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...