ljw1982

United made heavy weather of it, but three more precious points were procured against Derby County after Cristiano Ronaldo struck a late winner at Pride Park.

Paul Jewell's rock-bottom Rams frustrated the Reds all afternoon as a string of chances went begging, before Ronaldo was on hand with 14 minutes remaining to stab home from close range.

The winger's intervention spared United the embarrassment of dropping points against a side with just one league win to their name all season and, but for two fine saves from debutant Ben Foster, the hosts could even have snatched all three points.

An afternoon of frustration looked far from likely in the early stages as United dominated the early exchanges. Ryan Giggs, making his first appearance in four matches, almost scored within seconds of kick-off as he rose above the home defence, but Rams keeper Roy Carroll managed to plunge to his left and grasp the ball just in front of his line.

The former United goalkeeper was helpless two minutes later as Evra slid Ronaldo on the left side of the area, only for the winger to lash his left-footed effort off target. Ronaldo's mood was not helped by the attentions of Darren Moore, who earned the first yellow card after six minutes for raking his studs down the Portuguese star's left leg.

United enjoyed all the pressure in the opening minutes, with Derby conceding a string of corners as they clung anxiously to parity. The hosts had the woodwork to thank after 10 minutes when Ronaldo's low shot curled onto Carroll's right-hand post, while Anderson came within close moments later with a drilled effort.

Giggs then had another chance after 20 minutes but, having half-rounded Carroll, the veteran winger could only skew his shot wide under the attentions of Dean Leacock.

The Reds' pressure was incessant, and more really should have come of a break after half an hour, but Ronaldo underhit his pass with Rooney free in the centre of the park. Moments later, Carroll had to be at his best to claw away Ronaldo's cheeky outside-of-the-boot effort.

With last week's smash-and-grab defeat to Portsmouth still fresh in the mind, United were all too aware of the cost of spurning so many chances - a price that was almost reaffirmed by Derby shortly before half-time.

Foster, a virtual spectator throughout, twice denied Rams striker Kenny Miller with superb reaction stops - first tipping away a close-range volley, then brilliantly turning the Scot's low shot around the post.

Those quickfire efforts brought the simmering Pride Park crowd to the boil, but both Rooney and Ronaldo came close again as the half ended as it began - with United on top, but unable to make their dominance count.

After a sluggish start to the second half, the Reds' tale of frustration resumed - particularly for Ronaldo. His long-range free kick was parried away by Carroll, who then blocked the winger's point blank header from the subsequent corner.

Truth be told, clear cut chances were few and far between as the half wore on. Sir Alex Ferguson threw on Louis Saha, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher at the expense of Park, Scholes and Anderson in a bid to gain a vital breakthrough.

Ronaldo yet again came close in the 70th minute, dragging his shot just wide from fractionally inside the area, before United finally make the breakthrough five minutes later.

Rooney, with a hint of offside surrounding his position, was released by O'Shea down the left wing and pulled back a cross for Ronaldo. Despite an awkward bounce, the winger managed to contort himself to volley down and past the exposed Carroll.

The goal sparked scenes of utter, unabashed relief from United players, staff and fans alike. Ronaldo had been repeatedly frustrated all afternoon, and his joy at finally nudging the Reds ahead was near tangible.

There were no more scares as a deflated Derby side played out the remainder of the match with few ideas, and Carroll had to be alert again to thwart Ronaldo as he burst through.

So there was nothing like the anticipated avalanche of goals, just the one was enough. Win pretty or win ugly - at this stage of the season, all that matters is the three points.

Team line-ups

Derby County: Carroll; Edworthy (Todd 55), Moore, Leacock, McEveley; Sterjovski (Robert 80), Savage, Jones, Lewis; Earnshaw (Villa 76), Miller
Subs not used: Price, Ghaly
Booked: Moore, Jones, Savage

Manchester United: Foster; O'Shea, Brown, Vidic, Evra; Park (Saha 62), Scholes (Carrick 62), Anderson (Fletcher 72), Giggs; Rooney, Ronaldo.
Subs not used: Heaton, Hargreaves.

ljw1982

Cristiano Ronaldo proved that persistence is a virtue as he scored his 31st goal of an astonishing season to spare Manchester United from potential embarrassment at rock-bottom Derby.

With his ninth off 11 chances overall in the game, and in the 76th minute, Ronaldo finally broke brave Derby's resistence by scoring the only goal to keep United firmly in the hunt for back-to-back titles.

It was cruel on doomed Derby in one respect, but deserved by the Reds in another, stretching the Rams' winless streak in the Barclays Premier League to 24 matches.

It was unsurprisingly men against boys, yet somehow Derby headed into the interval on the back of the most incredulous scoreline of their wretched season as they had held United scoreless.

For the opening 20 minutes the rout everyone had expected was on the cards as United carved up the Rams at will, and it appeared only a matter of time before they would make the breakthrough.

Yet it never came and as the half wore on Derby steadily grew in confidence and towards the end of the period they even had the audacity to create two gilt-edged openings of their own.

As far as Sir Alex Ferguson was concerned, that was not in the script as a Derby side without a league win since mid-September should have been there for the taking.

After being mauled 6-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in midweek, Ferguson would surely have expected his side to hand out more of the same punishment to Jewell's beleaguered side at Pride Park.

The intent was certainly there, instigated after just 70 seconds as Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park combined for the latter to whip in a cross from the right wing.

Ryan Giggs, returning as captain after missing last week's 1-0 FA Cup loss to Portsmouth at Old Trafford with a calf injury, should have done better with a downward header, but only succeeded in finding the arms of the outstanding Roy Carroll.

It was the precursor to a flurry of chances as Ronaldo curled a left-foot shot narrowly wide with only Carroll to beat following a through ball from Patrice Evra.

Giggs then drilled a drive wide after again being picked out by Park from the right, followed swiftly by Ronaldo striking the base of the right-hand post with a low, curling shot from 15 yards.

Surely the goal would arrive, but no, with Giggs again the culprit in the 19th minute as he sliced a shot wide after being set free by Rooney and Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star, who had been on the receiving end of a late challenge and a shirt tug from Darren Moore and David Jones that had earned bookings for the pair, was again a whisker away just after the half-hour.

But despite curling towards the top right-hand corner a superb shot with the outside of his right foot, Carroll was equally as superb with his save as he clawed the ball away.

When the storm abated, Derby dared to take the lead themselves, only for debutant goalkeeper Ben Foster to underline his emerging talent with two stunning saves.

His first was a reaction stop as he turned aside a snap shot from Mile Sterjovski in the heart of the area, with his second moments later a fingertip stop in pushing away a low curler from Kenny Miller.

United ended the half with a Rooney drive into the sidenetting and a shot across the face of goal from Ronaldo, but it was Derby who left the pitch to a rousing reception from their fans.

After the break it was Ronaldo who had all the chances, two from long-distance free-kicks early on that swerved viciously.

The first was superbly parried by Carroll, who proceeded to save a point-blank header from the ensuing inswinging Giggs corner, while the second was inches past the post.

A drive into the sidenetting then followed in the 71st minute at a stage when Derby were beginning to believe they could conjure an astonishing draw as they were battling manfully.

But in the end there was to be no stopping Ronaldo as he finally found the net with a 12-yard sidefoot finish to a Rooney centre after he had raced onto a looping through ball from substitute Darren Fletcher, on just two minutes earlier.

The game ended with two further opportunities for Ronaldo, but Carroll was equal to both, the culmination of a stirring battle between the game's two main protagonists.

ljw1982

阿 记 输 着 一 球 啦 ！

ljw1982

Arsenal only get a draw ar......
i already four draw in a row la for them...

ljw1982

原帖由 crashersus 於 2008-3-16 03:32 AM 發表
yeah 0-1...MU 赢左...




第100贴.......我既...


枪记和波....我地少赛一场...已经坐左第一名.....如果keep住落去.....冠军就系我地卡啦...

now only you come ar....:024:
where you been during the match....:024:

ljw1982

是 啊 ！ 希 望 曼 联 的 好 运 能 到 季 尾 啦 ！

ljw1982

原帖由 hiroisme 於 2008-3-16 11:25 AM 發表
sori la, yesterday can't online watch at campus.
many supporter there, but haiz only can win 1-0.
i think this might due to the chemistry in defender and MF.
every shot also off target 1 haiz....:024: ...

ya la many off target shot ar....
Carroll need to save a few shot only ar...:024: