EPL - Bolton vs Manchester United - Mar 27

last SG · 2010-03-28T14:00:43+00:00

Match Pack: BoltonWith Chelsea and Arsenal potentially moving ahead of the Reds in their 3 o'clock kick-offs on Saturday, United must keep up the pace in the...

omgukilledkenny SG

The 4-0 scoreline helped relieve the goal difference margin too considering Chelsea had just mauled Villa 7-1 and earlier in the week Portsmouth 5-0.

Rooney9 SG

next week is the crunch match. chelsea got advantage, as they dun have to play in midweek, so they have 1 week to rest and recover before the match, while united have to travel to germany to play bayern, another tough midweek match. whoever wins the match next week is the favourite for the title.

zocoss SG

Wah, I was very worried at the start of this game, I thought sure drop some points here after the way Bolton started... But lucky United manage to win well at the end. And I thought Nani had another great game last night... Important win.

zocoss SG

Jlloyd Samuel's bizarre own-goal opener broke Bolton's resistance early on. Then lone striker Dimitar Berbatov's double and substitute Darron Gibson's simple late finish put United a point clear of Chelsea and four above third-placed Arsenal.

Berbatov's poaching rewarded boss Alex Ferguson's gamble to leave 30-goal Rooney completely out of the squad. But Ryan Giggs was just as influential.

The fit-again veteran swept the 11th minute cross from which Samuel planted a firm 15-yarder into the bottom corner past his own keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Then, after United weathered Bolton's best spell, Giggs slipped a clever pass for Darren Fletcher, whose fierce shot parried poorly by Jaaskelainen for Berbatov to tuck home on 69 minutes.

Nani's solo run teed up Berbatov's second goal nine minutes later. And Gibson slotted home in the 82nd minute when beleaguered Bolton once again saw their defence opened up with ease.

Boss Alex Ferguson admitted he would have fielded both Rooney (bruised foot) and Rio Ferdinand (groin injury) had United's need been more dire. And Bolton were certainly unlucky to lose so heavily.

Aside from United's freak goal, Bolton had the best chances of a first half that ended on a pretty sour note. Jack Wilshere's superb through-ball to Johan Elmander allowed the Swede to bring an excellent low save out of Edwin van der Sar.

Within a minute of Samuel's mishap, the veteran Dutchman did even better to tip Fabrice Muamba's goalbound effort over after the excellent Wilshere had created the opportunity.

Shortly afterwards, referee Martin Atkinson ruled Van der Sar was time-wasting as he went to collect a ball at a Bolton corner, then waved play on with the Dutchman still off the field.

The half-time whistle that eventually followed brought Atkinson a confrontation with Ferguson, who had been appalled by an earlier Sam Ricketts tackle on Patrice Evra that went unpunished.

Elsewhere on the pitch, Nani and Ricketts had to be separated. Tempers calmed during the interval, but there was always an edge to the contest. That only brings out the best in United centre-back Nemanja Vidic, more towering than ever in Ferdinand's absence.

Vidic won virtually every aerial challenge as Bolton peppered the visitors' penalty area. But, thanks to their teak-tough Serb, United held firm until play quickly switched to the other end and Jaaskelainen was unable to hold Fletcher's firm drive, allowing Berbatov to tap home.

Having already beaten United once this season, when he was still in charge at Burnley, Bolton chief Coyle must have known there was no chance of a repeat.

And this time United were not finished, Berbatov and Gibson adding flattering gloss to their victory margin.

dinky1409 SG

bolton started off damn strong. but somehow, they didnt last. their resistance broke down. maybe the first few goals broke them down, or maybe simply fatigue, their gungho performance couldnt last whole match.

but kudos for putting up a solid first half performance by bolton..

CKeer SG

I LOLed at every Vidic and Davies faceoff. Kevin Davies is well-known for his style of play - a targetman whose main objective is to get opponents sent off / win freekicks and penalties by going down at the slightest contact. Lots of play-acting from him throughout the game as usual and Vidic shut him up.

Nani is always blowing hot and cold, same to for Berbatov, sometimes he's brillant, sometimes he's just so painful to watch for all the missed opportunities. I think he could have grabbed a hat-trick every match with the kind of supplies he received from United's backline and midfield if not for his wayward shootings and headings.

Statistics showed that United are always better in the second half and they really gave Bolton a tough time in the second half. However, i reserve special praise for Jack Wilshere. I think he and Adam Johnson should have the outside chance of making England's World Cup squad. Walcott is always so clueless, besides speed, i think he's lacking in every department, he cant head, he cant cross, his passes are 50-50. Wilshere, on the other hand, has both creativity and composure, something Walcott and SWP lacked of, and he can switch flanks with ease.

Kudos to United for the win without Rooney. I wonder what the scoreline would be if he played instead of the ineffective Giggs.

Rooney9 SG

Van der Sar draws praise from Ferguson

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the contribution of veteran goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar after the Premier League champions remained on top of the table with a 4-0 win at Bolton.

Jlloyd Samuel set the visitors on their way with an own goal seven minutes before the break and a Dimitar Berbatov brace and further strike from substitute Darron Gibson sealed the rout.

But it was Van der Sar who was singled out by Ferguson as the match-winner for his crucial first-half saves from Johan Elmander and then Fabrice Muamba.

He told ESPN: "They were absolutely magnificent saves. The second one in particular i think was a match-winning save."

Portugal winger Nani set up two of the United goals and he too impressed his boss.

"Nani's been playing like that for weeks now," he said. "He has hit form at a terrific time for us. He's made two goals. We're very pleased he's signed a new contract for another four years. He's young. He's maturing."

Ferguson claimed it had been a hard day's work for his team despite the comfortable-looking scoreline.

"The times we did get the ball down we did play some good football," he said. "I'd like to have seen more of it but it was a very difficult game."

The result saw United finish the day a point clear of Chelsea, who were 7-1 winners against Aston Villa this afternoon, and four ahead of Arsenal, who drew 1-1 at Birmingham.

"It was a bad one for Arsenal to drop points so late in the game today," said Ferguson. "They're now four points behind us.

"I said yesterday we'll all drop points but the name of the game is to make sure you don't drop as many as the rest."

Bolton boss Owen Coyle claimed the scoreline flattered the visitors but admitted his side had switched off and lost concentration.

"I'm disappointed with the defeat and the manner of the defeat late on," he told ESPN. "That's what happens when you play against the best teams. If you switch off and gift them goals as we did you're going to be punished. But for 70 minutes of the game I thought we were terrific.

"There was a lot of things we could have done better. The scoreline flatters Manchester United - no doubt about it. We were the architects of our own downfall."

Rooney9 SG

Boss praises Reds' resilience

Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with United’s 4-0 win over Bolton - but insists it wasn’t as straight forward as the scoreline suggests.

An own goal from Jlloyd Samuel gave the Reds a half-time lead before two goals from Dimitar Berbatov and one from Darron Gibson sealed the win. The boss admitted his side had to show grit and courage in the face of a physical challenge from Bolton.

“It’s a tremendous result because it’s a difficult place to come," said Sir Alex.

"You’ve got to deal with the aerial balls all day and it required some fantastic defending. I don’t know how many times Nemanja Vidic headed that ball clear but it must have been in the thousands! You get a sore head just watching it.

"It’s difficult to get the ball down at times but when we did, we played some good football. But I’d have liked to have seen more of it."

Edwin van der Sar made important stops from Johan Elmander and Fabrice Muamba with the game at 1-0, two saves that Sir Alex described as match-winning.

“They were absolutely magnificent saves, the second one in particular from Muamba. He did well to reach that. Edwin’s making saves like that because he’s got the concentration and composure to make sure he doesn’t panic when they get opportunities like Elmander's. That’s the kind of experience he brings to a situation when we have to win."

Samuel’s own goal was the eleventh this season for United, nearly double the previous record. “It’s one of these freak incidents to get that many own goals,” said Sir Alex. “It’s very rare.”

While pleased with a battling team performance, the boss reserved praise for the scorer of United's second and third goals, and the architect of the third and fourth.

"I think Dimitar Berbatov deserved his goals. His preferred role is to drop in behind the striker but he’s proved time and time again that he can play on his own. He had Ryan (Giggs) close most of the time and I thought he was always a threat to Bolton.

"For his first goal, Dimitar reacted quickly to the goalkeeper knocking it down and he side footed it nicely. The second goal was due to some terrific work by Nani. He made two goals again today so we're very, pleased. He was a real boost to us.

“Nani has been playing like that for weeks now. He’s hit form at a terrific time for us. He's signed a new four-year contract and he's maturing - that’s the area we want to see him develop.

Speaking of maturity, Sir Alex felt the presence of veterans Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville was another big factor in United's success on Saturday.

“Experience is a vital thing. In the second half they showed their experience in terms of possession and composure on the ball that’s so important in an atmosphere like today.”

The United manager said it was vital to get a win of any kind ahead of two big games - away to Bayern Munich and at home to closest title challengers Chelsea.

“I think with the week we have and the games we have left, any good result is an important one. That’s another game down and it was an emphatic win in the circumstances with Chelsea winning earlier in the day.

"The way Chelsea have turned around the goal difference in four days – they got five against Portsmouth and seven today - gives us a challenge. They’ve put the gauntlet down and Manchester United will always accept that."

Even though third-placed Arsenal only managed a draw at Birmingham, Sir Alex believes the Gunners remain in the title hunt.

“It’s still a three-horse race. It was bad for Arsenal conceding to drop points so late in the game. They are now four points behind us but I think everyone will drop points. The name of the game is dropping less than the rest.”

iceFatboy SG

i reserve special praise for Jack Wilshere. I think he and Adam Johnson should have the outside chance of making England's World Cup squad. Walcott is always so clueless, besides speed, i think he's lacking in every department, he cant head, he cant cross, his passes are 50-50. Wilshere, on the other hand, has both creativity and composure, something Walcott and SWP lacked of, and he can switch flanks with ease.

Kudos to United for the win without Rooney. I wonder what the scoreline would be if he played instead of the ineffective Giggs.

two pts i agree with you, Wilshere seems to have the eye to know when to release passes, wonder whether MU will be keen to get him? up coming, english international.

also Giggs seems a bit "lost" after his hand injury. When he got sub, saw him massaging it, maybe, not fully heal?

iceFatboy SG

Boss praises Reds' resilience

"The way Chelsea have turned around the goal difference in four days – they got five against Portsmouth and seven today - gives us a challenge. They’ve put the gauntlet down and Manchester United will always accept that."

goal difference thingy, and the sudden closing of gap... chelsea stepping up..

CKeer SG

two pts i agree with you, Wilshere seems to have the eye to know when to release passes, wonder whether MU will be keen to get him? up coming, english international.

also Giggs seems a bit "lost" after his hand injury. When he got sub, saw him massaging it, maybe, not fully heal?

Hard to get Wilshere especially considering he's a gunner on loan to Bolton. Unless Fergie can offer Wenger some french players in return. But! Since Silvestre can switch camp without much trouble, i think Fergie could consider making a move.

Yup, I spotted Giggs twisting around his wrist while he was on the bench just behind Fergie. He was on such a great form before he was injured so lets hope he's back to his best for this crucial period of the season.

dinky1409 SG

wilshere is a superb player.

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