While I was pretty certain Mark Lawrenson’s prediction of 0-0 was going to again expose him as a know-nothing
Berbatov scores his spectacular second
dinosaur, I didn’t expect Liverpool to make such a good game of it. Out of nowhere, Dimitar Berbatov’s two goals were wiped out as a Steven Gerrard set-piece double hauled Roy Hodgson’s men back into the game, but the thrill for the neutral was short-lived as the Bulgarian completed his day’s work with a third well-taken goal.
Since he was first knocked for a perceived failure to be a team player, I’ve always tentatively defended Berbatov because I think he was signed for his footballing ability rather than as some synergistic node. Even so, his goalscoring form this season has surprised me, and it’s curious that his success should come as his strike partner Wayne Rooney is toiling. Last season it was the other way around, and although they are two forwards of undeniable quality, if they can both start scoring then a productive partnership will benefit United more than their current tag-team mode. Defensively, concerns remain. Jonny Evans and John O’Shea gave away the fouls which led to Gerrard’s goals, and Rio Ferdinand’s return cannot come soon enough.
As for Liverpool, they have some way to go if they are going to even earn the chance to play the likes of Trabzonspor again next season. I was surprised to see Raul Meireles spend most of the game higher up the pitch than Steven Gerrard, but then I suppose Hodgson may have banked on Gerrard’s Premier League experience making Liverpool more solid than the Portuguese newcomer could have. They looked one-paced, sideways and Fernando Torres looked very alone up front. There is something to be said, though, for coming back from two goals down at Old Trafford, so there is some encouragement to be had, even if the disappointment outweighs it.
Post-match, Sir Alex Ferguson gloated that United “could have won 10-0″ despite only having seven shots on target, and made some bizarre comments about Fernando Torres ‘cheating’. To my eye, Torres was the victim of two clear fouls which resulted in goals. There was one player who caught the eye for cheating on the pitch, and that was Manchester United’s Nani.
