Manchester United 2-1 Blackburn Rovers – Premiership Live Blog – 21 February 2009

Premiership leaders Manchester United host relegation threatened Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. United are five points clear at the top of the league following their midweek thrashing of Fulham and they are red-hot favourites to turn over Sam Allardyce’s side. Daily Soccer Blog, glass in hand, will provide updates throughout the game for those of you too stingy to fork out for Setanta.

Match Preview

Manchester United, fresh from dishing out a 3-0 stuffing to Fulham in midweek, welcome a Blackburn Rovers side, which find themselves in the bottom three, to Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney is set to start as he makes his comeback from injury, while Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher and Rafael are all set to feature.

United are in devastating form as the Premiership reaches the business end of the season. They have lost just one of their last 25 matches and have not conceded a goal in 14 matches. Indeed, if Edwin Van Der Saar keeps Rovers at bay for at least 89 minutes, he will overtake the European record of 1,390 minutes which has been held by Club Brugges goalkeeper Danny Verlinden since 1990.

Blackburn, in comparison, are in all sorts of problems. Sam Allardyce’s side have won just one Premiership match in their last six played and have not won away from home in eight attempts. They have also lost to each of the “Big Four” this season and United have also beaten them in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup. The Reds won that match 5-3 and Carlos Tevez scored four goals.

Rovers will be without defender Christoper Samba, who serves a one match ban after accumulating five yellow cards, while on-loan Danny Simpson is not allowed to play against his parent club.

Line Ups

Man United: Kuszczak, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov.
Subs: Foster, Giggs, Vidic, Welbeck, Fabio Da Silva, Fletcher, Tevez.

Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Nelsen, Givet, Warnock, Grella, Diouf, Andrews, Dunn, Pedersen, Roque Santa Cruz.
Subs: Brown, Kerimoglu, McCarthy, Khizanishvili, Mokoena, Treacy, Roberts.

Goals

Man United: Rooney (23′), Ronaldo (60′)

Blackburn: Santa Cruz (32′)

Live Blog

90+4′ Rovers get a late corner and even keeper Robinson lumbers forward. The delivery from Pedersen is poor but Robinson has plenty of time to get back.

90+1′ Rooney rampages from the halfway line and lets rip from 25 yards. He aims for the far corner with Robinson rooted to the spot but his shot is well wide.

89′ The word is, there will be four added minutes. United spray the ball around comfortably in the middle of the park. They just need to see this one out now.

87′ It should be all over. Rooney sends a tasty cross into the box for the unusually-quiet Berbatov who somehow manages to head over the bar from six yards.

86′ Ronaldo is really turning the screw now. He dances past three or four Rovers defenders before being felled on the edge of the box. Howard Webb plays advantage and Giggs threads the ball through to Rooney in the penalty area only for his shot to be blocked.

85′ Ronaldo plays the ball across the edge of the Rovers box to Rooney, who curls a shot first time towards the top corner but it goes over the bar. United could yet get a third goal which would seal victory.

83′ United break quickly with Ronaldo, who has options in the box in the form of Rooney and Berbatov. He sends in a cross which is useful to neither of them and the ball bounces off Rooney’s chest.

82′ The old legs of Scholes have had enough and he’s replaced by another old stager in Ryan Giggs. Diouf comes off for Blackburn and youngster Keith Treacy is given an opportunity.

80′ Pedersen’s corner is punched away by Kuszczak but it only goes as far as Tugay on the edge of the box. The veteran Turkish schemer can certainly hit them but he gets it all wrong and it goes behind for a goal kick.

79′ Sam Allardyce still feels he can get something from this game and replaces Grella with striker Benni McCarthy.

78′ United are in total control. Ronaldo is in acres of space just outside the D and has time to tee-up a half volley which goes behind for a corner via Givet. Carrick sees an effort from inside the box blocked and Rooney shoots wide from just outside it.

73′ Dunn is replaced by the pensionable Tugay. He’s 38 but could easily pass for someone 20 years older.

72′ Berbatov plays Scholes through on the edge of the Rovers box. The midfielder attempts to dink the ball around Grella with a single touch but it doesn’t come off. It could have been magical if it had worked.

67′ Pedersen goes down in the box after the slightest of touches from Rafael. He was bearing down on goal so there was no need to go down in search of a penalty. Howard Webb waves away the protestations, as if the away side would get a penalty at Old Trafford?

66′ Blackburn win a corner via the constantly-booed Diouf. Dunn whips it in but Nelson’s header is well over the bar.

62′ Berbatov is booked after introducing his studs to Warnock’s thigh.

61′ Alex Ferguson takes off Jonny Evans and the lazy Nani, replacing them with Vidic and Tevez.

60′ Goal! Man United 2 Blackburn 1. Superb, just superb from Ronaldo. Just moments after getting booked for diving, Ronaldo curls a perfect free kick into the far corner to give United the lead for the second time this match.

59′ Lower league clogger Keith Andrews is booked for grappling Evra to the ground on the left touchline.

57′ Pedersen sells Carrick a dummy and pings a shot towards the United goal. It’s always going wide but Kuszczack puts it behind for a corner. The ball is eventually worked back to Nelson in the box who sees an effort come back off the post. Diouf has a go from the rebound but Kuszczak smothers the ball. Really unlucky for Rovers.

56′ Ronaldo is booked for a dive on the edge of the area. Carrick slipped the ball through to the advancing Portuguese who went down as soon as he felt the breath of Givet on his back. Ronaldo could easily have been given his marching orders here, as seconds earlier he aimed an off-the-ball kick-out at Dunn which went unpunished.

53′ Just like the first half, United are enjoying the lion’s share of possession. They try to work it patiently down the right, but Carrick’s attempted cross to the far post goes horribly high and wide.

49′ Unsurprisingly, we are informed that Alex Ferguson did not agree with referee Howard Webb’s decision to rule out Evans’ goal just before the break.

47′ Carrick switches play with a great ball out to Ronaldo. He jinks past Warnock but shoots wide of goal. Seconds later Blackburn get a chance at the other end when Pedersen pings a cross to the far post but Santa Cruz is shut out by Evans.

46′ Rovers kick off the second half as they look to secure an unlikely result at Old Trafford.

Half Time. The unthinkable has happened and United have given away a goal for the first time in 105 days. The Blackburn equaliser was against the run of play, but well taken and it gives Sam Allardyce’s strugglers a real chance in this match. United should have gone ahead before the stroke of half time and there is certainly no reason for them to panic. Blackburn look really shaky in defence at times and United will surely get more chances to score in the second half.

44′ Little Rafael is bodychecked by Pedersen but only a corner is given. Jonny Evans heads it home but the goal is ruled out. It looked as though Ronaldo may have got some unfair leverage on Nelson before the ball reached Evans, or that Evans himself may have impeded Givet, but there didn’t appear to be much in either case.

40′ United look desperate to regain the lead. Gone is the patient build up play from the early stages of the half and instead we have a lot of hurried rubbish. Berbatov attempted to get a head onto a hopeful ball into the box but appeared to get a kick in the chops for his troubles.

39′ The equaliser has knocked the stuffing out of United. Perhaps they thought they would never concede another goal again?

35′ Carthorse defender Givet hurts himself when challenging for a 50/50, studs up, with Berbatov. Serves him right.

32′ Goal! Man United 1 Blackburn 1... and he gets that service! Nani takes an age to decide whether to collect a loose ball and so Ooijer makes his mind up for him. The defender plays a through ball to Roque Santa Cruz who makes easy work of dribbling around Kuszczak and slots the ball into an empty net. It’s the first goal United have conceded in 15 matches and Blackburn made it look easy.

30′ Dunn delivers a dreadul free kick into the box which sails high and wide at the far post. Santa Cruz looks lost up front for Rovers and he’s going to need better service than that if Rovers are to force an equaliser…

25′ Blackburn are all over the place in defence. Ronaldo tricks Warnock on the right, cuts inside the box and shoots towards the near post. Robinson has it well covered and clutches the ball to his chest.

23′ Goal! Man United 1 Blackburn 0. Nani plays a telling ball into the Rovers box and Nelson stuck a hopeful foot out at it to try and direct it back to keeper Robinson. All he managed to do was poke it in front of the advancing Wayne Rooney, who blasted it in from close range. United lead and it’s no more than they deserve.

22′ Kuszczak looked to make a meal of a Rovers corner but the replay showed he was clearly hindered by Diouf. Good job the linesman spotted it and a free kick was awarded to United.

19′ Grella is lucky to get away with a ticking off from Howard Webb after cynically shoving Rafael off the ball with the Brazilian showing him up for pace.

17′ United go close to breaking the deadlock. Confusion between Givet and Warnock allows Ronaldo to send in a cross from the right practically onto the goal line. Rooney just misses the ball at the near post but Carrick looks set to head it in at the far. Luckily for Rovers Ooijer was on hand to hack the ball clear before the United midfielder could connect with it.

14′ Blackburn get their first corner of the game but Nelson heads Diouf’s perfectly delivered ball well wide from six yards out. Chances for the visitors are few and far between.

12′ Desperate defending by Givet to prevent Carrick from latching onto an incisive Rooney pass into the box. The resulting corner finds Scholes on the edge of the box but he welts the ball first time well wide of the goal.

10′ Scholes pings a magnificent cross-field pass to Ronaldo, which Warnock completely misses as he tries to intercept. The move petered out into nothing but it was excellent vision by Scholes, who did that all evening against Fulham in midweek.

8′ Bar a few breaks by Blackburn, United have been virtually camped in the final third. Ronaldo fails to get a free kick beyond the Rovers wall.

4′ It’s all United in the opening stages. Nani gets forward and shifts the ball to Ronaldo on the left byline. He sends a cross towards the far post, or it may have been an audacious effort at goal. Either way it went behind for a goal kick.

3′ Berbatov plays the ball to Scholes in the middle of the park and the pint-sized player is allowed to run unchallenged all the way to the edge of the Rovers box. He shoots, but gets it all wrong and it goes wide for a goal kick.

1′ And we’re off. United kick off and immediately try to work an opener. Rooney and Nani play a quick one-two on the edge of the box but Rovers manage to scramble away the danger.

0′ Ferguson could probably put out a ladies team and they’d still beat Blackburn. The visitors have only won once in 17 trips to Old Trafford since the Premiership formed in 1993 and they have conceded 11 goals in their last three visits. Nil nil tonight then?

0′ United boss Alex Ferguson makes five changes from the side which beat Fulham in midweek. Record clean sheet chasing goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Saar is replaced by Tomasz Kuszczack – he must be livid. Johnny Evans and Rafael come into the defence and there are also starting places for Nani and Wayne Rooney. Gael Givet replaces the suspended Christopher Samba for Blackburn.

Reaction

United got away with it tonight and were pushed all the way by a Blackburn side who did not look like they were struggling in the bottom three. If Howard Webb had awarded Rovers a penalty after Rafael made contact with Pedersen in the box, we could have been looking at a much different result. The decision to wave play on really knocked the stuffing out of Rovers, who didn’t really create any chances after that. United finished the match strongly and could have scored a couple late on themselves. Ronaldo could have received two yellow cards before he scored the winner, but United also had a legitimate goal ruled out. The win puts United eight points clear at the top of the table, giving challengers Liverpool and Chelsea a mammoth task to catch them. Rovers remain in trouble but they should take heart from this performance.

Man of the Match

It was a workman-like performance for United with nobody really standing out from the crowd. Ronaldo’s free kick was excellent, but he could have also been sent off, so no award for him. Instead, I will award it to the industrious Wayne Rooney. He broke the deadlock after United dominated the early stages and as usual, he ran himself into the ground. He also teed up Berbatov perfectly for a third United goal late on but the Bulgarian wasted it.