to any such questions, but a purely unscientific assessment would suggest that Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick, to name but two, have struggled with fatigue over the past month or two. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have had some awkward moments as well, particularly at Old Trafford, though it must be said that both defended magnificently in Oporto and in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has continued to score goals, but, whether for reasons of confidence, fitness or, more likely, frustration and disillusion, he has not dominated games as he did in the previous two seasons.

I particularly like the "Vidic and Ferdinand aren't playing well, ummmm, except when they are" line of argumentation...
There's a lot of stuff on the Sir Alex/Arsene Wenger "relationship", which I won't cover in depth, so much already been written since the draw was announced and even more since the tie became a reality. The best look is this from Paul Hayward on The Guardian blog; Matt Hughes in The Times covers similar ground; The Telegraph just stick to the quotes.
The Telegraph also ask "How can Arsenal beat us?" and it turns out they probably can't seeing as the piece suggests that they need to copy Liverpool's long ball tactics from their 4-1 win over us, something they really won't be able to pull off.
The Mail have quotes from Sir Alex on the desire to retain the trophy:

When we won it in Moscow the point was made in the press conference about no side having ever retained the cup in the Champions League format,' revealed Ferguson.

'I didn't know that was the case at the time, but you say to yourself it would be great if we could be the first do that. We are good at winning things for the first time and maybe that is a good omen for us.

'Talk is cheap, but faint heart never won fair lady and it's something I would dearly love to do.

'Some might say I am tempting fate but at Old Trafford we have always set our sights high.

'No one is saying it will be easy, and we will certainly need to enjoy that little rub of luck and freedom from injury that can make you or break you.'

The Mirror have Van der Sar on the need for a clean sheet:

"It's important to keep Arsenal from scoring in the first leg," said van der Sar.

"We had a great run halfway through the season where we never conceded any goals.

"Suddenly we had five games where we were shaky and then three games where we had clean sheets again.

"We weren't happy about how we conceded two goals to Spurs on Saturday but we've analysed it and learnt our lesson.

"You get more nerves in a European game. You hear the Champions League song before kick-off so you know it's something special.

"It's not just a Premier League game it's a semi-final, so the stakes are high and both teams will do all they can to reach Rome."

The other thing from Sir Alex yesterday was some backing for Nani:

"He's been unlucky this season Nani," Ferguson said. "The form of Ji-Sung Park has been absolutely outstanding and for most of the time he has kept Nani out of the team. So therefore to get a consistent run has been difficult for him and that has really been the problem for him and then you've got the little injuries.

"But he will be here next season and he will do very well next season. He will be a very good players for us."

This Daily Star report deserves a mention for being a fairly straight collection of quotes from Sir Alex's press conference.

Move Your Little Self On

Here's Ian Wright's opinion on our penalty on Saturday:

I don’t want anyone telling me that referees do not change games and seasons with poor decisions.

This was a perfect example and I feel sorry for Liverpool, as a Spurs win would have given them a massive lift but Webb and his whistle changed all that.

It's not like Liverpool ever have a decision go there way is it?
The Telegraph go to a ridiculous extreme and include it in the worst decisions of the season - up there with Stuart Atwell seeing a goal that wasn't and Rob Styles penalty for us against Bolton earlier in the season... Thank god there's another game tomorrow so everyone can just shut up about it. We scored 5 for chrissakes, so much easier to concentrate on a decision than praise us for our play...
Nani is much discussed today, having left the Spurs game early, although it seems it was more in disappointment with himself, than with the decision to take him off, from The Guardian:

Nani claimed that his grievance at Old Trafford on Saturday stemmed from his own performance level. "I was not satisfied with my work against Tottenham but I accept the orders of the coach with the half-time substitution," he said last night. "In the second half the team changed in every respect but I alone am not responsible for the bad performance in the first 45 minutes. I finished the game unhappy with my work but I still believe I can demonstrate my level at United."

He also rejects suggestions that he wants to leave:

My head is in Manchester United and the rumours about other clubs are not true," added Nani. "I am at the best club in the world and it is my desire to stay here. My dream is to secure a place in the first team. I have not shown my best this season because of injuries but I am a professional and I will fight for this club. I do not have any problems with the coach. I will always be grateful to the manager for this opportunity and I am still learning. I will never reject the challenge to be a star for this team."

Having said that, The Independent report:

Sources close to the player in Portugal suggested yesterday that if Cristiano Ronaldo, his main ally at United, leaves for Real Madrid this summer then Nani will depart too – probably for Internazionale.

Whether Sir Alex still sees him as staying on is I guess another matter, with some reports thinking that the arrival of Tosic, combined with Nani's "poor" season, could make him expendable. Personally I like Nani, even if he has disappointed a bit this season (while still scoring 6 goals from limited starts), but the lack of games he is chosen for suggests that perhaps he is not the biggest part of Sir Alex's plans.
Rafael is a player who's staying put, signing a new 2 year contract extension keeping him at the club till 2013:

"Everyone at the club has been very impressed and excited by his first year as a professional," said Fergie.

"His enthusiasm and the adventurous way he plays is typical of a Manchester United player and we are delighted that he has signed a new contract."

Rafael said: "It has been a fantastic first year and I have learned from all the players at the club, but especially from the defenders.

"It has been an exciting time for me and I want to be part of this for a long time, so to get an extension is unbelievable."

Evra predicts experience will see us through against Arsenal:

"It will be very tough, because it is two English teams and because Arsenal are very tough. But I am confident because we have more experience and that will show on Wednesday.
"I hope the fans will support us throughout the game because it is very important for us to put them under a lot of pressure. If we do that, I think we can have a lot of chances."

Rio Ferdinand just thinks we'll beat them, he doesn't need a reason:

"Arsenal are a great team and they will pose different problems to other teams," said Ferdinand. "But we're there to win it.

"We know they've got fantastic players. You only need to remember their game against Liverpool to know that. They put on a great show.

"But they're beatable. We know that on our day we can beat anyone. We know we've got to be playing our A game to do that.

"We know we're capable of doing that. It's all there for us but now is the right time to start hitting home."

Scholes even comes in with a few words:

Scholes says the wounds of missing out in 1999 are still healing, and although he picked up a winners medal in Moscow last year, with one season remaining at United he wants a final Champions League honour.

...

"Winning the Champions League last year didn't make up for 1999," he added, "it was just nice to win it.

"The win 10 years ago has gone, last year has gone, it doesn't make up for anything. it was just nice to win it - we want it again this year.

"We're hopeful we've turned the corner now. We had a dodgy run of two or three games and we hope that's over now."

And Ryan Giggs has a few words on things, reported everywhere, here from The Times:

“I have probably got better the older I have got,” Giggs said. “During my twenties I played better than I do now in the odd game, but now consistently over the season I have got better.”

One of the secrets of Giggs’s enduring success has been yoga. While younger players have been shopping for watches and Bentleys, Giggs has been stretching and bending his body into the record books.

“I’ve been doing it for five years,” he said. “When I turned 30 I just decided that I have to make some sacrifices — diet, alcohol, yoga. I was missing a lot of games because of hamstring injuries. I think it helps that I’m not as quick as I used to be, so I’m not getting hamstring injuries and I don’t play as many games, but yoga has definitely helped me with my hamstring injuries and how I feel. I feel good after games and fresh during games.”

Blame It on the Brunettes

Most of the paper's have calmed down about the penalty decision today. This report in The Telegraph has the most sensible analysis:

Trailing 2-0 and with the pendulum swinging back towards Liverpool, Manchester United were grateful recipients of the penalty awarded to them by Webb after Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes had raced off his line to palm the ball away from Michael Carrick in the 57th minute.

But the truth is that the Spurs dam was already creaking and it would have been nothing short of miraculous had Redknapp’s back four been able to repel the four-pronged United attack of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and, in particular, Carlos Tevez for the remainder of the game.

If there was a turning point, it was the half-time introduction of Tevez, rather than Webb’s intervention, that set in motion one of the season’s great comebacks.

Now, having read that, take a look at this from Ian Ladyman in The Mail:

when a combination of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs (United seem to have so many captains these days) lift the trophy in the weeks to come, one wonders if the club will hand a medal to referee Howard Webb.

In awarding United a penalty 12 minutes into the second half, he offered them a lifeline on a day when they had hitherto performed miserably and so transformed the game. And what a wretched decision it was, too. One of the worst.

Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes clearly touched the ball away from Michael Carrick as he ran on to Wayne Rooney's superb through pass. Webb, however, saw an infringement. But how could he? He was 35 yards away, behind play. Carrick had his back to him. He simply could not see clearly. So he guessed. And he guessed in favour of the home team.

The penalty, converted by Cristiano Ronaldo, gave United the adrenaline shot they needed. ...
Two down at half-time to goals from Darren Bent and Luka Modric, United were drifting until that 57th-minute spot-kick. Then they looked a different team and two goals from Rooney, one from Dimitar Berbatov and another from Ronaldo came and went in a flash.

First off, I could get that "you should give a medal to Howard Webb" level of analysis from one of my Man Utd hating friends, I'm not sure it's a great advert for football journalism though. Secondly, he's just plain wrong. We were dominating from the moment the second half started. Surely he must realise that. And if he doesn't why is he employed to tell people about football? Of course he does realise that, it's just that this version of events is easier, more fitting to the dominant anti-Man Utd media narrative.
There is some good stuff around today though. A few articles look at Berbatov's performance. This from Neil Custis in The Sun:

While Carlos Tevez’s injection into the game provided some much-needed oomph, it was Berbatov’s sublime touch that brought United to life.

Fergie said: “It was a fantastic performance from him. I don’t think he gave the ball away once.

“I thought he was our best player in the first half and in the second half he produced some wonderful moments. He produces moments that you say, ‘That’s world class’.

“The pass he gave Ronaldo in the second half — unbelievable. Look, he’s missed a penalty kick, so, how many players have done that? Rio missed one last week and it’s all forgotten.

“Berbatov’s missed his and it was a bad penalty, I make no excuses for it — but because of the money we’ve paid for him it’s not forgotten.

“But we have to move on. It’s only a missed penalty. We produced some fantastic football last week and didn’t get credit because of the missed penalty.” ...

Then came Berba’s first piece of magic as he brought the ball under his spell and laid it off to Tevez who found Wayne Rooney who levelled.

Ronaldo’s diving header put United 3-2 ahead before some more wonderful control and perception from Berba picked out Ronaldo whose superb cross was despatched by Rooney.

Berbatov himself finished the scoring. A perfect time for the Bulgarian to find his feet with the visit of Arsenal to come in the Champions League on Wednesday.

And United might just have the key to the final in Berbatov.

For often when all around are losing their heads in the frantic pace of English footballing encounters, his touch and vision can make the difference.

This in The Times also praises Berbatov:

It will take time for United supporters to forgive Berbatov for his pathetic penalty against Everton in the FA Cup semi-final eight days ago, but the Bulgaria forward did his best to get back in their good books by playing a key role in United’s recovery and bundling the fifth goal over the line after Gomes had blocked his close-range header.

Thanks to Rooney and Ronaldo’s second-half goals, Tévez’s energy and Berbatov’s clever touches, United, who scored five times for the fifth time this season, got what they deserved - with a little help from Webb - and it was difficult to feel sorry for a Tottenham team who caved in without putting up a fight.

That last is also a good point, easier for Spurs to blame the ref (and Jermaine Jenas blames Howard Webb at great length in the papers today) than look at themselves. The report is the best at summing up our first half defensive problems:

Rafael da Silva has been talked about as Gary Neville’s long-term replacement at right back, but the Brazilian teenager was out of his depth against Modric and United were much more solid at the back when he was replaced by John O’Shea in the 70th minute. Rafael has the potential to fill Neville’s boots, but his slight frame and inexperience were ruthlessly exploited by Modric, who is one of the least physically imposing players in the top flight.
United’s other flank was just as exposed before the interval as Patrice Evra struggled to rediscover the authority and confidence that have made him one of the best left backs in the world.

Let's hope these problems are sorted by Wednesday, as several papers point out, Theo Walcott could cause similar problems.
The Independent's report also has lengthy praise of Berbatov:

the arrival of Carlos Tevez pepped up United and Wayne Rooney's energy was indomitable in the 22 extraordinary minutes it took them to score five, the individual who most mocked football's fickleness was Dimitar Berbatov. His shirt stayed on when he scored, of course, and the goal was not majestic but any one of a dozen gracefully unlaboured moments demonstrate that genius like his cannot be measured out in drab statistics, as those who question him seem to wish it.

The angular passes which helped engineer two of the goals; a stunning first half chest cushion and swivel past Wilson Palacios; the wondrous 83rd-minute ball which sent Ronaldo scampering away for what might have been a hat-trick – all contributions from a player Viv Anderson suggested last week was a latter-day Gary Birtles, struggling to live with what Old Trafford brings. Laughable. As Ferguson reflected: "He produces moments that you say: 'that's world class.'" So much so that the club were keen to distance themselves from reports that they are to sign Milan's Kaka in the summer.

The other story is Giggs winning The PFA Player of The Year. All the stories are pretty much the same, just quotes from Giggs really, so I'll randomly choose The Telegraph's version to quote from:

The Welshman said: "It's right up there, with personal accolades it's the best to have as it's voted by your fellow players.

"I've been fortunate to win a lot of trophies, I won the young player award twice, but this is the big one."

"It's an exciting season," he said. "I think it is going to go right to the wire, there's big game after big game now. That is what you want and need at a club like Manchester United."

Giggs paid tribute to his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, and also suggested he may play on beyond his current contract, which expires at the end of next season.

"The manager has been massive in my career from when I first met him when I was 13," Giggs said.

"That's over 20 years and he knows me better than anyone and our relationship has been brilliant and just gets better.

"I've been so fortunate to have such a great career in so many great teams, it's not even worth thinking about what it would have been like without the manager."

More unsubstantiated transfer rumours today. The Mirror put us in for Benzema:

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is back in the hunt for French striker Karim Benzema - and hoping that Lyon miss out on the Champions League to make the deal easier.

Fergie has been on the trail of the hitman for a year but was priced out of a swoop last summer when he turned instead to Dimitar Berbatov.

Now United are plotting a second attempt for Benzema with French giants Lyon at risk of missing out on a Champions League slot.

The Mail report that Possebon has decided to play for Italy, rather than his native Brazil:

'I decided that Italy was the country that has recognized my work and I don't think I will change my mind.

'I was in Italy for a while to get the passport. The Italian Federation contacted me, asking if I would accept should I be called up, and I said yes.

'It is a way of saying thanks to the country that gave me the opportunity to play in Europe, Manchester.

'I am studying Italian and eventually I will be speaking it well.'

God! Show Me Magic

Well, that was quite a game...
Let's start with the penalty. It was a bit of a close call, I'll admit. Most of the papers accept that, The Sunday Times:

The first was a penalty that, even after watching 20-odd replays, you were unsure should have been given. If big decisions should come with certainty attached to them, perhaps Howard Webb, the referee, got it wrong.... Carrick was upended but the keeper may have touched the ball first.

At first I thought it was a definite penalty, having seen it a few times now, I'm not entirely convinced it was, but then again, maybe it was. I think it looked a penalty, which is to say, Howard Webb didn't really miss anything, it wasn't a shocking decision, it was a close call and he went with us (which is a crime in many people's books), and after last weeks penalty decision, it was about time we got one going for us.
The News of The World completely disagree with this. They even misquote Sir Alex to support their case:

TWO-GOAL Cristiano Ronaldo inspired "lucky" Manchester United to an amazing 5-2 triumph over Spurs to put the title within their grasp.

United, who were 2-0 down at half-time, fought back thanks to a controversial penalty from ref Howard Webb to put them three points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted: "We were lucky with the penalty and if we had lost it would have blown the title race wide open."

But Spurs boss Harry Redknapp blasted Webb and stormed: "It was a terrible decision."

Webb's desperate decision to award United a penalty after Michael Carrick tumbled over Hurelheo Gomes changed the course of the game AND the destiny of the title.

The hapless Spurs keeper easily made contact with the ball long before Carrick fell over. Yet England's premier official pointed to the spot and the United juggernaut became unstoppable.

Webb's inexplicable intervention unsettled Tottenham to such an extent that they conceded five goals in 22 minutes.

First off, he used the word "fortunate", not lucky, they even quote him further down the report as saying fortunate. Secondly, Gomes did not get to the ball "long before Carrick tumbled" (note tumbled implies a dive), he may have just got there before but "long before?" Thirdly, "Webb's inexplicable intervention"? In what sense was it inexplicable? Even if you don't think it was a penalty there was nothing "inexplicable" about it: Howard Webb thought he took the man before the ball. Easy, not "inexplicable". And let's forget about those other 4 goals or the fact that we were all over them and carving out chance after chance befor the penalty award, forget that, Howard Webb handed us the title, not just the game, but the title, but we are "lucky" aren't we. Football reporting this bad is what's inexplicable... And one more sentence for good measure:

Tottenham could justifiably claim they were robbed

Jesus. Wept.
Here's Sir Alex on the decision and the second half performance:

“We were a bit fortunate with the penalty. But football is a funny thing – Harry Redknapp got a penalty here a year ago for Portsmouth which knocked us out of the FA Cup.

“And we should have had a penalty when we lost in the FA Cup semi-final to Everton last weekend.

“We got a break this time but that doesn’t detract from a fantastic performance in the second half.

“Wayne Rooney was fantastic – he showed great energy – and Carlos Tevez was also responsible for the energy in our performance in the second half.

“He got the fans and the team going. There wasn’t enough speed in our game in the first half but we were magnificent in the second half.”

Rooney said: “It was a brilliant comeback. We knew if we got one goal we would be back in it.

“We know we are in a great position with a game in hand. The title is ours to lose. It was very important we won this.”

I didn't think we were too bad going forward first half, defensively, not the best, and maybe some of our forward play lacked the cutting edge it had second half, but I was confident even at 2 down because we always looked like we had the better of their defence.
Tevez and Rooney both shone but Berbatov also had a great game, capping it with a goal, The Observer saying he played, "as though affronted by the criticisms of his recent performances." This report is also about the most enthusiastic for our performance:

In the end, we were left to contemplate whether it was here, in a match of unrelenting and enthralling drama, that the title race had its most significant moment to date. United deserve all the superlatives for the determination, drive and sheer guts of their fightback, even if Tottenham were possibly entitled to be aggrieved about the penalty that precipitated the cloudburst of five goals in 22 minutes. It was a demonstration of attacking, ­penetrative football at its highest level, with two each for Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and the fifth for ­Dimitar Berbatov, playing as though affronted by the criticisms of his recent performances.

Rooney, in particular, bewitched the crowd on a day when United's attackers valiantly made up for the team's ­defensive shortcomings and their lead at the top of the Premier League was restored to three points. Ferguson's team have five games to play, as opposed to Liverpool's four, and when they can produce football this scintillating it is difficult to see how Rafael Benítez or anyone else at Anfield can hope to prise open United's vice-like grip on the championship trophy.

There can surely be no more exhilarating sight in English football than United chasing a match.

Tevez gets the praise in this Telegraph report, being called "a one-man rhythm section," whatever that actually means.
Rooney has a quote here:

'We know that we are in a great position - three points clear with a game in hand - and it's only ours to throw away now. We knew as soon as we scored we could get three of four.

'It was a brilliant comeback. The first half was too slow and we had to quicken up. But in the end it was comfortable.'

Elsewhere the Arsenal game gets a few previews. The Guardian blog looks back at encounters past:

Vieira called United his ­"favourite enemy". In his first season in ­England he witnessed Ian Wright having to be restrained from thumping Peter ­Schmeichel by police and a subsequent ding-dong in the tunnel. His most maddening flare-up occurred in 2003 when he was sent off at Old Trafford for aiming a retaliatory kick at Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had stamped on him. Despite the lack of contact the Dutchman writhed around until the red card was ­flourished. "Personally, I can't stand the sight of Van Nistelrooy," wrote Vieira in his auto­biography. "Everything about him annoys me. He's always ­complaining, whingeing. The man is a cheat and a coward. Everyone thinks he's a nice guy but in fact he's a son of a bitch."

It is almost impossible to imagine many of the current line-ups getting as steamed up about a direct opponent from this fixture. A frisson of ­anti‑Arsenal feeling lurks in Wayne Rooney, but not to compare to the buttons pressed by Liverpool. Cesc Fábregas remembers the last volcanic eruption at Old Trafford in 2004, when ill will was manifested in the so-called "battle of the buffet" as an angry upstart aimed a pizza at Sir Alex, but a run of uncontroversial encounters has turned down the electricity.

The Telegraph look at the current peace:

Having become the Taylor and Burton of football, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger currently enjoy a period of rapprochement, although it would be ill-advised to assume storm clouds have completely been banished from the horizon.

Wenger's Arsenal arrive in Ferguson's lair on Wednesday for the first leg of a Champions League semi-final at a time when relations have never been better between the pair. Respect rules. They have even started discussing French wine, the ultimate compliment from Ferguson, and appearing on stage in eulogy-swapping tandem at League Managers Association love-ins.

And the photo they use to illustrate it is brilliant
Wenger looking very amused...
The News of the World have an interview with Berbatov:

"I sit there watching the other guys show their medals and talk about what it is like to win the Premier League or Champions League and I think to myself 'I want one of those.' I can't join in with the conversations sometimes because I haven't done what they have done.

"I have settled okay. I don't have any complaints and the other players have been great helping me to learn about the club. But I am sure I will get better.

"These are the games that I joined Manchester United for - trying to win the Champions League and the Premier League. This is why I came here. It is always difficult but we are big believers in ourselves. I can be better but people should know that I am always fighting and working to improve myself."

While looking around The Times website for their European preview (which I couldn't find) I came upon this, from April 17: Simon Barnes on Ronaldo's goal against Porto, which is quite a good read, doing the Ronaldo may be a "oily, smirking, preening little bugger" but

Every time I hear someone describe Ronaldo as the best footballer in the world, I have always decisively rejected the notion. I think of others, someone, anyone . . . and yet no convincing alternative comes to mind. And that’s deeply dispiriting.

And there's comparisons to Bobby Charlton as well. So, it's old, but worth a read.
There's a surprising report in The Daily Star: we're not signing Kaka. And there was me thinking it a done deal...

Despite growing links with Kaka, United sources have revealed that the Old Trafford club are not interested in a deal.

They have also denied claims that talks were held on Friday with the former Manchester City target’s representatives.

Finally, on The Guardian blog, Paul Wilson gets round to slagging us off for fielding a weakened team against Everton [sigh]. He even writes this:

And though Sir Alex Ferguson must have expected adverse comment when his gamble with a weakened team produced defeat, he has now stopped blaming the pitch and turned his attention to the press. "I was criticised for my team selection at Wembley," he growled at the training ground on Friday. "But that's the nature of modern journalism."Actually, several journalists wrote sympathetic articles about Ferguson's dilemma, recognising that he might have paid a higher price later had he chosen to tire out his best players against Everton, but let's not allow facts to stand in the way of an argument.

I'd like to see him link to these supposed articles of defence. I remember one, by Oliver Holt in The Mirror. I've no time to go back and check, but I don't remember any others. The vast majority of articles certainly slagged us off, some (James Lawton I'm looking at you) with stunning mendacity. So to use this as a flimsy excuse for retreading the same stupid ground a week too late, seems a trifle preposterous.

Stay close, sit tight

Sir Alex has some words on the Tevez thing (don't think it can be termed "saga" yet, that can still be reserved for Ronaldo-to-Real stories) today, the most important of which are these:

‘Yeah, I think he should be [here next season],’ said Ferguson of Tevez, without too much conviction.

‘I certainly hope so. He does give fantastic effort. That is one of his best qualities. He is a tiger, he fights for every ball.

‘But he has played more minutes than any of the other players up front and I think if he looked at that he would think differently. Of course we are vulnerable to other clubs coming in for him, no question about that.

‘Six games left in the league and at least two games left in the Champions League. Hopefully, at the end of the season, he will realise that he has made a big contribution.’

The editorializing of "without much conviction", seems a little misplaced, Sir Alex seemed to say it much the same way as he said everything else at the press conference, and after reports of him saying he wants to leave, as well as the fact that he's only on loan, rather than our player, he's not going to be absolutely 100% about it is he?
Sir Alex also had a few words on Berbatov:

"It was a bad penalty and he knows that," Ferguson said. "He was disappointed in himself, don't worry about that. He is down about it."

"We'll move on," he added, let's hope so.
There were words of praise for Giggs:

The stats prove the Welshman, 35, is still the country’s most creative player and a key figure for United.

Ferguson said: “Yes, I’ve just got the figures this morning — the number of assists and chances he has made is just fantastic. It’s amazing.

“He’s the most respected player at the club because what he’s achieved is an example to everybody.

“Ryan made his debut at about the time Welbeck and Macheda were born. It’s unbelievable.

“Whatever accolades he gets, he deserves them. I hope he wins the PFA Player of the Season award. He’s had 31 games this season.

“Hopefully he will be awarded for his contribution to the game.”

As well as Rooney:

"He's amazing,'' said Ferguson. "His stamina levels are unquestionable. He's got this desire to be involved all the time. He never stops. He's maturing now. He has a great desire and there are very few players with that hunger. It's wonderful to see in a young person.

"Sometimes he prefers to play towards the left-hand side in that little corner in between players and giving the problem to the opposition right-back and right centre-back – 'who is going to pick me up?'

He has created that role very well for himself. He is a handful in there because with his power and his strength he has the ability to hold off defenders – with his pace too.''

And The Sun reckons Rooney will be rewarded with a new contract:

The England star, 23, has two full seasons left on his current deal after signing a £100,000-a-week package three years ago.

But United plan to begin discussions on a fresh mega-bucks agreement giving Rooney parity with stars like Rio Ferdinand and Cristiano Ronaldo on £125,000 per week.

The other big story is that we've, apparently approached Kaka, as a replacement for Ronaldo, although there are 2 different versions, The Sun claim:

MANCHESTER UNITED held talks with Kaka yesterday over a sensational summer move.

The Brazilian’s representatives met United to discuss personal terms which would total £35million in wages alone.

A source close to the AC Milan superstar confirmed: “It was a very positive meeting, although nothing was agreed.

“The player wants a five-year contract and wages of £135,000 a week. He is very keen to join United and these are figures that are within United’s pay structure. It’s up to them what happens now.”

While The Mail claim that the meeting is for the future:

Intermediaries of the Premier League champions will meet Milan over the next 10 days to discuss figures and the possibility of luring the brilliant Brazilian playmaker to Old Trafford.

Given the different versions I'm not exactly sure how much weight to put on these stories.
Finally, The Sun have an interview with Vidic:

“It’s important to learn about a new city, a new country, when you first arrive. And, for me, I remember when I first discovered fish and chips.

"The way I see it, if you went to Serbia you wouldn’t go to an Italian to try the traditional food. It was the same for me here. When my friends came over, the first thing they said was ‘We want to see the pub, it’s traditional in England’. It’s the same with the fish and chips.

“I must admit I do like eating them. But obviously I can only have them occasionally, because you have to keep in the right shape to play.

“They are one of the great English traditions, though, and it’s important to know all about that sort of thing.

“When I first came over, I couldn’t even understand more than a few words and could speak even less. Not much more than ‘Hi, how are you?’, ‘Man on’ and ‘Time’.

“After 3½ years I’m really settled now but it is definitely hard at first. You are learning about the city, everything else and making new friends to have a life outside football.”

And he enters the Berbatov debate as well:

“Look, anyone can miss a penalty. And he was more angry about it than anyone.

“It was hard for him. But when John Terry missed in Moscow last season, no one said he was a bad player because of it. Everyone knows he’s a great one and it’s the same with Dimitar.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he got the winner against Tottenham on Saturday, because he’s a very talented player with great qualities.

“Don’t forget this is his first season here. It’s always hard when you change clubs, especially going to one as big as United. Obviously, we know he can do much more but he has still got 13 goals and done really well so far.”

Not going to have time to do a proper match preview today. Needless to say I expect us to win and win and win well. Saw on Sky Sports News this morning that Spurs have failed to win their last 61 games away to the "Big 4", which says enough to suggest an easy game, and after the chances we missed against Portsmouth there are signs our creative flow is back, so my prediction is 3-0 to us. And Berbatov to score...

Favourite Fallen Idol

Benitez is at it again then:

“I’m not having a battle of words with Alex Ferguson,” said Benitez, “but I believe that he can see that we are the better side, and that we are very close to United.

“He has been accustomed to playing these types of mind games for many years.

“Nobody has ever said anything against him, or stood up to him, as he has a very good team that can win trophies.

“It seems like he has a licence to do these sorts of things.

“I try not to talk too much. But all I do when I speak is to defend my own team.

“I did not say that he seems frightened. But I said that he looks nervous, as he can see that we are very close to his team.”

The thing I find ridiculous about this is not so much the first bit, the "we're the better team", "everyone thinks they have the prettiest wife at home", as someone once said, it's the second bit, the no one has stood up to him before rubbish. He seems to want to portray himself as the defender of the weak (which, to be fair, as Liverpool manager, he is), fighting the big bully Sir Alex, while all around him other managers cower. It is pretty arrogant, and fairly insulting to every other past and present Premier League manager. Arsene's never had words with Sir Alex has he? Jose, he really was quiet when it came to expressing himself wasn't he? Benitez, it must be said, is a seriously deluded man.

Liverpool are, it is reported, keen on signing Tevez, which The Times state is a "bold move", not exactly sure what's so bold about it...

Rafael Benítez is preparing to antagonise Sir Alex Ferguson once more with an audacious bid to sign Carlos Tévez.

The Argentina forward is increasingly resigned to leaving Manchester United at the end of the season, with Real Madrid his most likely destination. Benítez has signalled Liverpool’s willingness to join Chelsea, Manchester City and Inter Milan in the mêlée for his signature.

The Times has an alternative voice on the Tevez/Berbatov thing, courtesy of Oliver Kay, who argues that actually, Tevez might not be that good:

Cut through the emotion and the case for keeping Tévez is far from overwhelming. In 24 Premier League appearances this season, two thirds of them in the starting line-up, he has scored only three goals. Two of those goals, a well-taken opener away to Liverpool in September and the late winner away to Stoke City on Boxing Day, were set up by Berbatov. The debate is far from clear-cut, but it is approaching a resolution. And it will not be the one that pleases the Berba-sceptics among United’s support.

I saw something on Sky Sports News that argued much the same thing, but used a range of stats to demonstrate that Berbatov was better than Tevez, none of which I remember now. The one that counts I've just worked out myself: In the Premier League Tevez gets one goal every 536 minutes (3 in 1607 minutes on the pitch), compared to Berbatov who has one goal for every 276 minutes (8 in 2208) (for comparison Ronaldo is on 1 every 163, Rooney 1 every 189, Tevez is in the same region as Fletcher (580 minutes), and Carrick (598) info taken from here). Throw in Berbatov's assists and there's not a lot of comparison. The problem is that this is seen as an either or thing at all. Isn't Tevez's problem that he's a very similar player to Rooney, not that Berbatov keeps him out of the team. Anyway, Carrick has a few words to say on the matter, saying nice things about them both; on Tevez:

“We want him to stay, Carlos is a top player. He has scored some very important goals for us over the last few years.

“We’ve got a world-class squad, we’ve got world- class players and Carlos is one of them.

“We want to keep moving forward as a team and as a squad so we’d like to keep our best players here.

“But it’s down to the manager. I’m sure he knows the best way to make sure we do keep progressing.”

And on Berbatov:

“Berba has been terrific this season.

“He’s added a new dimension to our game.

“Against Inter at the San Siro I felt he showed his quality, he was world class that night.

“He’s just got that ability that can open up defences. It’s great to have that to tap into.

“He can open up defences and score goals.

“He’s a vital player for us and I think he’ll show that in these important games we’ve got coming up.

“There’s no doubt he’ll come good. Some of the things that have been said about him have been a bit harsh.

“I think people get a bit carried away with certain aspects or performances but over the season he’s been top drawer.

“And Berba is only going to get better the longer he stays at United.”

Hopefully Berbatov will play on Saturday, score a couple (including one well struck penalty...) and lay one on a plate for Tevez to score from, and then we can forget all the rubbish of the last few days.

Elsewhere, Sir Alex says he'll continuing rotating the squad, which seems so obvious I'm not sure why it deserves it's story in several papers, here, from The Telegraph:

This is the time I love the best. Non-stop football, with every match now of immense significance, and the challenge of competing on a couple of fronts.

"But I will be deploying the full range of our resources as I seek to give the players the energy you need at this level. It's what I did when we won the Treble, resting players and bringing others in as I tried to pick teams fizzing for the fray.

"Life at the top of the English game is fierce and relentless. The pace and intensity takes a toll, especially with so many fixtures coming so quickly on the last lap for trophies.

"You have to be up for every game or you can get punished, so I will juggle the squad in the hope that we can progress in both the Premier League and Champions League. We have a quality squad which is rich in terms of both ability and numbers, and I intend to make full use of it."

And Darren Fletcher has a few words of praise for Scholes and Giggs:

“Scholesy’s been the best midfielder of his generation in the Premiership although he’s in a different role these days.

“He doesn’t go box to box, – he sits in there and orchestrates the play and controls the game.

“He’s great to play alongside because if ever you’re in a bit of trouble, he’s always making an angle and he’s free to take the ball.

“He’s a great player and a great professional. He doesn’t like the limelight or accolades or anything like that. He kind of gets embarrassed about it but he has been a great servant to the club.

“And Ryan Giggs was fantastic again. Left wing, right wing, dropping off into the hole playing forward passes... he’s been one of the best players, if not the best player, and with the PFA awards coming up, I think he’s the favourite.”

The International language of Screaming

Poor finishing again robbed us of a scoreline our play probably deserved. Something Sir Alex was quick to point out, while also praising our play. Words which many of the papers chose to look at only negatively.
Here's what he said:

"I don't know what to make of it, to be honest with you," said Ferguson.

"In the first half we played some of our best football for ages but then we get to half-time and it's 1–0 when it should have been 4–0 and 5–0 and, of course, as always happens, you start encouraging your opponents. They start digging, theycreate a couple of opportunities. They got to the byline a couple of times and I was saying to myself, 'They're going to score here.'

"It can be so embarrassing when you look like you might throw the game away when you should have been five or six up. I was disappointed in the result at half-time. On the one hand, it was a game in which there were fantastic opportunities and you were saying to yourself that the football is fantastic and you're enjoying it. But on the other hand you know what can happen when you don't take your chances."

And while most of the actual reports point out the ease with which, even given the missed opportunities, we won the game, the reports that have these quotes are on the whole negative. The Guardian report of the quotes:

The overwhelming feeling, however, was of relief

And without:

United were performing as if this were no more than practice before the start of the Champions League semi-final with Arsenal. Portsmouth made it impossible for this occasion to exude any persistent risk. ...
the signs were that the scale of the victory was the sole matter open to debate.
The game had taken on a faint overtone of uncertainty but a commanding home team reacted and it was soon dispelled.

The Independent show the dangers of the post match quote setting the agenda, maybe Sir Alex should boycott the media more often:

Sir Alex Ferguson described Manchester United's performance last night as "embarrassing" at times but it could have been a good deal worse than that.

Regardless of the "embarrassing" quote, to suggest "it could have been a good deal worse", seems to be stretching it. Portsmouth had one shot on target.
Oliver Kay, in The Times, does a similar thing, really downplaying our performance:

this, not for the first time, had the feel of a difficult slog that carries some worrying portents for the forthcoming battles on the European front. ... United are toiling and finding the going tougher than Ferguson would have hoped. There are signs of fatigue in his squad

This seems to stem from the negative in Sir Alex's comments, but when he gets round to quoting him himself, his words bear little relation to the above:

He conceded that his team, having played “some of the best football you will see all season” in the first half, had offered Portsmouth a route back into the game in the second period.

Does the "tired, difficult, slog" that Oliver Kay describe match this "some of the best football you will see all season" quote?
The usually rubbish Tony Cascarino, in the same paper, is better on the game for once:

This game was Liverpool and Chelsea’s worst nightmare: while they struggled against tough opponents this week, it was a simple win for a Manchester United side who didn’t even play well. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men took three points in second gear last night and, when you look at their remaining fixtures, there are more easy matches to come. Injuries and below-par performances or not, it’s hard to see them being tested to the limit.

Second half we weren't at our best, yet we still created chances, only allowed one shot on target, all in "second gear".
Onto the good, and Martin Samuel has a very good piece focusing on Paul Scholes in the game, I'll just quote this one bit (the whole thing is worth a read though, where he combines criticism of Keegan, praise for Anderson (who really had a good game) and a description of Scholes' genius:

There was a time when Kevin Keegan, one of his many former England managers, which perhaps explains his shameful waste as a force for his country, encouraged him to drop bombs all over the field. This season, Scholes is happy to bash a square. It starts just outside the line occupied by his central defenders and continues up the centre of the pitch, stopping approximately 10 yards outside the opposing area. More of an oblong, really.

Inside that area, Scholes is king. He did not waste a single pass and his immense intellect for football matters ensured United remained in control from beginning to end. Anderson, his partner, effervescent, exciting, ceaseless in his running, was outstanding but when Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to introduce Carrick in the second half it was his No 8, not the 18 of Scholes, that was held aloft.

Some were surprised, but Ferguson knows his job. Scholes was playing keep ball, treating a match in which United’s nerves could have been jangling as if it were a training ground exercise.

Always available, always showing for the link, the nuance, the change of angle, beautifully minimalist in his involvement. He dropped, he received, he laid it off, he moved on, a minor masterclass. Once he slipped as he passed and the ball squirmed to an opponent. The crowd did not so much groan as gasp. Scholes gave the ball away. Well, he is only human.

The Mirror too has a piece praising Scholes, not quite as good.
Back to the bad and this report in The Mail spends about half its time slagging of Berbatov, who, lest we forget, didn't even play.
While most of the reports praise Anderson's pass for the first goal, The Sun's is about the only one to praise his overall play:

Brazilian midfield star Anderson, turned and launched a magnificent ball over the top of the visitors’ defence where Giggs was waiting.

The Welshman chested down neatly and crossed low for Rooney who made no mistake. ...

It has taken Anderson nearly two years to adapt to the English game since a £20million move from Porto.

But he is getting there and the fans are warming to him.

He was an important figure against his former club in the Champions League quarter-final success and here he was United’s best player.

When he was subbed the Old Trafford crowd, which had been so quiet all night, rose to applaud his contribution.

Tevez's comments on possibly leaving the club are the other story today. I just want to highlight some contradictory reports here. The Independent:

Tevez is already weighing up where he will be next season. Real Madrid and Internazionale are interested but a move to an English side may well appeal to a player who has settled well in this country.

The Sun:

Tevez’s family woes would appear to rule out another stint in England.

How do we get such contradictory statements from the same quotes? Translation seems to be the problem, The independent give, "It's not only a question of money. I also have to see that my family feels comfortable. I especially have to consider my daughter," The Sun, "“I want a country perfect for my family. I especially want my daughter to be comfortable." I'm not sure what my point is, other than that translated quotes from footballers very often seem to mislead. Having said that, he does seem to want to leave...

All the footprints you've ever left and fear expecting ahead (Portsmouth)

If ever there was a game to get s back on track then this was it. Last couple of games have been "different" - the importance of the Porto tie and the different look of the team and special nature of the FA Cup Semi and so this can be considered as the return to routine business. Not that I want to underestimate Portsmouth, or write them off in some patronising way. But this is a home game, against one of the relegation contenders. This should be a win and a trouble free win, like those we got used to before the Liverpool game.
Sky Sports seem to have stopped predicting the line-up, which seeing what a random and impossible task it is, doesn't seem like a bad idea. However, I'll continue doing it, being a big fan of the random and impossible. Today's team should be a little easier to predict, with the "big guns" coming back in after their weekend off.
The Telegraph give this as the probable:

Van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Fletcher, Scholes, Park; Ronaldo, Berbatov, Rooney.

Carrick is a big injury doubt with Fletcher looking like being fit. Scholes, after the big talk up by Sir Alex yesterday would seem likely to start. Rooney likely to return, with the BBC citing a late fitness test. Berbatov, after his press-hammering, looking to give a good performance, like he did against Porto in his last start...
Let's look at those facts, stolen from the BBC:

Manchester United have a 100% home Premier League record against Portsmouth; won five of five, with an aggregate of 13-1.

United have won 13 of their last 15 top-flight matches, including the last two

Man Utd on the longest current sequence of 23 matches in the Premier League without a score draw; the 1-1 stalemate at Everton on 25 October being the most recent.

And one with a nod to the FA Cup semi-final team:

This is their 57th match of the season; more than any other top-flight club.

A couple of murmurings on the Portsmouth side:

Portsmouth have lost just one of eight league games under Paul Hart.

If this match finishes all-square, it will be a top-flight club record for Portsmouth. The south coast club have drawn their last three Premier League matches on the road, but have never drawn four in a row on their travels in a single top-flight season.

Prediction: Man Utd 3 Portsmouth 0. Let's make sure we take full advantage of Liverpool drawing last night and let's get the show back on the road.

Everlasting light

First off there's some defences of Berbatov and Sir Alex in the papers today, although in making their points I think they go too far in another direction. Take this piece on Berbatov by Matthew Syed in The Times, who argues that stats aren't everything:

Now, I don’t know about you, but while I find these statistics interesting and, in their way, enlightening, I also think that they fail to convey the essential meaning of Berbatov’s contribution. They fail, for example, to convey the artistry of his volley through a packed penalty area against Middlesbrough in December; they fail to describe the elegance of his take and pull-back for Carlos Tévez to score against Liverpool in September.

Most important of all, they fail to convey the audacity of his lightning turn and intuitive flick past James Collins, the West Ham United defender, and his cut-back for Cristiano Ronaldo to score in October, arguably the most audacious, revelatory and intricate piece of creativity all season.

Sure, football is about results and instances of individual brilliance must be seen, to an extent, in that context. But even the most zealous statistician must also concede that results have to matter to people. We have to care. We have to want to travel across the nation to watch our teams in action. And it is players such as Berbatov — his individuality, his elegance and, yes, his neuroses — who make football matter to so many of us.

Which is all fair enough, but I think he is wrong to suggest that the statistics themselves somehow point to Berbatov not being too good. I've argued this before, and there was an article in The Telegraph arguing the same thing yesterday, so I won't do it again here.
The other one is Oliver Holt in The Mirror who argues that Sir Alex was right to rest players on Sunday:

But I still believe that if United beat Portsmouth at Old Trafford tonight, then Ferguson will have been vindicated.

The point is he took a gamble on sacrificing the FA Cup and the quintuple because he felt it was the lesser of two evils.

Losing on Sunday was a risk worth taking because the alternative was worse. The alternative was limping on with a team running on empty and facing the unbearable likelihood of surrendering his two most cherished prizes to his two most hated rivals.

The problem is he really overemphasises everything, the tiredness, the weakness of the team, and seems to forget that we were in a whisker of winning the semi-final anyway.
Everything else is about Paul Scholes today who, if he is selected, will play his 600th game for Man Utd. Some quotes from Sir Alex:

"In my time he would sit in the top six or seven [United players] without question," said Ferguson. "His contribution and his quality and some of the fantastic goals he has scored have been great. Even on Sunday [against Everton], when he came on his first touch of the ball was better than anybody else had done for the whole previous hour. He has that wonderful velvet touch that means it just goes dead when he gets it. Amidst all of the mayhem that can happen in a game it is wonderful to see that."

And there's a quote from Bobby Charlton in the same report from earlier this season:

"I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It's Paul Scholes. Many great players have worn the shirt of Manchester United. Players I worshipped, then lost with my youth in Munich. Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the Alex Ferguson era. And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite. I love his nous and conviction that he will find a way to win, to make the killer pass or produce the decisive volley. When a game reaches a vital phase, these qualities seem to come out of his every pore. He's always on the ball, always turning on goal. He's always looking to bring other people into the action and if he loses possession you think he must be ill."

James Ducker ruins his piece on it by whining about Scholes' age and mentioning two other players, seemingly to have a go:

With the title race delicately poised, Ferguson must yearn for Scholes in his pomp. Sure, he can still make a peach of a pass, but the passage of time has started to lessen Scholes’s influence and, as the end of a glittering career draws nearer, the need for Ferguson to find a long-term replacement becomes all the more pressing.

In Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, Liverpool and Chelsea possess the respective heirs apparent to Scholes, but United no longer have a midfield player capable of scoring 20 goals a season, a troubling reality that will heighten the pressure on their forwards, notably Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, to find the net during the run-in.

Another good quote from Sir Alex in The Independent:

"You know why we've had no inquiry?" Ferguson said. "Because they all know. They all know he would never leave. He has maybe had private approaches, people begging him to join them. That's how it happens, isn't it? Agents phoning him up and all that nonsense. He could have played in any league in Europe – no problem. But they all know he wouldn't want to leave here."

The Mirror has some of the milestones of his career here.
While The Telegraph has a selection of quotes from others:

Zinedine Zidane:
"My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation."

Rio Ferdinand:
"He'll do ridiculous things in training like say, "You see that tree over there?" - it'll be 40 yards away - "I'm going to hit it". And he'll do it. Everyone at the club considers him the best"

Finally Roman Calderon says something about Sir Alex in The Telegraph:

Calderon said: "He called me a buried dinosaur. I have a lot of respect for Manchester United as a club and Ferguson as a coach, but he must have had some
tremendous problems in his life because he seems like a tormented soul.

"He only opens his mouth to attack fellow coaches in England and, above all, Real Madrid."

Not bitter at all then... Sure sounds like a man confident that Real Madrid are going to sign Ronaldo...