ManU v Pompey: Drama Drama DRAMA

By: chris | March 8th, 2008

(To be said in a “Marsha Marsha MARSHA” tone.) Losing a keeper to injury is bad enough during the course of a game, especially when it’s your starter who isn’t all that replaceable. Losing a second keeper in the same game? Disastrous. That’s what happened to Manchester United today, when Edwin van der Sar went off at halftime with an injury and Tomasz Kuszczak, his replacement, was sent off for a tackle on Milan Baros which resulted in a PK, forcing Rio Ferdinand to play keeper (he ain’t no John Terry). Of course you know the scoreline. 1-0 Pompey via the penalty. Portsmouth is through to the semi’s and Fergie is letting the ref have it.

A lot of the talk is going to be about Tom and Sulley Muntari’s penalty which sealed ManU’s fate, but this game would’ve been 2-1 had Glen Johnson and Sylvain Distin not saved the day. During a 2 v 1 with Tevez and Rooney, David James came out and a broken play wound up with the ball at Tevez’s feet and nothing between he and the back of the goal but Glen Johnson’s head. Glen Johnson’s head 1 - Carlos Tevez 0. Then, Michael Carrack found himself in front of the goal inside the six yard box with nary a body in front of him until Distin came flying in to literally stop the ball on the goalline with Carrack on the ground, and eventually getting a surefire goal into the arms of David James. And they didn’t even get to use their hands. (See that, Rio? You could learn a thing or two from Glen and Sylvain here.)

Tevez also missed another should coulda woulda been when he was tripped in the box by The Ghost of Christmas Past despite having a completely open goal in front of him. The ball looked to be behind him, but what was up with that dive? (Video - 1:58) Looked like he was reaching back for the ball and then lurched forward like he’d been shot out of a cannon. Whatever, his scores:

Technical merit: 5.7
Presentation: 5.0 (It was ugly)

And joking aside, credit to Rio, because he guessed right on Muntari’s penalty and might have saved the day were the ball not coming off the cannon that is Sulley Muntari’s left leg. But it was not to be, and Manchester United are sent home to watch the FA Cup from home from here on out.

[via 101greatgoals.com]