Manchester United news and links

Danny Welbeck marks his first start of the season with the winning goal as 10-man Manchester United edge into the Carling Cup last 16 at Wolves’ expense.

UNITED’S midfielders have picked up the gauntlet thrown down after the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo.


Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson demanded that the engine room would have to improve their support of the attack and improve their goal return this campaign.

TOMASZ Kuszczak is set for his first senior action of the season in the Carling Cup against Wolves at Old Trafford.


The Polish keeper has not been on the park for the first team since the final day of the Premier League campaign at Hull last May.

We look ahead to the first match of United’s Carling Cup defence.

Sunday’s derby reminded Patrice Evra why he loves playing for United.

PATRICE Evra has admitted Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous hairdryer would have been ready if Manchester United had failed to beat City in the derby-day thriller at Old Trafford on Sunday.


In the aftermath of United’s 4-3 win, Ferguson claimed his side should have won “by six or seven” such was their domination of Mark Hughes’ side.

THE Football Association are taking a long, hard look at Sunday’s explosive derby, with Craig Bellamy and Gary Neville coming under closest scrutiny as the fallout from Old Trafford continues.


Bellamy is in the clear over a police investigation of his altercation with a pitch-invading fan, as no complaint was made about the incident.

• Bellamy admits hitting fan but says it was only a push
• Neville may also be punished for goading City supporters

Craig Bellamy is facing a possible three‑match ban for striking a pitch invader towards the end of a rancorous Manchester derby that could also have costly repercussions for Gary Neville.

The Football Association’s disciplinary department is considering whether Bellamy should be charged with violent conduct, while Neville’s habit of goading opposition supporters could result in the Manchester United defender getting a charge of improper conduct and a possible fine or one-match suspension.

Neville, an unused substitute, reacted to Michael Owen’s winning goal by running from the dugout along the side of the pitch to the corner of Old Trafford where the away fans sit. Several City supporters have contacted the FA to complain that he mouthed obscenities in their direction.

Neville has previous when it comes to this kind of behaviour. He was fined £5,000 in 2006 for taunting Liverpool fans as well as receiving an official warning about his future conduct, something that has compelled the FA to investigate his latest alleged transgression.

Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, accused his former team-mate of acting “like a lunatic” and, having run half the length of the pitch to make his point, it appeared to dawn on Neville that he could have landed himself in trouble. On the way back to the dug-out, he was keen to make it look as if he were just warming up, overlooking the fact that United had used their three substitutes.

Manchester City’s assistant manager Mark Bowen said last night that the club would not be taking action against Bellamy after the FA’s disciplinary department spent today studying television pictures of the two flashpoints. The FA may also take action against United for failing to control their supporters. As well as the pitch invader, a coin was thrown from the crowd, apparently in the direction of Carlos Tevez but striking Javier Garrido, the City substitute, and cutting his head.

“I was hit by a coin in the head when I was just walking calmly down the tunnel,” Garrido confirmed. “I believe the target was Tevez but I was standing next to him at the time. It’s incredible that this could take place at Old Trafford, one of the biggest stadiums in the world. The shouts against Tevez are normal but I do not understand why anybody would throw objects. Really, it’s very sad.”

City have already lost Emmanuel Adebayor to a three-match ban for his stamp on Robin van Persie in the 4-2 defeat of Arsenal two weekends ago, with further sanctions likely for the way the striker celebrated scoring against his former club.

With Robinho and Roque Santa Cruz injured, City cannot afford to lose the in-form Bellamy and the club are angry that he faces being punished for confronting someone who was breaking the law by being on the pitch, and who was yesterday charged with the offence. An unrepentant Bellamy has explained that he wanted to restart the match and went over to the supporter to tell him to “get off the pitch”.

• Guardian study shows added time to turn round home games
• Owen won derby after an extra five minutes and 26 seconds

Sir Alex Ferguson likes to boast that his Manchester United team score more late goals than any other side in the world. Others argue that they get a bit of extra help from referees. It has now emerged that the Premier League champions do, as suspected, benefit from an imbalance in the amount of stoppage time that is added to their matches.

After the controversy over Michael Owen’s winning goal in Sunday’s Manchester derby, the Guardian has looked at all of United’s league matches at Old Trafford since the start of the 2006-07 season and discovered that, on average, there has been over a minute extra added by referees when United do not have the lead after 90 minutes, compared to when they are in front. In 48 games when United were ahead, the average amount of stoppage time was 191.35 seconds. In 12 matches when United were drawing or losing there was an average of 257.17sec.

• Mark Hughes fumes at Manchester United’s overtime winner
• Daniel Taylor: the feud between these managers will continue
• Did the ref play too much added time? Vote now in our poll
• In pictures: An explosive Manchester derby

The average stoppage time added at Old Trafford in the period in question is below that given at Anfield, the Emirates Stadium and Stamford Bridge. United’s is 205 seconds, compared to Liverpool’s 210sec, Arsenal’s 224sec and Chelsea’s 229sec. But there is also evidence to support the suspicions of many managers, players and supporters that United get preferential treatment at home. When Owen made it 4-3 on Sunday the game was five minutes and 26 seconds into stoppage time. In total, the referee, Martin Atkinson, allowed almost seven minutes, even though the fourth official had signalled a minimum of four. Mark Hughes, the City manager, spoke of feeling “robbed”. His sense of grievance will not be helped if he analyses the last three seasons.

In 2006-07, for example, United were winning 15 times on entering stoppage time and referees added an average 194.53sec. In the four games when United were not winning there was an average of 217.25sec. The following year the disparity was greater, Opta’s figures showing an average 178.29sec added when United were winning and 254.5sec when they were not. Last season it was 187.71sec compared to 258.6sec.

The pattern has continued in the first three games of the season. In the two games United have led they have played an average 304sec of injury time. On Sunday, Atkinson allowed the game to go on for 415sec.

The problem with being a pedant is that you need to watch your back. Siobhain Butterworth quotes a reader’s objection to the use of “crescendo”: “It is not possible to reach a crescendo, since the word (the present participle of the verb crescere – to grow) denotes a process, not a state” (Open door, September 21). Unfortunately for the reader, crescendo is not the  present participle of ‘crescere’ – crescente – but the gerund. In English the same word is used for both forms – he was very good at running (gerund); the running man tripped over (present participle); in Italian it is not.

James Richards

Montefalcone Appennino, Italy

• I hope it is not too much to ask, given your invitation for corrections, that you leave the phrase “a big ask” (Report, September 21) to those football commentators responsible for the birth of this monstrosity. And could you review your use of the term “Half a pence” (Report, 21 September). Or is that asking too much?

Paul McGilchrist

Colchester, Essex

• Over 50,000 people took part in the world’s largest half marathon, the Great North Run. I ran it. I would have liked to see a report or even a photo. Why should Manchester United dominate the sports section? You gave us half a paragraph reporting Martin Lel’s win (Sport in brief, 21 September). What about the rest of us?

Celia Wells

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

• Four pages on the local soccer derby and a picture of the winning scorer on the cover. What a joy to have the real Manchester Guardian back. Thank you.

Bob Hargreaves

Bury, Lancashire

• Did anyone else notice the advert in the free Jackie comic (12 September) for a speed-writing course: “If u k rd th msg u k bkm a sec + gt a gd jb”? It looks like the youth of today are not responsible for text-speak after all.

Carolyn Dobson

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

• ”Leonard Cohen, songwriter and poet, 75; Liam Gallagher, singer-songwriter and poet, 37″ (Birthdays, 21 September). Are you suggesting Leonard Cohen can’t sing?

Paul Freeman

Great Notley, Essex

The managers of United and City have a long history of mutual suspicion that will not die away any time soon

Mark Hughes had finished with his players, done all the interviews and, stopwatch in hand, reviewed the footage of that seven minutes of added time. Old Trafford was nearly deserted as Manchester City’s manager returned to the bowels of the stadium to collect his belongings and see whether Sir Alex Ferguson was around for a drink. Hughes, like Ferguson, believes it is a good thing for rival managers to share a post-match glass of wine. But when he knocked on the office door, there was no reply. Ferguson and his coaches had left the building.

As a snapshot of the two men’s relationship, it is probably an accurate gauge of how things stand between Hughes and Ferguson. “Respect not reverence”, as a close associate of Hughes puts it. Yet some of that respect has been eroded over the years and, increasingly, it looks like things will get worse before they get better. The barbs have started to lose their subtlety, suspicions have built and grudges have festered. Hughes might as well have made a “w” for “whatever” with his fingers when it was put to him that Ferguson thought Manchester United deserved to win yesterday’s Sunday’s derby by six or seven goals. There was a knowing roll of the eyes and, for a seemingly interminable second, the same eyes flashed with indignation. “Count to 10,” he seemed to tell himself. “Don’t let the old stirrer get under your skin.”

Of the many lasting images from a raucous day, one stood out above the rest. It was the moment when the final whistle went and the two managers came together. A few seconds earlier, Ferguson had draped his arm around the fourth official, Alan Wiley, and made a matey joke expressing his gratitude for the amount of added time. Michael Owen had just made it 4-3 and in the City dug-out it felt like Ferguson was rubbing it in.

The whistle blew and Ferguson punched the air before making his way over to shake hands. Hughes accepted the gesture but his body language laid bare his thoughts. His upper body was half-turned towards Ferguson, but his lower body was moving away. It was the briefest contact, a moment freighted with so much cold detachment you wondered what could possibly have happened between them.

The popular though inaccurate theory is that it all dates back to a 4-3 defeat for United at Blackburn Rovers in February 2006, when Hughes was in charge at Ewood Park and Ferguson had a post-match drink with him, congratulated him for the win and then, in a moment of vintage Ferguson, went on television to berate Rovers’ playing style. Others say Hughes just likes to be his own man. Some managers cling to Ferguson’s coat-tails and convince themselves he is their friend. Hughes is dispassionate. He does not see the need to cosy up just as, in any walk of life, when you leave one job for another it is not always necessary to keep in touch with your old boss.

But there is history. Ned Kelly, once United’s head of security, remembers bumping into Hughes in a nightclub one evening in 1995, shortly after the player had left Old Trafford to join Chelsea.

“Whether it was the lateness of the hour, the strength of the alcohol, or something he had read … Sparky wanted to talk only about his former manager,” Kelly recalls. “‘Fergie never really rated me as a player,’ he complained. ‘I was only brought back from Barcelona to keep the fans happy.’”

Kelly remembers telling him “that’s bollocks”, but being unable to cheer him up. “Mark refused to listen. He was more interested in berating Fergie. It was sad that someone who had given such sterling service to the club had spent all those years believing his manager had thought so little of him.”

It is an anecdote that might partly explain why, 14 years on, Hughes is quite happy to snipe at Ferguson. In the run‑up to Sunday’s derby he even admitted being “amused” by the thought of Ferguson being asked so many questions about what is going on at the City of Manchester Stadium – which Ferguson once called the “Temple of Doom” – these days. He shrugged his shoulders theatrically when a Ferguson rant was brought up. He could barely suppress his mirth when Ferguson got so hot under the collar about the Carlos Tevez-inspired “Welcome to Manchester” billboard that City put up on Deansgate.

As for Ferguson, there are times when the United manager seems to regard confrontation as something that will help keep him young. His own digs have become sharper. Both men know how their comments will look in print. They are comfortable with it.

Ferguson is a leading member of the League Managers Association but he did not ring Hughes when he got the City job. Hughes tries to take the moral high ground whenever possible. Ferguson knew what he was doing when he questioned whether Hughes, having spent £120m this summer, had to win the Premier League title. Hughes, out of choice, remains distant. His own man. It does not particularly bother him what Ferguson thinks – and perhaps that is what Ferguson dislikes the most.

• Jake Joseph Clarke, 21, charged with unlawfully entering pitch
• Craig Bellamy could face punishment for his part in altercation

The fan who was shoved in the face by Manchester City’s Craig Bellamy during yesterday’s tempestuous Manchester derby at Old Trafford has been charged with unlawfully running on to the pitch.

Bellamy confronted the man, who staged a solo pitch invasion, before the supporter was led away by match stewards. Neither the fan nor the Wales striker has made a complaint to police about the clash but the supporter will appear in court later this month over the pitch encroachment. Bellamy could also face further sanction.

A Greater Manchester police spokeswoman said: “A man has been charged following an incident at the end of the match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford.

“Jake Joseph Clarke, 21, is charged with going on to a playing area without lawful authority or excuse and will appear before Trafford magistrates court on 30 September.”

The supporter ran from the United section as City kicked off following Michael Owen’s dramatic late winner in the home side’s 4-3 victory.

DO you know the fan who clashed with Manchester City player Craig Bellamy after the derby on Sunday?

MICHAEL Owen admits the intense atmosphere of the Manchester derby got to him as he was sat on the Old Trafford bench.


Thankfully for the United faithful, the 29-year-old kept his cool to slot home in the sixth minute of injury time as the Reds won 4-3.

Sir Alex and Patrice Evra lavish praise on Michael Owen after his winner.

David Gray and James Chester join Plymouth Argyle on loan.

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes says the officials got in wrong in the derby, saying: ‘I just want an explanation why [the referee] added seven minutes’ after Manchester United scored late in added time. Vote now on whether Hughes has grounds for complaint

THE only man on the pitch who was born when City last won a major trophy, was United’s match-winner on Sunday.


Ryan Giggs was just two years old when the Blues won the League Cup at Wembley in 1976.

• City striker shoved supporter after Michael Owen’s winner
• Officers will also look at coin attack on Javier Garrido

Police have confirmed that they are to investigate an incident in which Craig Bellamy confronted a fan on the Old Trafford pitch following Manchester City’s 4-3 defeat to Manchester United yesterday.

Bellamy approached the man, who had staged a solo pitch invasion, and shoved him in the face before the fan was then led away by stewards.

“At the end of the derby between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, a member of the public ran on to the pitch, and was detained by police and security staff,” a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said. “During this time, there was an altercation between the man and a player from Manchester City FC.

“No formal complaint has been made by either party but police are continuing to make inquiries.”

• Match report: United seal dramatic derby victory
• Richard Williams: Owen’s most dramatic goal since 1998
• Did the ref play too much added time? Vote now in our poll
• In pictures: An explosive Manchester derby

And this afternoon, the Football Association has also confirmed that it is to look into the altercation.

“We are investigating the incident and we will be looking at the referee’s match report,” confirmed a FA spokesman.

Disciplinary officials have already seen TV footage of the incident, and the FA are likely to make a decision on whether to charge Bellamy later today or tomorrow.

Greater Manchester Police will also investigate a coin-throwing attack on the City substitute Javier Garrido, who was struck as he headed down the tunnel at half-time.

The missile was launched from the home section of the crowd as Garrido walked alongside the probable intended target, Carlos Tevez, who was jeered throughout by United fans following his transfer across the city during the summer.

Police said there were no reports of any widespread disorder between fans at either the ground or in the city centre.

Twelve people were arrested at the ground for a variety of public order offences and a further 10 were arrested in the city.

A total of 51 supporters were ejected from Old Trafford during the game.

DARREN Fletcher says United have struck a major blow against United’s critics with a derby win to top off a critical week.


The champions had been under the microscope following an up and down opening to the new campaign after a quiet summer in the transfer market.

SIR Alex Ferguson said United turned up the volume to drown out all the fuss coming from Eastlands this term.


The Reds have been demoted in the publicity stakes this campaign as the Blues talked the talk. But United were the big noises at Old Trafford in the best derby for years.

Today’s rumours want out

Double swoops, velcro, cash-plus-player deals, marzipan, last-ditch loan moves, the smell of freshly cut grass – the Mill knows what it likes. And so do managers. They like convenient stoppage time, until it doesn’t suit them. They like players to fall over in the area, sometimes. They like to focus on the now, not dwell in the past. And they like talented young Slovakian midfielders.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benítez like them so much that they are ready to strip to the waist and go mano-a-mano over Napoli’s Marek Hamsik in January. Manchester United seem to have stolen a march on their rivals – a scout from Old Trafford, complete with woggle and his Talent Spotter badge, was spotted at the San Paolo Stadium on Saturday according to Naples local rag Il Mattino.

And, like the Mill, managers also enjoy the two-for-one convenience of the double swoop. Arsène Wenger is ready to splash out on Quiksave’s BOGOF turkey escalopes, a new pair of tassled suede loafers and West Ham’s Jack Collison and Matthew Upson, while Lazio want the Palermo pair of Mark Bresciano and Fábio Simplicio.

Free-scoring English strikers who probably aren’t quite good enough for the top flight are also a perenially popular choice, particularly in the north-east, where Steve Bruce and Sunderland will spend £5m on Leicester’s Matty Fryatt, though Hull may rival the Black Cats for his signature. David Healy is on his way out of the Stadium of Light, however, and heading to Coventry where Chris Coleman is the latest to turn a blind eye to the Northern Ireland forward’s atrocious club record.

And, in a paragraph that utterly gives away the Mill’s complete lack of inspiration this morning (and, in the Mill’s defence, is also indicative of the fact that the Mill sliced its right index finger open with a cheese grater yesterday and so, just as it is for you readers, every word is a painful experience), Kevin Anin has no intention of quitting Le Havre for Spurs, the Mallorca striker Pierre Webó says he is open to a move to Wigan “one day”, Newcastle are (still) close to a loan deal for Marlon Harewood, Sheffield United are tracking the former Paris St Germain winger Fabrice Pancrate and Derby County want Ryan Shotton on loan from Stoke.

No one can doubt the 29-year-old striker’s continued ability to hold his nerve to score at vital times

When Manchester City scored their third equaliser with 10 seconds of the 90 minutes left on the clock, thousands of home fans rose from their seats and headed for home. Franco Baldini had already left. All of them missed perhaps the most dramatic goal Michael Owen has scored since the summer night in 1998 when he scampered through the Argentina defence and wrote his name in the Saint-Etienne sky.

Baldini will no doubt watch it on television, as will his boss, Fabio Capello. In itself, the clinical finish in the sixth minute of added time might not be enough to persuade the England management team to find a place for Owen in their squad before next month’s qualifying matches against Ukraine and Belarus. But the goal ensured that however long the striker’s time at Old Trafford lasts, it will not go unremembered.

This was Owen’s second Premier League goal in a United shirt, to follow the one he scored to complete a 5-0 win after coming on as a substitute at Wigan a month ago, and again it evoked memories of his great years. After City, under incessant assault, had failed to clear their lines properly, a superbly alert Ryan Giggs provided Owen with what will be seen, should United go on win the title by a single point, as the decisive pass of the season.

Just as he had done against Wigan, Owen created the opportunity by drifting left and opening up a space between defenders. Hit with enough pace to take the defenders out of the game, Giggs’s pass invited Owen to control the ball with a single touch and, with the fate of an overheated derby at stake, calmly guided his shot past Shay Given’s left hand. At a stroke, he had put those of us who questioned the 29-year-old’s continuing ability to hold his nerve in such situations firmly in our place.

• Match report: United seal dramatic late derby win
• Hughes fumes over extra-time winner
• David Pleat: City lost their shape as game progressed
• Barney Ronay’s minute by minute report

There were plenty of sceptics ready to question Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to take Owen on a free transfer from Newcastle. It seemed too easy an option for the Manchester United manager, one perhaps intended to provide a little camouflage for his apparent inability, for whatever reason, to use the cash accrued from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo and saved by the decision not to retain Carlos Tévez.

While Tévez and Ronaldo packed their bags and said their goodbyes, Karim Benzema went from Lyon to Real Madrid and Sergio Agüero stayed at Atlético Madrid. The arrival of Owen, whose year at Real Madrid and four injury-disrupted seasons at Newcastle United seemed to have cast a remarkable career into premature decline, hardly matched the impact of other star strikers imported to Old Trafford amid loud fanfares over the last half-century, from Albert Quixall to Dimitar Berbatov.

It was Berbatov whom Owen replaced with 13 minutes of yesterday’s match remaining. In Ferguson’s view, the Bulgarian could have had five goals during his time on the pitch. Neutrals would probably have settled for two, from the pair of powerful headers that drew tremendous saves from Given in the 65th and 68th minutes. Ferguson called it “a fantastic performance by Berbatov”, but too often the £30m striker behaved as though he had been paying too much attention to the words attributed to Marlon Brando in response to a question about his acting technique: “Just because they shout ‘action’, it doesn’t mean you have to do anything.”

This was an all-action match, even when nothing much was happening for long stretches of the first half, and Berbatov gave the impression of allowing it to pass him by. Those headers were the exception and they should have been lethal, crowning a second half surely as one-sided as any in living memory at this level, in which virtually all City did was score their two goals. After Craig Bellamy had scored their second equaliser seven minutes after half-time, it was another 25 minutes before they put two passes together.

Bellamy’s second goal seemed to have condemned United to an afternoon of disappointment and to questions about the possible disappearance of the aura of superiority so assiduously cultivated by Ferguson. But then came the vivid flicker of instinct and skill with which Owen settled a derby that had all the chaotic momentum of a great cup tie.

“In the last two weeks he’s been doing very well in training,” Ferguson said. “He’s become sharper and his focus has been very good. His positional sense and his finishing are exceptional.”

Owen said he felt more nervous coming on as a substitute than he did when starting a match. “You watch the game from the bench,” he observed, “and you find yourself kicking every ball.” By kicking the one that counted, under colossal pressure, he added yet another line to Ferguson’s long list of managerial coups.

• Timekeeping is criticised after 96th-minute drama
• Ferguson dismisses City as ‘our noisy neighbours’

Mark Hughes angrily criticised the timekeeping at Old Trafford after Michael Owen’s dramatic winner, almost 5½ minutes into stoppage time, gave Manchester United a controversial 4-3 derby win and left Sir Alex Ferguson revelling in the misery of the team he described as “our noisy neighbours”.

Hughes was furious that the referee, Martin Atkinson, allowed the game to continue for so long after the fourth official signalled four minutes of added time and his anger was exacerbated by Ferguson’s provocative remarks, the United manager claiming his team should have won 6-0 before belittling Manchester City even further.

“It’s been unusual for us to accept that they [City] are top dogs in terms of media attention but, you know, sometimes you have a noisy neighbour and you have to live with it,” Ferguson said. “You can’t do anything about them if they keep on making noise but what you can do, as we showed today, is get on with your life, put your television on and turn it up a bit louder. As far as the players are concerned, they showed their playing power today and that’s the best answer of all.”

Hughes could not disguise his displeasure when he was made aware of those remarks but his main grievance was with the amount of stoppage time. At the final whistle he pointedly held out four fingers to Atkinson and, having watched the game’s final stages on video, his mood was even worse.

• Match report: United seal dramatic derby victory
• Richard Williams: Owen’s most dramatic goal since 1998
• Did the ref play too much added time? Vote now in our poll
• In pictures: An explosive Manchester derby

“The fourth official [Alan Wiley] tried to give me an explanation but it didn’t sit comfortably. He said he [Atkinson] had added a minute-plus because of our goal celebration [after Craig Bellamy had made it 3-3] but they got it wrong. We feel robbed.”

The official time for Bellamy’s goal was 89 minutes and 54 seconds and Hughes continued: “We scored right on 90 minutes and the board was already up for four minutes. We have since timed it from when we scored to when the game kicked off again and it was 45 seconds. They [United] actually scored after 95 minutes and 26 seconds, so he has obviously played too much time – and he actually went on to play 97 minutes in total.

“I just want an explanation. I’m not going to question his integrity, I just want an explanation why he added seven minutes and, if he can give me a good reason, I won’t have a problem, but I just can’t see where he got that time. It would be nice to get an explanation, though I doubt I will get one.”

Hughes noted that Old Trafford had a reputation for matches running well over the allotted time. “Historically it has happened before,” the former United player said. “I was in teams here who had that benefit and I never thought it was an issue because I actually thought we had a bad time by referees. Since I left I have probably changed my view.”

Ferguson disagreed. “The four minutes went up and then they scored their goal. I don’t know how long it took for them to celebrate but it took some time and that’s where the added time came from. But at the end of the day we have had a fantastic performance.

“I mean, really, what could the score really have been? We made three horrendous mistakes which you don’t even half associate with our team and it kept them in the game. We could have scored six or seven. The fact we made the mistakes probably made it the best derby game of all time, so you’re left wondering, would you rather have won 6-0 or won the greatest derby game of all time? I would rather have won 6-0.”

“Maybe he feels the need to say that but I don’t think he needs to,” Hughes responded. “I also feel we had a chance to go into the lead [at 1-1] when Carlos Tévez hit the post. He was fouled by Patrice Evra and it should have been a penalty but the referee missed that as well.”

Hughes’s mood was not helped by the manner in which United celebrated the winning goal, complaining that the unused substitute Gary Neville had “run on like a lunatic”. Neville ran along the side of the pitch to celebrate in front of the City supporters and Hughes described his former team-mate as “over-excitable”.

It was the tone of an afternoon in which Ferguson and Hughes could also be seen exchanging angry words on the touchline. Asked later whether United’s “noisy neighbours” would be quieter for a while, Ferguson replied: “Well, they’ll always be noisy.”

Manchester City won the midfield battle in the first half but faded in the second, after changing a well-balanced shape

Shape

Mark Hughes’s solution to being without Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, and without the tricks of Robinho, was a 4–2–3–1 formation. Away from home in a hotly anticipated, fierce derby he employed Gareth Barry alongside the Dutchman Nigel de Jong, shielding the defence. Ahead of these two, Stephen Ireland was instructed to supply the wide men, Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right and Craig Bellamy on the left. Carlos Tevez, declared fit, would not need to be instructed to work his socks off as the lone striker roving across the width of the 18-yard box.

Tactics

Although Ben Foster presented City with an equaliser, City had started well. Strong in midfield, with Barry alongside De Jong and Ireland just in front, the defence was always able to find a free member of the trio. Outnumbered, United’s central midfield pairing of Darren Fletcher and Anderson had problems. At the same time, Wright-Phillips and Bellamy were progressive on the wings and kept an eye on United’s full-backs when possession changed hands. Unquestionably, City’s shape and balance was effective in the first period as they restricted United’s attacking options and played tidily when they gained possession.

Did it succeed?

City failed because, when Antonio Valencia entered the game and United enjoyed a period of ascendency, they changed a well-balanced shape which was suiting them. Hughes was worried by United’s more vibrant approach, so Ireland was ushered wide to the left, and Bellamy came infield to partner Tevez. Now Fletcher and Anderson were direct opponents to De Jong and Barry. City faded badly. They struggled to get hold of the ball, Wright-Phillips was denied service and Tevez became an onlooker.

Major dangers

Wright-Phillips showed speed and movement down the right, and pinned Patrice Evra back for long spells. While United struggled in the first period, De Jong excelled – he tackled, he intercepted, and passed with simplicity and authority. City’s three-man midfield looked good enough to take the game, but when that was broken the team collapsed. Suddenly United’s play was full of drive and vibrancy, and they supplied a string of crosses into the box.

Weaknesses

When City came under second-half pressure they struggled to deal with deep crosses. Shay Given made some wonderful, instinctive saves but his relationship with his back four seemed fragile. There was a general nervousness which was not apparent in the first period, and United simply won too many headers. Wayne Bridge and Micah Richards, the two full-backs, lacked composure at times. The centre-backs, Kolo Touré and Joleon Lescott, will be fantastic assets but clearly need time and games to gel.

• Diouf interviewed by Merseyside police over alleged comments
• Bellamy hit out at pitch invader after Manchester derby

Craig Bellamy and El-Hadji Diouf may argue that their reputation as troublemakers unfairly precedes them but both players could be in hot water with the Football Association this morning after unsavoury incidents at Old Trafford and Goodison Park.

Manchester City have pledged to defend Bellamy if he faces an FA inquiry for hitting out at a pitch invader during the Manchester derby at Old Trafford while Diouf was interviewed by Merseyside Police over alleged comments to a ball boy.

“I did not see it but the guy should not have been on the pitch,” Mark Hughes, the City manager, said of the Bellamy incident. “That is not acceptable.”

Bellamy, the scorer of two of City’s goals, struck out after a Manchester United supporter came on to the playing surface after Michael Owen’s stoppage-time goal had won the game 4-3.

“I seem to recall Brian Clough clipping someone around the ear once [after Nottingham Forest’s fans had invaded the pitch] and he was lauded as a national hero,” Hughes added. “Maybe it will be the same with Craig but I doubt it. I’m sure people will make a nuisance of it.”

Diouf, meanwhile, was interviewed by police after Blackburn Rovers’ defeat at Everton amid allegations that he racially abused a ball boy.

The Senegal international is alleged to have said “fuck off white boy” when the ball boy rolled the ball past Diouf and not to him as he went to take a throw-in early in Rovers’ 3-0 defeat.

Their exchange prompted an evident outcry among Everton supporters at the Gwladys Street end of the stadium and a complaint from the ball boy at the centre of the alleged incident. Police officers went to the Blackburn dressing room after the game and are expected to interview the striker again this week.

“Merseyside Police is investigating an allegation of a 28-year-old man using racist language at the Everton match today [Sunday 20 September] at Goodison Park. Inquiries are under way,” confirmed police in a statement. Blackburn Rovers were unavailable for comment about the incident last night. Diouf’s heated exchange with the ball boy is the latest controversy involving the Blackburn forward, who was was fined by Liverpool and banned by Uefa for spitting at a Celtic supporter during a Uefa Cup tie involving his former club in March 2003. He was also banned and fined for spitting at Arjen De Zeeuw during a Bolton game at Portsmouth.

There was a further incident involving supporters at Old Trafford, Hughes confirming that the substitute Javier Garrido was struck by a coin thrown from the home section at half-time. It seemed the attack was actually aimed at the former United striker Carlos Tévez, who was booed throughout by United fans by the home faithful. “Apparently so,” Hughes confirmed. “Something came from the crowd but he is OK.”

Two-goal Darren Fletcher says United’s derby win was emotionally exhausting.

Patrice Evra felt for former team-mate during the Manchester derby.

James Richardson and the pod crew made history this weekend in the first ever live recording of Football Weekly. In case you missed what could possibly have gone wrong, here’s how it went down…

Direct from the M6, Kevin McCarra joins us on the line to discuss all the drama from Old Trafford as Manchester United defeated Manchester City at the very death.

Also in the show, Jonathan Wilson, Barney Ronay, and Rob Smyth analyse the rest of the Premier League and Championship results, including Chelsea’s steamrollering of Tottenham, and Sol Campbell’s debut for Notts County.

Finally, Sid Lowe reports live from row P in the Bernabeau in Madrid to round-up the weekend’s Spanish football news, including a thumping win for Barcelona.

Have a listen, imagine what it was like to be there in the moment, and post your comments on the blog below.

We’re back as usual on Thursday 24 September with Football Weekly Extra.

Burnley’s free-kick parsimony, Bolton and Stoke’s battle of the big men and how Ryan Giggs came to life against City

Nice guys don’t finish last

Burnley gave away only four free-kicks against Sunderland on Saturday – the lowest in a Premier League match this season – and two of those were conceded in the first five minutes. Sunderland were guilty of 20 fouls and the result reflected that the Balack Cats were on top of their game.

Throwing caution out of the window

Bolton Wanderers v Stoke City was billed as a battle between two direct, muscular sides and it turned out to be just that. Neither goalkeeper rolled out many short passes, with Thomas Sorensen attempting just one and Bolton’s Jussi Jaaskelainen trying two. Kevin Davies and Dave Kitson were the predominant targets for their respective keepers.

Growing old gracefully

An analysis of Ryan Giggs’s passing in the first and second halves against Manchester City shows the effect of moving him further forward after the break. Giggs dominated the game in the second half from the left wing, not only setting up two of Manchester United’s goals but also popping up in the box.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson labels his side’s thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester City as probably the “best derby of all time”.

City boss Mark Hughes demands an explanation from the referee after United striker Michael Owen settles the Manchester derby in the 96th minute.

• Hughes: ‘Where he got seven minutes from, I have no idea’
• Michael Owen’s finish was world class, says Ferguson

The Manchester City manager Mark Hughes said he felt his side were “robbed” after suffering a 4-3 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

United substitute Michael Owen scored in the sixth minute of added time to claim the most dramatic of victories for the home side at the end of a captivating Manchester derby. The timing of the goal left Hughes using forceful language to describe the match.

“In the end we feel really frustrated and, if it is not a too strong word, robbed because the ref has played seven minutes (of added time),” reflected Hughes. “Alan Wiley tried to explain he added the time for our celebration but I looked at the video and that lasted 45 seconds. Where he has got the seven minutes from I have no idea. We’re desperately disappointed because I felt we deserved something.”

Television cameras picked up an incident between Bellamy and a fan, with suggestions the City striker pushed the supporter in the face. “I’m sure people will make a nuisance about that,” Hughes said. “I seem to recall Brian Clough clipping someone around the ear and he was lauded as a national hero. Maybe it will be the same case with Craig but I doubt it.”

Alex Ferguson claimed his side had silenced their city rivals successfully, saying: “Sometimes you have a noisy neighbour. You cannot do anything about that. They will always be noisy. You just have to get on with your life, put your television on and turn it up a bit louder. Today the players showed their form. That is the best answer of all.”

Ferguson believed United deserved their victory, and said the score line ought to have been more convincing. “We could have had six or seven today,” he said, but admitted that the performance was riddled with defensive errors. “The fact we made those mistakes probably made it the best derby game of all time,” he said. “What would you rather have, a 6-0 win or the greatest derby of all time? I would prefer to win 6-0.”

He reserved particular praise for late substitute Owen and his match-winning cameo.

“Michael was only on for something like 17 minutes,” said Ferguson. “He was the best man to be on there when the game is going to be in their penalty box. There is no-one better at taking chances. His positional play, first touch and finish were absolutely superb. World class.”

Michael savours one of the finer moments of his career: a dramatic derby winner.

Sir Alex Ferguson was left exhilarated but concerned by United’s derby win.

Got a burning issue you want the boss to discuss? Here’s your chance!

CHECK out the thrilling Manchester derby in pictures.

SIR Alex Ferguson revealed he knew Michael Owen was coming into form after the striker won one of the most memorable Manchester derbies of all time.


Owen scored a 96th minute goal to give United a 4-3 win over City at Old Trafford.

Carlos Tevez will break into a cold sweat when he contrasts his first-half miss with the clinical finish of the man brought in to replace him

The target, undoubtedly, was Carlos Tévez. As the Manchester City players left the pitch at half-time the most reviled player in the stadium was staring sullenly at the fans in the Stretford End. It was a sea of hand signals and angry, contorted faces and Tévez began to applaud sarcastically. Something was thrown. It struck Javier Garrido, the wrong player. In that moment Tévez must have realised the true depth of feeling here when it comes to his defection to the other side of a divided city.

There are many different ways to make someone feel unwelcome. Sir Alex Ferguson’s own technique was to freeze Tévez into the gulag of indifference, with not a single reference to his former player in his programme notes, no mention of Tévez’s part in helping to restore the European Cup to Old Trafford, no message welcoming him back to Old Trafford. Ferguson talks about Tévez these days only when he is asked. It is as though he would rather airbrush him from the club’s history.

As for the crowd, they opted for outright hostility, attacking Tévez for his perceived treachery; so voluble was their contempt it was difficult to remember the last time a visiting player to Old Trafford had been received so badly. City had their fun with their Tévez-inspired Welcome to Manchester billboard earlier this summer. United’s fans made their point with a banner bearing the same message – complete with a list of the club’s major trophies.

Nothing will have hurt Tévez more, however, than that moment in the 96th minute, long after City thought the game should have ended, when Ryan Giggs picked out Michael Owen inside the penalty area and everything seemed to go into slow motion. Here was the man who had been brought in to replace Tévez and, with his first chance, his finish was unerring. Some of the City players sunk to the ground in despair. Tévez simply stood and stared. It was a moment of classic United.

It will not need to be pointed out to the Old Trafford crowd that this was the same end at which Tévez had squandered his one big chance of the afternoon. Tévez, one imagines, could find himself breaking into a cold sweat when he recalls that moment, in the last attack of the first half, when the ball was at his feet inside the penalty area and, unchallenged, his shot flicked off the outside of the post. It was the kind of miss that could be used as evidence to back Ferguson’s claims that the striker was simply not worth the unspecified, but undoubtedly huge, fee that City had paid for him.

Football can be brutal like that because if it had not been for Owen’s late contribution that miss would have been largely glossed over in appreciation of the way Tévez had played and the manner in which, for City’s opening goal, he had turned down the volume on the hate mob. Tévez displayed all the qualities that had made him such a favourite at Old Trafford – indefatigable, hard-running, always looking for danger and quick, strong and brave enough to unnerve even the most accomplished opponents.

Perhaps he had inside information too. Maybe he knew from his time at Old Trafford that Ben Foster can dither sometimes when he comes off his goal-line. The game was barely a minute old when Tévez got in behind Nemanja Vidic to charge down one clearance and when he sensed the goalkeeper’s vulnerability again his determination paid off.

This was classic Tévez, scampering after Gareth Barry’s pass when most players would have accepted that it was too far to reach. Foster, again, was uncertain and Tévez was there in a flash. This was all about his tenacity and desire but there was also something understated about the way that, having dispossessed the goalkeeper, his desperation to prove a point did not blur his thoughts and he still had the presence of mind to see that Barry was in a better position than himself. Barry may have slotted the ball into the exposed net but it was a goal that owed everything to Tévez.

It could have been one of the defining moments of a momentous match. Instead, this was probably the day that Owen’s Manchester United career started in earnest and Tévez’s contribution was consigned to the small print.

MICHAEL Owen believes he proved his dedication to Manchester United with his dramatic last-gasp winner against Manchester City at Old Trafford.


Owen spent eight years playing for United’s bitter rivals Liverpool but Sir Alex Ferguson signed him this summer - and the 29-year-old scored his second goal for the club to seal a 4-3 win deep in stoppage-time against City.

Tom Jenkins captures the best of the action from Old Trafford where Manchester United host Manchester City

UNITED striker Michael Owen snatched an incredible victory deep into stoppage time in one of the most memorable derbies of all time.


Wayne Rooney scored early for United but Ben Foster gifted City an equaliser through Gareth Barry. Darren Fletcher and Craig Bellamy then traded goals to take the score up to 3-3 before substitute Owen’s remarkable strike.

The money stoked the passion. All that investment in Manchester City certainly bought a wealth of persistence, as they notched three equalisers, but their opponents raged against all efforts to question their superiority. A startling game, crammed with mistakes, saw the reigning champions take the lead for the last time in the sixth minute of stoppage time, although only four had been indicated.

City, having come up with three equalisers, are brooding over the referee Martin Atkinson’s extension of the action but itis just as significant that they were never able to stifle United. The decider was claimed by the substitute Michael Owen, with an expert finish across the goalkeeper Shay Given after a pass from the superb Ryan Giggs.

There has been debate over the signing of Owen, since it is hard to tell how he can be a regular starter, but this impact as a lethal specialist more than vindicated his involvement. It was an occasion of delirious, thrilling mayhem but one man enjoyed the greatest impact of all by remaining studied. Giggs had a cameo in the opener and took a key role in the other three goals for United.

Regardless of the resentment and the galling knowledge that not even a third leveller, from Craig Bellamy in the 90th minute, could secure a point, this match did City some credit. Sir Alex Ferguson would have you believe that a series of bungles caused United’s difficulties but that was an acceptable account mostly of the second half. Prior to that, Carlos Tevez, back at his old club, and others were menacing.

• Hughes fumes at United’s extra-time winner
• Richard Williams: Owen’s most dramatic goal since 1998
• Carlos Tevez eclipsed on heated Old Trafford return
• David Pleat: City lost their shape towards the end

City had been incisive and Bellamy, who would eventually score twice, was too vibrant for Ferguson’s defence to subdue him entirely. There was disquiet in the United ranks before the game was under way. It could be witnessed in the Stretford End barrier that declared, “Your players make money, our players make history.”

Outsiders will find that absurd. City are a club of incredible means but the millionaires on United’s books will be keeping body and soul together without much trouble. Neither team acted as if there was anything other than pride at stake. Ferguson, at home, was obliged to chase the win and that proved a critical difference.

Antonio Valencia had already been introduced before Owen took the field. He was there, instead of Park Ji-sung, because United were out to harry City. It was then, with the score at 2-2, that Hughes’ team began to act as if they would settle for a share of the points. That attitude has led a lot of visitors into harm in this arena.

In retrospect Hughes might feel he overreacted by switching Stephen Ireland towards the left to keep an eye on Valencia. City, who had tied the score at 2-2 in the 52nd minute, unravelled even if they still had opportunities sporadically. Once the character of the game changed, Given had to make a series of excellent saves as Giggs picked out team-mates at will. Darren Fletcher would score twice from the Welshman’s deliveries.

Ryans Giggs dominated the second half from the left wing, not just setting up two of United’s goals, but also popping up in the box

Bellamy could not quite redress the balance, for all his impact here. United, in truth, might have maintained a steadier command if it had not been for the infirmity of the goalkeeper. Ferguson maintains that Foster is by far the best Englishman in that position. On this evidence Fabio Capello must be aghast if that is really the case.

Goalkeeping looked initially as if it would not be an issue for United. After two minutes Patrice Evra bounded on to a Giggs throw-in to set up Wayne Rooney. The striker then dashed between Kolo Touré and Nigel de Jong to finish. City’s first leveller saw Foster trying to take a loose City pass into his area instead of thumping it into the stands. Foster could not grasp the ball cleanly and City’s terrier of a forward Carlos Tévez knocked it into the path of Gareth Barry, who rolled the ball home calmly.

The visitors’ sweetest move then saw Touré rob Rooney and a turning Stephen Ireland roll a pass to Tévez. The Argentinian clipped the post with his finish in the 45th minute. That was a high-water mark because City dipped thereafter, as if survival were the sole target. After 49 minutes Evra fed Giggs and from a deep cross Fletcher climbed above a static Barry to nod in at the far post.

This, all the same, is a City side with persistence. After 52 minutes Bellamy moved across John O’Shea and, from the fringes of the area, lashed a drive high beyond the left hand of Foster. United reverted to a then proven approach with Giggs, from a set piece, picking out the head of Fletcher, who re-established the advantage 10 minutes from the end.

The duel should have ended there but Foster’s fallibility could not be concealed. Rio Ferdinand lost possession and Bellamy raced down the left to squeeze a shot past the unimpressive goalkeeper from an angle. The Welshman’s efforts were in vain but City’s rivalry with United may reach an intensity it has seldom seen before.

The breakdown

Sir Alex Ferguson

Selection: Anderson kept his place, leaving Carrick on the bench.

Tactics: Berbatov and Rooney both started as United sought to put City under strain.

Game-changing: The introduction of Owen proved decisive.

Man of the match: Ryan Giggs. The veteran became increasingly influential as he tore City open from the left. He set up three goals and had a hand in the other.

Suspensions: None.

Mark Hughes

Selection: Had Tévez available following a knee injury.

Tactics: With Tévez fit, Bellamy was employed on the left of an attacking midfield trio.

Game-changing: With City 3-2 down, Martin Petrov was brought on to try and put the accent on attack.

Disappointment: Micah Richards. The full-back had his good moments, but ultimately the guile and craft of Giggs were too much for him.

Suspensions: None.

Key minute: 96. So far as City were concerned, the match should have been over, but United pounced.

FIND out how we rated the Reds for their performance in the 4-3 win over City at old Trafford.

FOLLOW our live blog on the 152nd Manchester derby and have your say as the action unfolds.


We’ll have comment on the game, photographs, polls and more as the Red and Blue halves of Manchester clash at Old Trafford.

Click the button below for automatic updates, or otherwise press F5. Make sure you listen to the Football Weekly Live podcast from 6pm for even more comment and analysis

Hello and welcome to the build-up to what already looks like a genuinely fascinating match. Both teams can go top by winning it, not that that really matters in September.
But it’s the sub-plots that really count. Millions of them. Mark Hughes returns to Old Trafford. So does Carlos Tevez and his white crochet hat. But really it’s that cutting edge tension between old-style local derby kerfuffle and new-style newbie billionaire would-giant rubbing up against the club who set the early 1990s template for global commercially-driven giganticism.

Ah. Teams just in mid-waffle:
Man Utd Foster, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Park, Anderson, Fletcher, Giggs, Berbatov, Rooney. Subs Kuszczak, Neville, Owen, Carrick, Nani, Evans, Valencia.
Man City Given, Richards, Lescott, Toure, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Barry, De Jong, Ireland, Bellamy, Tevez. Subs Taylor, Zabaleta, Garrido, Petrov, Weiss, Ball, Sylvinho.
Ref Martin Atkinson

So Tevez starts, as he was always going to if he was fit, with Adebayor locked in the shed for goading. And Rio Ferdinand’s back from his latest bout of groin-knack. And we’ve got a United midfield of Park, Anderson, Fletcher and Giggs. Is that particularly inspiring?

Some boos for Tevez as he runs out to warm up. Not your actual cauldron of hate as yet. Is it just me, or have the TV companies been ramping all this of stuff up unacceptably this season? It’s not just the laughably badly-timed ESPN ads about goading and taunting. They’ve been doing it for years, playing up the tribalism and the feuds and selling subscriptions on the back of it. Richard Keys is desperate for Tevez to get it today. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone just clapped politely? Take that, Sky highlights montage.

Wayne Roonay and Carlos Tevez doing a bit of backslapping and manly hugging in the tunnel. Nice to see from the interchangeable scurriers.

Gary Naylor wants to put in a word for the right to goad and boo: “I like the reactions different players get when playing against former clubs - it’s an instant plebscite on their personalities and decison-making. It’s always heartwarming to hear the applause for a much-loved ex-player (Tevez at Upton Park for example) but there’s something glorious about the unanimity of booing that greets a player who left for the money - Francis Jeffers’ return to Goodison was enormous fun!”

Quite like that City midfield three: Ireland, De Jong, Barry. Two 19-year-olds on the bench though. and they do miss Adebayor - looks a really good first XI with him in there. The player’s are out. Some booing for C-Tev.

Fred Lane wonders: “Roo & Tev - “interchangeable scurriers”?
On the pitch? In the boudoir?” That’s just plain iffy. Wash your mind out with soap.

1 min: City kick off!! And right away Tevez almost charges down a clearance by Foster after he was sold a bit short by Vidic.

3 mins: GOAL FOR UNITED!! Rooney scores, and that’s top class. Terrible defending from Richards as he fails to pick up Evra from a throw, he squares it to Rooney, who wades through two weak tackles and finishes. Lovely sharp stuff, but woeful defending from the ex-England utility man.

5 mins: Wow, what a start and United are hogging the ball. Richards looks distraught and really needs to calm down out there. Ferguson jumped up and did his sneaky shadow punch to the kidneys when that one went in.

6 mins: Anderson, Fletcher and Park are scuttling about like lunatics. Really big test for City this. The defence looks really shaky, as it might with three new men in.

9 mins: De Jong muscles Fletcher aside in midfield and tries to get things moving forward but it’s all disjointed and the ball ends up bobbling out of play. They keep doing close-ups of Richards. He looks like he’s steaming. He was chatting to Toure when the throw was taken. Wright-Phillips was also to blame for losing Evra. This could be a cracker you know.

11 mins: United are really pumped up in midfield. Anderson harries Barry who fouls him and allows Giggs to whip in a free kick that’s too low and Toure heads clear. But disappointing with those Giggs, even after all these years.

12 mins: Nice crossfield pass almost gets Wright-Philips in, making a decent run. City look a bit shocked but lots of quality out there for them. They will be back in this game. Looking at the Rooney goal again, it was a lovely finish, great switch of feet.

14 mins: Anderson slips it to Berbatov in a deep position and he wumps a shot over the bar. Nice little run to get there, but Lescott let him go.
Gary Naylor’s not happy: “Call me old-fashioned, but when Rooney’s goal went in, Evra was standing behind Given a yard away from him in the six yard box. That’s offside in my book.” Only in 1986 though. Your book is due back at the library. 23 years ago.

16 mins: Rooney runs at Richards again and skips inside to cross but Bridge is well positioned to head clear. He at least looks very solid and very mobile out there so far.

16 mins: GOAL CITY SCORE!!! That is an absolute gift, but great closing down by Tevez. Foster tries to shepherd the ball back into his area, but it’s not going to get there and Tevez robs him and squares to Barry. He sweeps it home. That is comedy goal-keeping but very sharp from City. It’s all going off out there.

18 mins: Fergie Fergie sign him up, is the chant. In Blue. Just seen a replay. Foster does not come out of it well.

20 mins: United have a spell of attacking, nice inter-play between Giggs and Rooney, the ball eventually breaks to Anderson but his shot is hoofed miles over the bar. Lovely cool finish for the goal from Barry by the way. Foster, though, looks more suspect every time you see him. Yes, he made a great save against Arsenal, but he already owed them one. He just looks jittery and indecisive. Is there a cure for that?

23 mins: City still look a bit dodgy at the back. Lescott is hustled out of it by Fletcher and Rooney almost gets another shot in but some decent blocking shuts the door. Richards, to his credit, is still charging forward at every opportunity. Without any grace or skill, but with lots of power and crazed momentum. A break down the right ends up with W-Phillips floating over a cross and Tevez heading well over. But the game is quite open now.

26 mins: Rooney and Berbatov look quite good together up front by the way. Some nice little dinky passes in behind. All down that right hand side so far, where the lumbering Richards prowls.

27 mins: The pattern is: United keep the ball, United attack, City get in the way, City break quickly but don’t quite get anywhere. And, ah ha, Tevez is booked for a clumsy lunge at Ferdinand. Jeers. He waves a contrite sorry.

29 mins: Say what you like about Tevez, he certainly doesn’t hide. Not seen much of Bellamy or Ireland yet.

29 mins: Having said that, beautiful piece of quick feet skill by Ireland wins a free kick 35 yards out as Park is fooled. Go on. Have a go at Foster.

31 mins: Tevez does have a go but it hits the wall, the ball breaks to Park and it’s another City free kick as Park fouls again. This one will be “whipped in” from the left wing.

32 mins: Bellamy’s rubbish free kick is headed clear by Rooney, but it’s a good spell for City, their best with the ball. And suddenly Ireland seems to be getting involved, his little bald head poppping up all over the place like a ping pong ball.

33 mins: Rooney robs Barry and tries a slightly embarrassing instant Cantona-style chip that flies miles wide. They never work. Really, they don’t. Just blast it.

36 mins: Anderson is booked for a heavy slide-block tackle on Tevez. Borderline for a booking - looked like he was defending himself slightly.
And Simon Frank wanders: “What are the chances of Tevez scoring and doing something Adebayor-esque with his celebration? High I’d say. Maybe dance a tango with Fergie or something”. I don’t think he’s the type is he? Surely he’ll go no further than cupping his ear significantly.

38 mins: Giggs swings in a free-kick from what I suppose I must now call Giggs Country. Berbatov heads over the bar. Someone who was really good at heading would have buried that. As it was it flew miles high, propelled by his lank Alice-banded crown.

41 mins: There was a bit of a shin-high studs-up lunge from the lovely Bellamy in there on Anderson that the ref missed. Might have looked worse on the replay. This game is taking a breath now. Very even in midfield after the early red tide.

42 mins: Tevez still “making a nuisance of himself”. He’s world class at that. Closes Fletcher down and forces him to punt it out of play. Lovely nuisancing. Maybe harsh but does he do a lot else these days? I get the feeling he’s become a bit obsessed with all the cheers he gets for his closing down, all that grafty showboating.

44 mins: Great surging run by Richards, wins a freee kick for which Vidic is booked. Kick swung in and foster punches miles clear. Much better.

45 mins: Tevez hits the post!! Toure intercepts Rooney’s pass, the ball is played forward and a lovely dummy-flick-on from Ireland plays in Tevez with just Foster to beat. He hits the outside of the post from eight yards. Really, really should have scored. Old Trafford was silent for a second there. Good closing down from Vidic as he went to shoot.

45+2 mins: Free kick 30 yards out, Bellamy hits the wall and Lescott smashes the rebound over the bar from a good position.

45+3 mins: HALF TIME. Tevez walks off cuddling his good mate Evra. He had a great chance at the end there. And 1-1 looks about right. It’s been a really good, open half, not exactly top quality yet, but very dramatic. You feel it might kick off properly in the second half.

On potential Tevez celebrations, Gary Naylor feels somehitng more classy is in order: “Should Tevez score, I’d like to see him run to the centre-spot and bow gracefully to all four sides of the ground. Just as much of a two-fingers as Adebayor’s slide, but surely unlikely to attract the attention of the disciplinary panel.”

I’m off for some kind of beverage from the disgusting but very fancy-looking machine. Back in ten.

Aidan Gibson must be watching a subtly different game: “This match has gotten so bad that David Pleat is now talking about the “modern player” and “hairdryers”". Get off Pleaty. He’s a tactical genius.

Jamie Watson smells something foul afoot: “So, Vidic and Anderson in the book, Bellamy and Richards not. Do I need to revisit the rule book or does the ref?” Oh no. It’s starting. Don’t say it’s starting.

And Pangeran Siahaan is trying out sarcasm: “Now can we all start to think City is a massive club?” Ah dear.

Richard Keys has just said “one apiece!” in an excited voice, the voice he would use if he was actually challenging you to a fight. Want a piece? You want a piece of the Keys?

Fergie looks cross. Bet they’ll start like a train.

Oh crap. Someone has thrown a “missile” at Tevez, which hit Garrido. Hopefully not a real missile, just a sandwich or a fag lighter.

46 mins: United kick off. And win an early free-kick about 40 yards out, Barry barging Anderson over. Bit soft that. Giggs is over it.

48 mins: But it’s Rooney who takes it and thumps it into the wall. That was never going anywhere near the goal. They haven’t really solved the free-kicks issue post-Ronaldo. Someone needs to get the cardboard wall out and stay on after training.

49 mins: GOAL FOR UNITED!! Darren Fletcher gets above Gareth Barry rising like a young Nat Lofthouse to power a header into the bottom corner. Nice work from Evra by the toucline, lays it back to Giggs and his high cross gets Fletchered. I love a power-header like that. Nothing quite like it.

51 mins: More United, Evra’s cross is headed out to Park who has a shot from inside the box but it’s well wide. May have been a bit of a deflection off Barry on the header from the goal. But it was still a fine leap.

52 mins: Could have been another as Given saves really well with his feet from Giggs. Played in really well by Rooney, but his left foot dink is too weak.

52 mins: WOW CITY SCORE!!! Absolutely brilliant from Bellamy, who cuts inside on the left from Tevez’s pass and hits an absolutely unstoppable shot into the far top corner. No saving that. Fantastic strike.

54 mins: Park finds acres of space in the centre and shoots just wide as Lescott belatedly closes him down. Bellamy, to be fair, has had a decent game today. He’s very good defensively now, racing back to nick the ball a lot. But that goal was really something, the kind of goal you might score once, in a five a side goal, in your entire 30 year career of trying to play football. Right in the top corner.

56 mins: Giggs goes on an Early Giggs-trademark run to the byline, but ends it with an Early Giggs-trademark wasteful dink straight into the crowd. Both teams still really going at it out there.

59 minutes: Bellamy gets booked for doing some of that “great defensive work” ie hacking down Anderson. And Ian Copestake wants to take a minute to consider the men in yellow plastic vests: “Who would want to be a steward in this game. They seem to be at the sharp-end when it comes to crowd rebellions and are instantly forgotten for their pains.:” Yeah. But it’s a bit like being a traffic warden isn’t it? Who. Why. Why would you?

60 mins: United coming on strong now. Lots of pressure. Another corner here as Bridge slides in. The ball actually bounces in the middle of the six yard box and comes out to Rooney but his shot is blocked. And Marl Lawson, who has doen this before, is still mocking the poor old MBM man: “Come on Barney, your Facebook fan club has only 7 fans! This is only
due to a lack of advertising. Your fans need you, this is your
opportunity!” Get off it.

63 mins: Park is off and the so far underwhelming Valencia is on. Big chance for him to kick start his Old Trafford career. Mark hughes has just been whacked by the ball, not watching on the touchline. Haw. Ha. Snigger. And Gary Naylor believes it’s a man’s game: “When Bellamy shot for the equaliser, Ferdinand was turning his back, shying away from the ball. Isn’t it his job to “put his body on the line”. This shying away from being hit by the ball is creeping into the game even, hilariously, from defenders in a defensive wall.”

65 mins: United continue to carry the game to City, who look pacy and spiky on the break. Chris Johnson points out: “I think Traffic Wardens do a great job. Why should people get away with parking selfishly?” I agree. And so do stewards. But it’s just a question of whether you’d actually want to do it or not. It takes a certain… you know. Steeliness. And, blimey, what a save from Given, Berbatov has a free header four yards out as Kolo toure goes to sleep (perhaps literally) and Given palms it out with great reaction speed and some luck.

68 mins: Evra bursts forward again and wins a throw. His quick one is crossed in by Rooney and Toure hacks it over the bar. Could have gone anywhere that. And oh my what a save by Given again from Berbatov. Giggs does Ireland far too easily, delivers for Berbatov and his powerful header is again clawed out by Given. Great stuff.

70 mins: Giggs is bossing the game right now. City can’t get close to him on the left. And, blimey it’s another save by Given as Valencia crosses and Giggs volleys it down the middle, only for Given to palm it over. Rampant stuff, but can they score?

72 mins: More great work from the on-fire Giggs on the left, picks out Berbatov but his header is over the bar and to be fair the cross was just too high. David Wall asks: “How much longer do you think Richards has got at City unless he recovers something like his debut-season form? Hughes talked of having two top-class players for every position in David Conn’s articles this weekend but they don’t seem to have even one at right-back.” Well, he’s being beasted by a 46-year-old right now. And yes, Valencia came on for Park.

74 mins: Time to draw breath at last. Little Michael Owen is warming up. And Ed Bayling has the answer: “Why be a steward? Easy - get yourself and the kids in free every week! (And with any luck, you’ll end up working the family enclosure where the biggest drama is the queue for pies at half time). On which note, thanks to my uncle for all the free tickets to see the mighty Shrewsbury Town back in the day….”
On shying away Mac Millings muses: “Mr. Naylor raises an interesting point, particularly as it seems that players are shying away more as the ball becomes lighter, making them double-soft. By the time FIFA mandates use of a beach ball, defenders will be fleeing in terror for the nearest bathroom as the near-balloon floats towards them.”

76 mins: Giggs continues to come up with all United’s best stuff. Where’s Rooney gone? You feel they might, just might have missed their chance to score. City are having a little more of the ball now. They have dug in, to their credit.
And George Templeton asks: “If we want to send e-mails in for the live football weekly should we send them to you or is there another web address. And will you be on the live football weekly?” Er… You can sure. I don’t know. And yes I will be. Anyone got anything interesting I can say?

78 mins: Owen is on for Berbatov. Big, big chance for him to endear himself.

80 mins: Another free-kick in a dnagerous place near the edge of the box on the left. Giggs to take it.
And here’s Rob Hisnay on Fergie looking cross: “During the halftime break he was probably wondering why in the world he signed Berbotov for 30 million when he should have signed/kept Tevez for that amount. And then spending 17 million to get Valencia from Wigan, meanwhile Bayern Munich spent 22 million to get Robben from Real Madrid.” Do you really think so? I never realised he was so reflective and self-critical.

81 mins: UNITED SCORE!!!! Giggs whips in the free-kick and once again Darren Fletcher rises like a golden eagle to head it into the back of the net. Terrible defending - he was unmarked, but perhaps a result of all the pressure United have had. Can City do it again here?

83 mins: Hughes sends on Petrov for De Jong. But it’s still United who have the ball. And City really haven’t done much either side of Bellamy’s goal this half. Terrible marking for the last goal by the way.

86 mins: hughes looks a bit resigned on the touchline now. You have to say his bench is a bit light. Sure that can be sorted in January with a few quid from the nice men in the helicopters. Anderson has a shot from miles out but it zings over. And Dan Bear has a plea for peace, for some reason: “I know its the biggest event in the history of the world and all that but why can’t these players born and bred in the same city just get along? Have a big smiley hug or something? Where has all the love gone man? Peace out.” Indeed.

88 mins: But wait! Here comes Shaun W-P! Free in the inside left channel he shoots but hits the side netting off Foster’s gloves. Then from the corner Richards can’t react quickly enough unmarked two yards out and the ball flies over his muscle bound thigh. That was a right old chance for a more fox in the box type of player.

90 mins: CITY SCORE!!! AMAZING SCENES!! Ferdinand tries a preposterous scooped pass on half way line, which is intercepted by Bellamy who runs like Usain Bolt to the goal line and slips the ball past Foster. Who really might have done better too. But a lovely finish from wide and amazing pace this late in the game. Ferdinand holds his head, and rightly so.

90+2 mins: Four mins of over time here. United still press. What a game this has been. Carrick on for Anderson very late.

90+4 mins: Last chance maybe: Giggs’ corner is punched clear by Given and Rooney shoots high. You’ve got to say, City have shown real spirit here and Bellamy has looked like a world-beater, a real trier and two amazing goals. If Rooney had played like this we’d be calling him the best player in the world.

90+5 mins: UNITED GET THE WINNER!!! WHAT A GAME!!! And it’s Michael Owen in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Last-ditch kitchen sink free kick from United is headed out to Giggs, who threads a gem of a pass to the scurrying Owen, who slips it in. What drama. And Alex Ferguson leaps six feet in the air from a standing start.

90+6 mins: FULL TIME!!! That’s it. One of the great derbies, certainly of recent years. Really dramatic stuff, some lovely goals and amazing drama at the end. City will be happy in one way: they showed great resolve and pushed it all the way. But still a real sickener.
That’s all from me. Thanks for all your emails, particularly at the end when I’m afraid I couldn’t paste them up due to all the crazed football going on.

Manchester United’s newly monied neighbours want to make a point about their top-four intent

One way or the other, Carlos Tevez could be as much the centre of attention in today’s Manchester derby as Emmanuel Adebayor proved to be in playing for Manchester City against his former club last week.

The Argentina striker believes the Old Trafford fans will give him a warm reception, meaning a favourable one. Sir Alex Ferguson agrees the reception might be warm, though is not sure how favourable. Mark Hughes thinks Tevez left Manchester United on much friendlier terms than Adebayor left Arsenal and feels there is still mutual affection between the player and his old club.

Tevez is struggling to overcome a knee injury sustained on international duty, though if there is any chance of him playing, or being fit enough to sit on the bench, Hughes intends to use him. “He’s very keen to play and we’d like to use him,” Hughes said. “It is purely a medical matter. If he is fit he’ll play. If he is not ready to come back, then we won’t be stupid enough to rush him.”

Direct transfers between the Manchester rivals are rare and will become rarer still should City achieve their aim of becoming one of United’s top-four rivals. Throw in the £25m transfer fee that now seems to have almost doubled due to hidden costs, and the fact that City’s use of Tevez’s image on a provocative poster campaign prompted Ferguson to accuse them of “arrogance” again yesterday, and it is hard to avoid the conclusion that, far from shying away from signing their rivals’ players, the Eastlands hierarchy is seeking head-on confrontation.

“It just tells you how much money they have to spend,” Ferguson said, regarding City’s apparent determination to have Tevez whatever the cost. Hughes vehemently denies the suggestion that City paid over the odds just to spite United.

“We didn’t sign Carlos just to make a statement. We went for him because he is a world-class striker and he was available,” he said. “We are convinced we have made a fantastic signing. We didn’t do it just because we could.”

The deal shows nevertheless that City are immune from the financial constraints affecting most clubs – even United. “Tevez was a good player for us, he did his job here well and I’ve no complaints about that,” Ferguson said. “He felt he didn’t play enough football in his last season and maybe he had a point. You can’t keep all the players all the time. Cristiano Ronaldo proved that. We had six good seasons out of him then it was time to move on.

“You can’t keep everyone happy, especially these days when some players appear to be dominated by their agents. Gabriel Heinze was only here a year and then he wanted away. That surprised me but the next day he picked up a cruciate injury, so he had to stay. Then as soon as he was fit again he wanted away again. I’m certainly not envious of City picking up Tevez, I’ve got my squad and I’m happy with it but, as I say, they are playing to different financial rules to everyone else. I could have bought a player for £52m in summer had I wanted to [Atlético Madrid’s Sergio Aguero has a buy-out clause for roughly that amount, though Ferguson could have been referring to Franck Ribéry or even Karim Benzema] but I didn’t think it was worth it. I didn’t think the summer just past was a particularly good time to buy any players. Prices were too high all round.”

City think otherwise. Hughes’s task, not helped by Adebayor’s ban and injuries to Roque Santa Cruz and Tevez, is to show their money was well spent.

“Our first objective was to make a good start, and we’ve done that,” Hughes said. “Now we’ve got the huge challenge of matching Manchester United – not just over one or two games but over the course of a season. We’ve got to do what they did to Liverpool and knock them off their perch. I was a United player when Liverpool were at their peak and I know how hard that is going to be. They had a certain mind-set, a winning mentality. When you win things together it helps bond you as a group and we’ve got to try and start that process. It just happens that United are the benchmark at the moment and they are in the same city as us, but success often goes in cycles. That’s what we’ve got to hope.”

Hughes must also hope Ferguson gets on his bike sooner rather than later, for as long as he remains in charge and in good health, City seem destined to be regarded as upstarts.

“They don’t bother me,” Ferguson said, protesting only a little too much. “This game is no bigger than the ones we play against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea every season. City are out to be a top-four team, fine. We’re out to be the top team. The challenge at this club is always to be number one. That’s my job.”

Paul Scholes, Manchester United’s ever-loyal star, is not a naughty boy, he’s …

“Calvinist Presbyterian mythology, which claims to be something other than mythology, decrees all was created by God, the one God, within six days … Fair enough, we all know the lad’s got a great engine on him, has a 100% work rate, is a celestial Scholesy.”

Jonathan Meades (Off Kilter, BBC4)

Meades, by many furlongs the most erudite broadcaster of the age (and thus consigned to BBC4), might have hit upon something. If football is a religion, which I dispute with a Dawkinsian zeal but many fools seem to believe, then it requires a messiah. And this being so, how much more credible that the Saviour be not whoever is the next Newcastle manager but the Salford-born midfielder.

The case for Paul Aaron Scholes (aka Scholesy) being the Son of God is compelling:

First, he is an Englishman.

Second, he is a one-club man. Messiahs do not have agents. Messiahs do not chop and change clubs in search of an extra five large. Messiahs remain loyal even as their club transforms itself into a global conglomerate more concerned with shifting replica shirts in the East than preaching the beautiful game in the West. It is easier to be a messiah at, say, Woking than at the Theatre of Dreams. This is a dressing room that includes Wayne Rooney – slated to write five volumes of ghosted autobiography, one more than the Holy Ghost-written gospels that relate Christ’s, arguably more impressive, achievements.

Third, the agony …

Scholesy is an asthmatic. He is the first and last home player to have been sent off in an international at the old Wembley. He has been played out of position by Sven-Goran Eriksson. He has known pain.

Fourth, the ecstasy …

Few would wish to argue with Scholes’s haul of nine Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, a Champions League, a League Cup, an Intercontinental Cup and a Club World Cup.

Fifth, his dynastic ambitions. A New Testament Messiah would be above striving for the son of the son of God. But Scholesy – with his temper, his thirst for vengeance, his association with Roy Keane – has always fitted more easily into the Old Testament, a collection of books primarily concerned with begatting. Good to see, then, that Scholesy and his wife, Claire, have started so promisingly by knocking out Arron, Alicia and Aiden. That’s a hat-trick every bit as impressive as the one he scored against Poland and they still have 25 letters to go!

Sixth, a revealing interview the celestial Scholesy gave the Daily Mirror. He predicted: “I’ve got two years left at the most. I’m looking forward to finishing and everything that goes with it.” This, to many scholars, indicates that he is aware of the fate that awaits him. The fact he is “looking forward to finishing” (in a dying rather than goalscoring sense of the word) demonstrates that he is only too aware Our Saviour’s final words on the cross, according to one gospel, were “it is finished” (also in a dying rather than goalscoring sense).

FOR 20 years, Mancunian football fans have known nothing other than Manchester City being trampled on by their neighbours from Old Trafford - and that is how Wes Brown intends it to stay.


Depending on the respective team selections of Sir Alex Ferguson and Mark Hughes, Brown could be one of the few local lads to be involved when United tackle big-spending City in the most eagerly-anticipated local derby for years.

UNITED will stay the football kings of Manchester - as long as Sir Alex Ferguson is alive!


That was the Reds manager’s cheeky message to the big-spending Blues ahead of tomorrow’s Old Trafford derby showdown.