The last Birmingham City player to score at Old Trafford in a league match was Frank Worthington back in the 1981/82 season, therefore it was no surprise to see United run out emphatic winners yesterday. United drew 1-1 at St Andrews in the last game of 2011 following a last minute strike from Lee Bowyer after Dimitar Berbatov gave United the lead. Another Berbatov hat-trick, two more Rooney assists (taking him to ten for the whole season) and a wonderful goal involving Berbatov, Rooney and Giggs. Here we assess the ‘talking points’ from the game and welcome any comments from both United and Birmingham City fans.

Talking Points

Brilliant Berbatov Hat-trick

The hat-trick against Birmingham City saw Dimitar Berbatov’s goal tally rise to seventeen league goals – a brilliant return from 19 appearances. Dimitar Berbatov joins Alan Shearer and Ruud Van Nistelrooy as only the third player in Premier League history to hit three hat-tricks in one season. This was the Bulgarian’s eighth hat-trick of his career and has already surpassed his 2009/10 total (of 12 goals) by six this season.

Having said that, out of Berbatov’s 17 goals this season only two have come away from home (against Everton and Birmingham City). This isn’t a criticism at all, considering he has been excellent in the majority of games he has played for United this season, but a mere observation of the facts. An excellent hat-trick against Liverpool followed by an sublime five goals against Blackburn Rovers and then another hat-trick at Old Trafford. Berbatov could well become the first Manchester United player to net four hat-tricks in one Premier League season, however he will have to notch up six to surpass the five set by Alan Shearer in the 95/96 season.

Sir Alex Ferguson spoke of Dimitar Berbatov reaching twenty goals this season following the Bulgarian’s impressive return thus far:

“Dimitar is getting up towards that 20-goal mark, which is going to be important for us. It does put a certain brand mark on the team and hopefully we will get another one to that level too. Once you do that you know it is a substantial season.”

Wayne Rooney return to form?

Wayne Rooney still only has two Premier League goals to his name (against West Ham United and WBA), however his vision and craft have enabled Dimitar Berbatov to reach the goal scoring heights that he has this season. His contribution in the Blackburn Rovers match for Berbatov was crucial and it was very similar to the Birmingham City game today. Rooney’s superb pass to Berbatov for his second followed by an excellent take and pass to Giggs on the left handside, who crossed for the Bulgarian to claim his hat-trick, demonstrates the importance of Rooney in this United side.

The graph below highlights Rooney’s passing stats against Birmingham and the in the previous four matches:

Rooney’s passing against Birmingham was much greater than in the previous match against Spurs, where United’s number ten only completed 50% of the passes attempted. Against Birmingham at St Andrews, Rooney occupied a wide left berth in a 4-5-1 formation, with Berbatov as a lone frontman. Rooney’s influence was generally subdued, considering he was playing in a position that most Reds don’t like to see him in. His passes in the final third were wastful, a massive difference from his influence against Birmingham at Old Trafford, as these graphs below demonstrate:

Wayne Rooney’s general position against Birmingham City away:

Wayne Rooney’s general position against Birmingham City home:

There is no doubt that Wayne Rooney’s form was generally below par following his injury against Bayern Munich last March, however there is no doubting the quality and talent he has and there have been glimpses of this over the past few weeks. Ferguson’s faith in last season’s top goalscorer was evident in giving him the nod ahead of Berbatov against Arsenal in December and I have no doubt that Rooney will start hitting the back of the net very soon.

Nani wasteful in front of goal?

The final and concluding talking point is taking a look at Nani’s wasteful shooting. In all fairness, this is an extremely critical point considering the Portugese winger has been in fine form this season and scored a superb goal yesterday. At the back end of 2009, there were rumours that United were involved in discussion to bring Angel Di Maria to Old Trafford with Nani going to Benfica in exchange plus cash. At the time I felt it would be a good piece of business considering what I’d seen of the Argentinian and the inconsistent form of Nani in 2009. However, Nani had an amazing turn around in 2010 and is now considered a vital part of United’s attacking setup.

His goal was pure quality yesterday, cutting in from the right hand side and smashing a low left footed drive past the helpless Foster. United had 23 shots on goal yesterday with Nani shooting 8 times out of the total. The eight shots resulted in a goal, one shot on target and six off target, giving Nani a 25% shooting accuracy yesterday:

Of course, if you don’t shoot you do not score – but having said that could Nani have set up a team mate rather than trying to smash the ball home? On a number of occasions there were teammates in a better position and a deft chip to the back post or a low drive may have been a better decision rather than going for glory. What do you think? Am I being over critical of Nani considering United were generally wasteful in from of goal (United had six shots on target from 23 shots – 26% shooting accuracy) statistically.

Match Conclusion

I doubt many Birmingham City fans were confident of picking up a win since, as mentioned previously, the last goal scored by a Birmingham City player at Old Trafford was nearly thirty years ago. Of course, United and Birmingham had a massive gap in playing domestically (from 1985/86 upto 2002/03) or in any other competition for that matter. However, there was only going to be one winner yesterday following Berbatov’s early goal from a John O’shea flick on. Berbatov’s doubled United’s lead following a quick break from Anderson to Rooney who played in the Bulgarian on the left hand side of the eighteen yard line, to smash home in front of the East stand.

The third was a superb strike from Ryan Giggs, following excellent link up play between Berbatov and Rooney on the right hand side. The second half saw the three players link up again, with Rooney demonstrating an excellent touch from a Van Der Sar clearance before playing in Giggs down the left hand side who crossed for Berbatov to smash home his hat-trick and make it four nil to United. Nani rounded off the scoring after receiving the ball from John O’shea (who picked up a clean sheet and two assists filling in for Rafael) on the right hand side, cutting in and smashing a left footed strike into the bottom corner.

Manchester United fully deserved the win yesterday and it could have been even more if Rooney had of converted his header and, as mentioned, Nani had of used the ball better when in the box. Next up for United is the rescheduled fixture away at Blackpool, who lost 2-1 at home to Sunderland.

Two teams with contrasting fortunes go head to head at Old Trafford tomorrow. Birmingham are the visitors and they sit rather uncomfortably in 16th, just one point off the relegation zone and three points off the bottom of the table. This is a fixture that United should be comfortable with, it’s 6 wins from 6 against Birmingham at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

After a fantastic season last year, Birmingham fans could be forgiven for feeling a bit deflated this time round. With a wealthy enough owner, the expectations pre-season were that with a bit of luck, Birmingham could kick on and secure a place in the top10. Instead, Alex McLeish’s side find themselves a win away from the mid-table madness and a defeat away from potentially being bottom of the league. McLeish once played under Ferguson and he won’t let the league position bother his players, a string of wins and the club will be much higher up again.

Sir Alex Ferguson was adamant he knew how Birmingham would play at Old Trafford in his press conference today, “five across the middle, hard working, they’ll keep the ball well” – he might have a point. In the six Premier League ties at Old Trafford between these two sides, Birmingham have restricted United to just two goals a game, with the last two meetings both ending 1-0. This isn’t a high scoring fixture at all and for Birmingham, just scoring would be a start. It’s 29 years since Birmingham scored at Old Trafford, or 9 straight clean sheets for United.

As harsh as it is to say this, but Birmingham’s current position reflects their current form. With only six points from their last six games, only four teams are on a worse run than Birmingham – two of whom are local rivals Aston Villa and West Brom (the other two are Bolton and Liverpool), this is not a good time for football in the Midlands. Surprisingly it’s Birmingham’s home form that is letting them down, their away form is above average in the league with 6 points taken from a possible 18 on the road in recent games. This undoubtedly shows the importance and the strength of playing home games. If Birmingham could improve their home form they’d shoot up the table. It’s an ominous sign for Birmingham that not only are United top of the league but top of the form league and at Old Trafford they’ve won 10 from 11 in the league; excluding that one drawn game, United only concede once every two games. This will be every bit as tough as Birmingham suspected.

Birmingham have lost Dann for the remainder of the season – a huge blow as he’d built up a very strong partnership with Johnson. McFadden is the only other absentee. Birmingham have struggled to score goals this season so the addition of David Bentley on loan should help to create chances for their mis-firing strikers – one of whom, Cameron Jerome is returning this weekend.

Seb Larsson has been linked with a move away from the club but whilst he remains there he will be a key player for the Blues tomorrow. His inclusion is expected even though he’s handed in a transfer request today. Alongside him in midfield, Birmingham will call upon Lee Bowyer who could be making his 450th career league appearance. Bowyer was lucky to not be sent off in the match at St Andrews a month ago; a game that United fans will remember for a late and very dubious equaliser that meant Birmingham got a point.

There is a chance that Alex McLeish may wish to rotate his squad a bit for this game. Birmingham have a big League Cup semi final second leg coming up on Wednesday against West Ham, a game which they trail 2-1 at the halfway point. Should McLeish consider a potential trip to Wembley more important than a league game at a ground where they have a poor record then a few surprises in the line up could be expected. Finally, Ben Foster makes his first return to Old Trafford since leaving in the summer. He’s been in fine form for Birmingham but might get a rough reception after he criticised the United fans upon his departure for their anti-Glazer protests – I for one hope he gets a good reception by the home supporters.

Enough on Birmingham…onto United and my predicted line up:

In some ways this is a tough line-up to predict. Constantly in the back of my mind whilst picking it there is the awareness that we have a midweek away game at Blackpool to come on Tuesday.

Edwin in goal is simple, as is three of the back four. With Rafael missing through suspension there is a gap at right back. I’ve gone for his twin brother Fabio. O’Shea would maybe make more sense given his experience but we’re always looking for a chance to play Fabio and being the versatile player he is, he could play easily in this position. Being at home and with the expectation that United probably will have more attacking to do than defending, this would be a good game to play him. I asked people on Twitter to send me their line ups for this game and a few hinted that they’d have Smalling over Ferdinand. Personally I think Rio will play tomorrow and on Tuesday, he has a chance for a break next weekend as I’m sure the team will be rotated for the FA Cup tie at Southampton.

The Blackpool game on Tuesday again gave me problems picking a midfield for tomorrow. Nani was poor against Spurs but came off early so I’m sure he’ll start tomorrow. I can see Giggs being rested for Tuesday and maybe Obertan given another chance, especially after he scored three goals for the Reserves on Monday, albeit against Bury. The Carrick/Anderson partnership has worked well in the middle and I think that’s what we’ll see for this game. Anderson has been on the bench for a couple of games now and I reckon he’ll come in, who partners him is the big issue. I’ve gone for Carrick as I can see Fletcher’s energy being vital at Blackpool. The return of Paul “Sat Nav” Scholes (to take one of Rio’s nicknames) is a big boost. I don’t think there is a need to start him tomorrow, if we need him off the bench then fine. I do however believe he’ll be important against Blackpool – his ability to control a game will be more than useful then.

Even upfront arguments can be made for starting Chicharito and Michael Owen who looked sharp against Liverpool. I can’t however see Berbatov or Rooney being dropped. Certainly of the two, I’d have thought it would be Berbatov to be dropped, not Rooney, who looked our best attacking threat against Spurs last weekend.

As I’ve said before, in such a tight league United aren’t really in the luxurious position to take risky rotations with the squad. With tough away games coming up, it’s very important to get the maximum points from these games. This fixture is the start of a very busy few weeks for United. Southampton next weekend will prove to be a rare break for some players in a hectic schedule.

Recent form shows United sitting top of the form league with 14 points taken from a possible 18 in the last six games. At home, as I said before, the record is even better – played 11, won 10, drawn 1. Birmingham will of course be trying to remove the “unbeaten” tag from United – not that the players or staff seem too bothered by this unbeaten league run. Birmingham did actually win their last away game in the league and should they leave Old Trafford with maximum points it will be the first time they’ve beaten Man United in the Premier League era – to date they have beaten every other team currently in the Premier League since its induction in 1992.

Birmingham have never scored at Old Trafford in the Premier League – they’ll try to break this duck at the 7th attempt tomorrow. It’ll also be a big number 7 for Wayne Rooney should he play – Rooney has gone 6 Premier League games at home in a row without scoring now, one more will equal his worst run for three years. There is one other milestone for a United player tomorrow, Edwin Van der Sar could make his 300th Premier League appearance – good going for someone who made their first appearance in the league aged 30!

I think that regardless of which United side is picked, this is a game that should be a home victory. Birmingham’s 5-man midfield will be designed to stop United rather than score and therefore I think this could potentially be a clean sheet for United. I therefore boldly predict a 4-0 win for United.

You can share with us your thoughts ahead of the match and your favourite moments from games at home to Birmingham on our forum.

Before I sign off, here is the Stretford-End.com betting info ahead of the game against Birmingham:

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Man United Vs Birmingham City Betting Odds (correct at time of publishing)
Man Utd to win 2/9

Correct score markets:
1-0 is 11/2
2-0 is 9/2
2-1 is 15/2
3-0 is 6/1
or if your’e brave and are going with my prediction…
4-0 is 10/1

For United to keep a clean sheet you can get odds of 8/13

First scorer:
Rooney 13/5
Berbatov 3/1
Hernandez 7/2
Vidic 20/1

Anytime scorer:
Anderson 9/2
Fabio 11/1

If you think Berbatov may bag a hat-trick the odds are 9/1

Finally, if you think Own Goal may turn up again, the odds are 7/1

Birmingham 1-1 Manchester United

The last three days have summed up United’s season – comfortable at home but edgy away. Though there were more than enough reasons to be aggrieved at this result, and though it could be argued despite a generally lacklustre display Sir Alex Ferguson’s men had done enough within the laws of the game to earn three points, it was clear that the Red Devils will leave St Andrews with a lingering feeling that they could have done more.

The feeling will start with Ferguson whose selection was bizarre; just one change, enforced, Darron Gibson in for Park who had left for international duty. With Nani unavailable still, it wasn’t a remarkably eye catching choice but one wondered what it would mean for the line-up. Despite United’s recent good form involving a common theme – that being a Carrick/Anderson and Rooney/Berbatov axis in the front centre, Ferguson opted to shift it around, with Ryan Giggs out right, Rooney left and Anderson in an advanced support role to accommodate Gibson’s inflexibility. 

This unfamiliarity clearly had an immediate adverse effect on the teams performance, though to the hosts credit it wasn’t initially clear whether this was down to United’s selection or Birmingham’s own approach. With the hosts failing to really stamp their own mark on the game, however, it became evident that United’s infrequent routine of creating half chances was probably self caused. Particularly in the first half, neither side looked like taking the impetus. Wayne Rooney, much maligned of late for a mixture of form and behaviour, looked most threatening – though that didn’t say much – with a few long range testers for Ben Foster. Ryan Giggs did come close with a cross that was mis-hit and needed a touch from Foster to move to the post, but that was very much accident rather than design.

It was clearly wished among the visiting supporters – full of voice, as always – that Ferguson would say something that would cajole his troops into purposeful activity in the second period but that wasn’t obvious upon re-commencement. And, in fairness, there was nothing to say it should have been. The argument for patience over urgency was put forward when Dimitar Berbatov struck on the hour to give United the lead; Craig Gardner had come close with a volley from a corner that tested – barely – van der Sar, before Berbatov struck. The Bulgarian forwarded a pass from Giggs with a classy back heel to Gibson. Gibson played it back to Berbatov, who evaded a challenge before firing in the near post. It was no coincidence, perhaps, that the goal came from a move that saw players in the positions that they maybe should have been in from the start; Giggs, from left deep, and Gibson being wide right before feeding Berbatov.

United’s top scorer almost doubled his tally and the team’s lead just two minutes later, when Anderson did well to play it in and Berbatov shifted his feet; 20 yards from goal, however, he could only hit the post. Birmingham’s response was minimal; and Ferguson replaced Anderson for Fletcher in a clear move from urgency to containment, but there was simply no planning for the freak end to the game.

Nemanja Vidic might have secured the points from a Giggs corner had Ben Foster not spectacularly denied him, before Brum snatched an unlikely equaliser in the dying moments. It was unfortunate in both identity of the goalscorer and scenario of the event; the scorer being Lee Bowyer, who possibly shouldn’t have even been on the pitch after a dangerous first half tackle on Gibson, and the actual goal having up to 3 causes for complaint; first, a clear handball by Zigic who headed it down to Bowyer, second, a foul in the same move by the giant forward, and third, the possibility of Bowyer being offside, which couldn’t be confirmed or denied by any camera angle.

Of the tangibles to take from the game; it was clearly an error in judgement on Ferguson’s part to start with an unfamiliar system given the form of the team. That Berbatov’s goal was from a brief moment of random tactical re-alignment said much, but the form of Carrick, Anderson and Rooney – endearing for effort but clearly missing the system in which the interplay has flourished – was a cry for help from Ferguson that the legendary manager never heeded. With Gibson being the only change, it would have perhaps made more sense to have forced him to play an unfamiliar role than ask the same of three far more talented and in-form players.

United were unfortunate; that much can not be denied, but there are still positives to take from the game. Birmingham, despite their current position, are not easy to beat at home, and United can take heart from not really throwing the game away so much as not settling it (whether a team should aim for a 2 goal lead before they can say they have secured a result is a argument for a different time). There’s a historical quirk that no team in England’s top division in over 100 years has been unbeaten at the turn of the year and not gone on to win the league; they are top, separated on goal difference in front of a team they have played 2 fewer games than. Does this tell the entire story? No, because United’s form has not been sensational for half of the season. But, it is an ominous sign that Ferguson and his players can point to rotten luck in this game as opposed to the suicidal characteristic of the team away from home in the earlier part of the season.

Ratings : Van der Sar 6, Rafael 7, Ferdinand 6, Vidic 6, Evra 6, Giggs 7, Carrick 6, Gibson 5 (Chicharito) Anderson 6 (Fletcher), Rooney 6, *Berbatov 8

The festive program continues today with Manchester United’s trip to Birmingham City. This is the second match of three in a week period, and rotation will be crucial if United are to come away with maximum points. United sit top of the table ahead of the visit to St. Andrew’s and it goes without saying that three points would further secure their position in first place. Birmingham are hovering just above the relegation zone, but as with all matches this is not one to be taken lightly.

Looking at the table this should be an easy three points, but we all know that is rarely the case. Especially when there is so much fixture congestion and tired legs become a concern, no match can be guaranteed. Rotation will be necessary, but it is also hazardous to stray from a winning formula. There should be a few changes from the squad that faced Sunderland, but I wouldn’t expect too many.

Ji-Sung Park has left for international duty with South Korea in the Asian Cup, so that’s one enforced change. Park has been one of United’s top performers this season and his absence will certainly not go unnoticed. On a more positive note, Darren Fletcher and Nani are expected to available for this fixture after missing out on Sunday. The obvious change would be Nani in for Park. I also suspect that Fletcher will come into the squad for Michael Carrick. Anderson has been the in-form midfielder of late, and his substitution against Sunderland suggests he is in Sir Alex Ferguson’s plans for Birmingham. Ryan Giggs was also taken off in that match and I expect he’ll also start today.

The defence has bounced back from its early-season mishaps and has been solid in recent matches. The experience of Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, and Patrice Evra alongside the hugely-promising young Rafael has produced arguably the best back four in the Premier League. Edwin van der Sar should again be the man in goal, and should he need rest over this holiday period Anders Lindegaard should be available for the match against West Brom.

Dimitar Berbatov was substituted off against Sunderland, and with two goals in that game I suspect he’ll have a big role to play in this one as well. Wayne Rooney played the full 90 minutes on Sunday, so look for him to be rested at St. Andrew’s. Sir Alex has a more-than-capable replacement in Javier Hernandez, who is second on the club’s goalscoring charts with seven this season.

There’s no one player I can single out as a threat for Birmingham in what has been a disappointing season for that club. It will be interesting to see Ben Foster play in goal against us following his departure this summer. Foster was prone to errors last season with United and hopefully that continues today, not that I think we’ll need any gifts to win this one.

While Birmingham shouldn’t be underestimated, I also cannot see anything but three points for United. The squad seems to be finding their form, and recent performances have been promising. Momentum is certainly behind United going into this fixture and I think that will play a big part. As for my prediction, I’m going with 3-0 to United. Look for Berbatov to reach the 15-goal milestone today and Hernandez to bag himself a brace.

Yesterday’s result at the Emirates means a win today would put United nine points ahead of Chelsea with a game in hand. Although I wouldn’t completely write them off, that kind of gap could push Chelsea out of the title race. It seems Arsenal will be United’s only serious contender in the Premier League, although a win today would make United the keepers of their own fate. The season is only half gone, but that record 19th title is looking more promising with each win.

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Follow Kyle on Twitter at KDill_MUFC

Ben Foster has joined Birmingham City for a fee believe to be in the region of £6million. Foster signed for United back in 2005 for a fee of £1million from Stoke City. He was then loaned out to Watford for two seasons where he got rave reviews for his performances, which helped Watford gain promotion to the Premier League. Sadly for Foster he couldn’t save the Hornets from relegation the following season and returned to United in 2007.

Foster made thirteen appearances for United last season, all but one of them coming in the first half of the campaign. Foster’s inconsistencies could be summed up in the Arsenal match when he saved, quite brilliantly, a shot from Robin Van Persie from point blank range, however he was to blame for Andrei Arashavin’s goal – where he failed to get a strong hand to the shot. There is no doubt Foster is a talented keeper, a great shot stopper, however he had a chance to make Edwin Van Der Sar work for the number 1 shirt earlier in the season, which he failed to do. Mistakes against Manchester City and ultimately Sunderland, when Kenwyne Jones bundled in a header, led to Foster’s downfall.

Birmingham released the following statement on their website earlier today:

Blues have today completed the signing of England international goalkeeper Ben Foster from Manchester United. Foster has joined Blues for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract. The 27-year-old comes in following Manchester City’s decision to retain the services of Joe Hart next season after his successful loan spell at St. Andrew’s this year. The highly regarded stopper has found his chances limited at Manchester United because of the form of first choice keeper Edwin van der Sar. During the 2009/10 campaign he made just nine Premier League starts. His last outing for the Reds came in their 3-0 win over West Ham United in February. Born in Leamington Spa, Foster began his career with non-league side Racing Club Warwick, before being signed up by Stoke City in 2001. He spent four years with the Potters, during which time he spent several spells out on loan at lower league sides including Wrexham. It was during his time at the Welsh outfit he was spotted by Sir Alex Ferguson who took him to Old Trafford in a £1m deal. The player has four England senior caps to his name, with his last game for the Three Lions coming in a 1-0 defeat to Brazil last November.

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish was also full of praise for his new signing, describing him as a ‘young and hungry’ goalkeeper:

“It looks as if we’ve got another great acquisition with Ben Foster. The goalkeeper is a massive position and we’ve now signed another young hungry goalkeeper who wants to prove himself and live up to his potential. We believe he is of the same kind of standard as Joe Hart. Ben’s situation is similar to Joe’s in that he found himself twiddling his thumbs behind another top keeper in van der Sar. Van der Sar is a world class player and a hard act to follow. I’ve watched Van der Sar since he started at Ajax and he was always destined to play at the top and for as long as he has. Goalkeepers can go on for ever so that one was a losing battle for Ben. Ben is ambitious and wants to play regular football and naturally doesn’t want to play second fiddle. We were looking at it even when Joe was here in the event that we wouldn’t be caught short and to steal a march on other potential suitors. There were another ten or 12 foreign goalkeepers we looked at but didn’t know enough about then and we didn’t want to take a risk. But Dave Watson is a guy I trust and have given responsibility to and he did his homework on Ben. He knows everything about him, although ultimately it’s my decision to choose the players and the goalkeeper With due diligence we’ve done together it and we know that he’s a very capable player. We think he can make a name for himself and it’s up to him to do what Big Joe did.”

An entertaining game at St. Andrews ended in a draw as almost the only in-form team in the top division, Birmingham City, held Premier League Champions Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in a game that wasn’t without its needless controversy.

United’s attacking fluency in the first half was far improved from last weekend’s humiliation against Leeds with Antonio Valencia predictably looking like the most penetrative player. But for all their possession the visitors found clear cut chances at a premium – no surprise given Brum have such an excellent defensive record this season.

Most openings were either half chances or brief glimpses that were quickly closed down, save for one brilliant Valencia pass that found Rooney with time and space. The first touch was exquisite, the second was a shot that was really too comfortable for loan keeper Joe Hart. Of the half chances fashioned, a Michael Carrick effort was caught before going into the top corner.

Birmingham then attempted a rare break and won a corner – United defended badly and the ball ricocheted kindly for Jerome who had the simple task of stabbing in. A rather more daunting task faced the Champions who so often this season have failed to find an answer when falling behind.

It’s not that the current register of players are suddenly incapable – a team that has been the English Champions for 3 years don’t become a bad side overnight. Until they went behind to that shock goal the Red Devils had done all of the pressing and looked more likely. However, there has been a clear shift when we fall behind. Players comfortable in possession suddenly look uncomfortable, incapable, and are second to most balls. That was the case here as Alex McLeish’s men almost extended their advantage, with Kuszczak called upon twice to make stops early in the second half.

As Sir Alex prepared to make changes his troops unexpectedly struck. A spell of pressure on the edge of the area resulted in Evra finding space and drilling a ball across the six yard box. It was simply one of those balls that can’t be defended, and despite the three United players waiting to pounce, it was the unfortunate Dann that diverted the ball past Hart. Referee Mark Clattenburg had a clear view of the incident but incensed the United players by consulting his assistant with seemingly no other intention but seeking a reason to disallow the goal. The assistant duly informed Clattenburg that he thought Rooney was offside – a call that would have dubious at best in itself – but the referee, in the knowledge he had seen the own goal, was unable to disallow it.

Ferguson brought on Ryan Giggs and, for his debut, Mame Diouf, however, despite flashes from Giggs neither influenced proceedings. This may have been due in part to Clattenburg’s decision to send Darren Fletcher off for a second yellow card – no-one would deny his second tackle was a silly one to make in terms of the game but nonetheless taking each instance on it’s merits it would be hard to argue the dismissal was deserved.

Home defender Roger Johnson almost snatched a win but Kuszczak was equal to it, before the fourth official signalled there would be 6 minutes of added time to incredulous screams of derision from “Blue Noses”.

That they were in the ascendency with an extra man and the ball in their opponent’s territory did little to dissuade them from insisting with their uneducated bile – and no doubt if United had scored they would have been labelled cheats while “justice” would have greeted a home goal – however, such an incredible supporter response says much about the reflection of ABU opinion on football matches that people care more about hating United than supporting their own team, particularly when they are the form team of the country! The only advantage of the added time was with the home team – with such a reaction it seems the only acceptable solution for every other club would be if United’s players had a leg amputated and were not allowed to cross the halfway line as soon as the clock struck 90, although, given the pathetic reaction in this game, even that would not be enough to convince the idiot public that stoppage time exists for both teams.

Given results this season a defeat in the second city may well have ruled United out of retaining their title again, but to show character has allowed most Reds to feel a little more optimistic. There are still clear signs that improvement is needed and probably in the form of fresh faces in January but a draw against opposition in such marvellous form and with such ridiculous refereeing is not the worst result at this stage of the season.

Ratings : Kuszczak 8, Rafael 6, Brown 5, Evans 5, *Evra 8, Valencia 7, Carrick 7, Scholes 6 (Diouf) , Fletcher 7, Park 5 (Giggs 6), Rooney 6