Middlesbrough 4 v 1 Manchester United
Riverside Park, Middlesbrough
29th October 2005
Manchester United's Championship hopes had been slim before this game, and they took a turn for the worse, with the side effectively crushed by a mediocre Middlesbrough side.
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't start, but was, alongside Wayne Rooney, one of the only players that performed with any kind of class.
Van der Saar was to blame for the first goal, within just 2 minutes. Mendieta ran through and hit a speculative shot at goal. Van der Saar dived and had it covered but decided instead of fisting it clear to push the ball into the back of his net. Nice one.
Ferdinand then proved the Manchester United fans right. Whilst we stood loyally by him through his "drug hell" (sitting at home taking home £80,000 a week must have been traumatic), Rio screwed us over for £120k a week. Is he worth it? Nowhere near. We should sell him if he continues to have the kind of diplays that leave him behind Sol Campbell in the England pecking order. He was to blame for two goals, and was rightly subbed by Fergie at the very end simply for him to feel the humiliation of being blamed for the loss, but also so that the fans could let him know exactly what they thought of him. Waster.
At two-nil down, following Hasselbaink (34 years old) bursting past Rio and bashing the ball home, Fergie changed tack, subbing off the blameless Bardsley to change formation with Richardson coming on to form a 5-man midfield.
It was Richardson who thought it would be a good idea to drag Yakubu down in the box. Yes, penalties have rarely been so harshly given, and, yes, United probably wouldn't have got it if it had happened at the other end (Refs don't like to give us them), but it was a clear tug, and the Ref duly blew up.
Those of us hoping for a United fight-back after half-time were brutally disappointed, with the boys hopelessly trying to pass the ball into the net.
Boro scored a break-away goal, with Rio's legs this time turned inside-out by some other Boro misfit, and the ball was put on a plate for Mendieta to get his second.
Ronaldo entered the fray and scored a consolation goal, a neat header from a corner in the dying minutes (why couldn't he have done that last week!?)
United were poor, and will have to be better if they are to get anything from Chelsea next week. Rio can go.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Bardsley (Richardson 31), Ferdinand (Brown 87), O'Shea, Silvestre, Fletcher, Smith, Scholes, Park (Ronaldo 60), Rooney, van Nistelrooy.
