Strife of Ryan: Giggs inflicts more misery on
Boro.
Ryan Giggs turned in a captain's performance as
Manchester United cruised into a six-point lead at the top of the
Barclays Premier League table. The Welshman fired the visitors into
a 25th-minute lead at Middlesbrough, and Park Ji-sung completed the
job six minutes after the break.
Boro, who now have just three games in which to stave off
relegation, rarely threatened to deny United all three points in
front of their biggest crowd of the season.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson rang the changes as he
attempted to move a step closer to the Barclays Premier League
title.
The injured Rio Ferdinand was missing, while Cristiano Ronaldo,
Anderson and Carlos Tevez dropped to the bench with Edwin van der
Sar, and Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick rested.
Ben Foster took over in goal while Jonny Evans replaced
Ferdinand and Paul Scholes, Park Ji-Sung, Ryan Giggs, Dimitar
Berbatov and Federico Macheda were drafted in.
Boro made just one change with Justin Hoyte replacing Andrew
Taylor, although there was a return to the 18 for midfielder Julio
Arca after injury.
Hoyte, a right-back by trade, lined up on the left in Taylor's
place, while United started with starting in a 4-4-2 formation with
Wayne Rooney wide on the left side of midfield.
But it was Boro who created the game's first opening
with three minutes gone when Jeremie Aliadiere, playing alongside
Marlon King in attack, turned smartly on the edge of the box before
firing a low right-foot shot a yard wide.
Rooney curled a right-foot effort high over at the other end two
minutes later, but although the visitors were enjoying the greater
share of the possession, the Teessiders were defending
resolutely.
Scholes was left dazed when he unwittingly blocked Stewart
Downing's driven 10th minute cross with his head, and John' O'Shea
had to make a timely intervention to prevent the England winger
reaching Matthew Bates' cross at the far post seconds later.
But Rooney went close to opening the scoring when he drilled a
25-yard effort just over after running on to Berbatov's 14th-minute
pass.
Boro perhaps should have been in front eight minutes later when
King played Aliadiere in on goal, although Foster saved with his
legs as Nemanja Vidic slid in.
However, it was United who took the lead with 25 minutes gone
when Macheda, making his first league start for the club, stepped
over Vidic's cross for Giggs to smash a left-foot shot into the
bottom corner.
Taken for a ride: Wayne Rooney and Tony McMahon
battle for the ball
To their credit, Boro, whose recent record against the
reigning champions is better than most, refused to let their heads
drop in the immediate aftermath of Giggs' strike and mounted a
period of sustained pressure.
The home fans were far from impressed when Rooney became
embroiled in an untidy tangle with right-back Tony McMahon as he
attempted to free the ball, although referee Mark Halsey was quick
to step in and calm the situation.
Halsey waved away appeals for a penalty for handball by Berbatov
on the half-hour after the ball appeared to strike his arm, but the
Teessiders pressed again seconds later.
Foster just got to Gary O'Neil's cross ahead of Downing, but
could only clear the ball as far as Hoyte, who shifted it sideways
for Tuncay Sanli. However, the Turkey international was quickly
closed down by Scholes, who made a vital block.
Macheda's afternoon was spoiled seven minutes before the break
when he was booked for a late challenge on Wheater having already
been spoken to after a similar tackle on McMahon.
Although Foster had a couple of anxious moments under high balls
into the box, central defenders Vidic and Evans were rarely
troubled as Aliadiere and King struggled to make an impression.
Park strife: Ji-Sung Park scores his side's second
goal at Middlesbrough.
United might have increased their lead in the final
minutes of the half when, after Berbatov and Park had combined to
move the ball from deep inside their own half to within shooting
distance, Scholes sent a long-range effort well wide - and the
midfielder missed the target again in injury time after being
picked out by the Bulgarian.
United resumed where they had left off and were almost in again
within seconds of the restart. O'Shea accepted Berbatov's pass wide
on the right and sent in a low cross which Macheda controlled
superbly past Wheater.
However, the 17-year-old's touch took him wide and McMahon was
able to clear before he could shoot. The Italian should have
claimed his third Premier League goal three minutes later after
Rooney carved Boro wide open down the left.
Rooney went past McMahon, cut inside and squared for Macheda six
yards out. But the youngster stabbed the ball wide as he fell
back.
The second goal did arrive, however, three minutes later when
Park ran on to Rooney's delicious reverse pass and thumped a shot
past the helpless Jones to effectively seal victory.
Sinking feeling: Boro boss Gareth Southgate on the
touchlines.
Southgate responded by sending on record signing Afonso
Alves, who scored twice in the corresponding fixture last season,
and Didier Digard for Marlon King and McMahon.
Ferguson too made his move by withdrawing Macheda and replacing
him with Tevez, having earlier been urged in song by the travelling
supporters to resolve the Argentinian's future.
With Bates having dropped in at right-back, Boro attempted to
re-group, but with United playing ominously within themselves. they
knew their task was close to impossible.
Scholes picked out Giggs wide on the right with a raking
65th-minute pass and he in turn found Tevez inside the penalty
area, although Wheater bravely blocked his shot with his midriff to
some personal cost.
Boro were having to defend for dear life when what they really
wanted to do was pile on the pressure at the other end, something
that was looking increasingly unlikely as time ran down.
Having seen Wheater loop a header high over from Downing's
70th-minute free-kick, Southgate made his final change when he
replaced O'Neil with Marvin Emnes, although his side's cause looked
forlorn.
Nani and Rafael da Silva joined the fray in quick succession as
as Park and Patrice Evra were given well-earned rests, but in the
meantime Tevez might have increased his side's lead had it not been
for an excellent challenge by Wheater.
Boro's afternoon was summed up 10 minutes from time when Alves
carved his way to the edge of the box and then fell over his own
feet as da Silva came to meet him.
Bates made a superb block to deny John O'Shea with nine minutes
remaining and Rooney sent a late free-kick wide, but the game had
been over for some time.
