FA Cup Fourth Round: Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

[funster]

D'you know, I've only just realised I didn't post this! Having spent all of last week in Madrid on what was probably the worst bit of education/enablement ever, my will to use the computer was beaten out of me, and I only realised I hadn't posted the ManUre match report when catching-up with the goings-on of the forum today! Madrid was good. Lovely city. If you've never been, you really should go. Stupidly I forgot to check whether Real were playing at home the Sunday night I got there. They were, and there were loads of empty seats so I could easily have bagged a trip to the Bernebeau. Next time.

Ah well. Not that most will want to read it now I suppose, but for completeness, here it is.

For the second season on the trot we travelled up to OT for the fourth round of the FA Cup. The mood last season was rather more jubilant. Having hammered the Gooners 5-1 in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, there was a little bit of optimism that we might actually come away from OT with a result. The scoreline was a bit harsh last year, but this time 'round I held out little hope for any minor miracles. I fully expected that our FA Cup run would end once again at OT.

I've seen Spurs play a lot of FA Cup games there. Three times against ManUre, two semi-finals. We've lost them all. One day, I thought, that record would have to change. I just didn't see it being this time out.

The game itself wasn't exactly blood and guts cup tie when it kicked off. Not much going on in the first five minutes, until all of a sudden, Pav pops up near post to stoop and head home. Ha ha ha! Unreal. Second time 'round, Spurs take the lead. We celebrated. Oh yes, we celebrated, but there were still about 85 minutes to go! I would say that the goal silenced the ManUre supporters, but that would be a lie. There wasn't really much noise to silence in the first place!

United's best chance fell to Tevez in the early exchanges. Having already shown some of our now customary cack play in the centre of midfield - Huddlestone the guilty party this time - we didn't get the run of the ball (who does at OT?), as it looked out on the left, but came to Tevez who struck it very sweetly, but only off the woodwork. A close shave, although United had begun to exert a bit more pressure by this stage.

Manure were certainly beginning to dominate possession. A couple of time Gunther had to do really well to first take the ball off Ronaldo as they broke, and then get stuck in with a decent tackle that prevented a shot.

The pattern was setting itself though. United with plenty of possession and trying to carve out a few decent chances. Alnwick - who, let's be honest, had a bit of a horror show at Turf Moor, had to make a one handed save from Tevez after the ball was flicked to him from a move down the right.

It was strange. All this possession, and a few decent half chances, but this was not the United of a season ago. That lightning pace that they used to show in attack and the ruthless efficiency with which they worked the ball forward to create chance after chance..... it just wasn't there. I stood there with us a goal to the good not really that concerned about the moves that they had strung together. It was almost as though they couldn't be bothered. Very strange.

Then the balloon burst.

A fluke goal if ever you've seen one. It would perhaps be a bit harsh to say it was undeserved given the amount of ball they'd had, but even so, it was as jammy as they come. A corner was cut right back outside the box and from Scholes hitting it, the ball took a massive deflection to leave Alnwick stranded, and United back on level terms. Gutted. The United fans finally piped up.

It got worse. Within a minute or so we were hit by the sucker punch and from the one man who no Spurs fan ever wants to see score. In truth, it was a quality goal. A sweeping ball from Carrick, a good finish from Berbatov. Nice goal. Shame about the scorer. Goal up and looking OK to go in at half-time ahead, and within two minutes we were a goal down. That soft touch that we've displayed so much in conceding late goals..... that lack of concentration..... all these things I'm sure contributed. While it may have been fair on the balance of play to go in on level terms, for ManUre to come off at half time a goal to the good as they did..... totally undeserved.

My biggest gripe at half-time - other than the fact that there was no beer on offer (shocking - police decision apparently) - was how totally crap Huddlestone had been. He offered nothing. Absolutely nothing. Continuing a theme that he seems to have adopted over the last few months. I'd rather have Taarabt on in central midfield. At least he'd be willing to get the ball and run with it, even if he couldn't pass it. What was Huddlestone doing? Failing to tackle. Failing to pass. Failing full stop. Where were those raking sixty yard balls? OK, maybe we didn't have the outlet, but even with that in mind, he was having a terrible game.

Redknapp made an interesting substitution at half-time meaning that Bentley found himself playing centre midfield. Hmmmmm.....

The first decent chance of the half fell to us with Bale, but he put it wide.

Gio seemed wanting to get involved, but, much like the first half, it all felt a bit subdued.

Still, we were at least pressing a bit more, and soon created another chance. From good build-up play, the ball was crossed from the left and Bentley hit it on the half volley, but only into the side netting. A decent chance really.

It was better though. I couldn't help but stand there and think to myself that a decent Spurs side would win this tie with ease. United really weren't that good. If they'd played like this last season, with the team we had then, we'd have won comfortably. Sadly, the reality is that we're stuck with the team we have, and honestly, it didn't look good enough to win this game.

Gio got in on the act in a big way in the next few minutes. First getting a fully deserved booking for a very poor tackle, then getting a shot away from a decent move down the left that led to a ball played central. The shot, sadly, did not trouble the keeper.

United finally started to get back into it in the second half. A ball in by Berbatov requiring Alnwick to palm out a Ronaldo shot.

Redknapp then threw on Taarabt for Bale, who had had a nothing game really. Perhaps now we'd be a bit better in the centre of midfield? As it turned out, not really. Taarabt didn't quite reproduce the glimpses of decent play we'd seen at Turf Moor. When he ran with it he hit some roadblock or other. The frustration form the Spurs fans seemed to affect his decision making as he began to pass balls he'd normally run with. It didn't work. He has a long way to go, which is a real shame, because I had very high hopes for him after his debut at West Ham a couple of seasons back. He just hasn't pushed on from there. Whether its because he's not really as good as we thought, of because he's not been given the chance I wouldn't like to say, but I do think its a shame. He looked like he had the potential to be a world beater.

A final throw of the dice, after a couple more half chances to either side, saw Defoe on for Bentley. I thought that would probably give us better balance, particularly down the right.

Probably the best Spurs move of the second half saw a nice break down the left between BAE and Gio. BAE played a little ball in to Gio but the shot was over the bar. Shame because the move itself deserved better.

The whistle went, and that was it. Second season in a row knocked out of the FA Cup by ManUre at OT.

We set off on the journey home passing loads, and I mean LOADS(!), of ManUre coaches on the way back to London. Two things:

(1) How far away from Manchester do they all live?
(2) What time must they have left to be as far down the M6 as they were when we came past having had to queue up at the OT Metrolink station?!

Call themselves supporters!

Ah well. Onward and (hopefully) upward from here.