Champions League Tuesday Live!
I'll also have my eye on tonight Championship fixtures, especially Leeds' match-up with Evil Cardiff at Elland Road. They're in 9th and we're 19th as I type, so I'll take a point from the off. Join me from 2:45pm onward, won't you?
posted by The Blue Devil @ 1:46 PM
38 Comments:
Hiya, lads - I'm on hand here in the office to see if ManYoo can regain their scoring ways this evening. They haven't scored in three outings, so they're due.
Here are the teams lining up on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford:
Manchester United: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Blind, Rojo; Schweinsteiger, Carrick; Lingard, Mata, Martial; Rooney. Subs: Romero, Jones, Darmian, Pereira, Herrera, Depay, Fellaini.
CSKA Moscow: Akinfeev; Fernandes, Ignashevich, Berezutski, Schennikov; Dzagoev, Wernbloom; Tošić, Natcho, Milanov; Musa. Subs: Chepchugov, Vasin, Nababkin, Golovin, Panchenko, Doumbia
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
So United make three changes from the side that snoozed to a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday. Ashley Young starts at right-back in place of Matteo Darmian, who’s had a tough time lately, Michael Carrick replaces Morgan Schneiderlin and young Jesse Lingard is in for Ander Herrera, which means that Juan Mata is behind Wayne Rooney. Could that inspire a reversal in Rooney’s fortunes?
And we're away on Matchday 4!
An early chance for Rooney. He snatched at it a bit but at least he looks a bit more hungry. Maybe he's keen to respond to his critics. Well wide there, though.
Alan Smith is providing a vigorous defense of the 30 year old Rooney but in truth he's been sleepwalking through a lot of matches this season and giving our UWS the perpetual hump.
Oh - Lingard was put in there by Rooney and Akinfeev brought him down. Fortunate for the Russian keeper, he also go plenty of the ball.
Raheem Sterling has opened the scoring for City away to Sevilla. Great start for City!
PNE have scored early against Forest. Not great news for us.
Martial is playing centrally for United, Rooney is slightly deeper and Mata is on the right. It’s making a difference.
For all the possession, though, United haven't really hurt CSKA yet.
Oh - great long ball from Blind there and Mata stretched to get to it. A better connection might have produced the opening goal.
Twenty minutes in - the problem for United could be if this good start doesn’t culminate in a goal. Given their recent record, will anxiety set in the longer this stays goalless?
Fernandinho has added a second for City and they are flying in Spain tonight.
In the Championship, Boro are one up over Rotherham, Hudders are 0-1 away to Reading and the Tractor Boyz are 1-0 up over woeful Bolton, who seemed destined for the drop.
Still 0-0 at ER. Suits me.
Meanwhile, CSKA haven’t mustered a single noteworthy attack.
Nice interplay between Lindgard and Martial but the final ball was overcooked.
Pigstick is upended and now Rooney has a chance to swing one in.
Decent delivery but no one was attacking it.
Sevilla have got one back against City.
Oh - Lindgard at the back post had a chance but he blasted over.
Iffy there by Young in the area. Seemed to come off his arm. Ref not bothered.
Marcos Rojo misses another great chance for United! Ashley Young swings an inviting cross towards the far post from the right and Rojo shins a volley embarrassingly wide! If only Martial had been on the end of that.
Lingard’s run causes panic in the CSKA defence again. They try to boot the ball away but Berezutski’s attempted clearance rebounds off another CSKA player and soars behind for a corner. It leads to nothing.
The Fake Dons now lead Charlton.
Burnley lead Fulham.
Reading has leveled it with Rothers.
CSKA need to get Doumbia on, assuming his thigh injury is up to it. Musa can’t hold the ball up.
United’s fans are imploring their team to attack. Frustration is growing at this barren run.
Half-time - 0-0
Unless I’m much mistaken, the half-time whistle is greeted by a few boos around Old Trafford. “Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack!” chant the United fans as the teams walk off. To be fair to United, they have attacked, it’s just that they lack ideas in the final third and have blundered in front of goal when they have had chances.
Back on at OT for the second half. United get us underway. They're still searching to break that goal drought.
Oh - Rojo had a free header but put it well wide. Loads of chances going begging tonight.
CSKA bring on Seydou Doumbia for the disappointing Natcho.
I'm off to set up my class. Still 0-0 both at OT and at ER.
I've just gotten up to my office again to see that we've taken the lead! Wowsa!
Alex Mowatt with a 63rd minute strike. Could I dare to dream of a first win under Steve Evans? Nope - I'll still be happy with a point.
Meanwhile it's still 0-0 at Old Trafford and fans are now booing just about everything United are doing. They're more than a little fed up.
LVG throws on Depay for Mata.
Wouldn't you just know it. Wayne Rooney has rescued a win for United against CSKA with a 79th minute strike, a goal that now moves him level with Denis Law as United's second highest scorer. He's only a dozen behind Bobby's Charlton's record of 249 goals. Is Roon the greatest United player ever? You discuss....
And I'm over the moon to see that my United, Leeds that is, has also pulled out a 1-0 win, much more than I'd ever expected from proceedings tonight. That takes us on to 17th with 16 points from 15 matches. Whew! Ahead of schedule now with 34 points now needed from our remaining 31 matches.
A great night. Both our Uniteds grinded out much needed 1-0 victories. Mine ended a streak of three consecutive 0-0 draws and is top of a very tight CL group. Yours got three much needed points in a bid to avoid relegation. Congratulations Bob.
Hey Bob
Congratulations on your lot's big win tonight!
As for mine, pleased with the win but still not good enough.
A decent goal with the pass by Carrick, the cross by Lingard and the header by Rooney but everything else....
The Old Trafford faithful said it best half way thru the second half
76.000 people singing ....
WE WANT TO ATTACK
WE WANT TO ATTACK
WE"RE MAN UNITED AND
WE WANT TO ATTACK
Interestingly, as LVG was trooping off at half-time, the fans were chanting "Attack, Attack, Attack" at him. He must have gotten the message.
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