The Times
WALK IN THE PARK FOR UNITED
Christmas is long gone, but the fixture list for Manchester United has taken on the aspect of an advent calendar. Tick off the days, keep opening doors and a miracle will come into view.
Not many expected Sir Alex Fergu-son’s side to be leading Chelsea at this stage of the season, but this was another date on the calendar checked off without mishap. With goal difference in their favour, United will be champions with nine more wins. There was nothing exciting behind the doors at Old Trafford yesterday but supporters are keen enough for the league trophy to accept a routine performance.
Not until Darren Fletcher nodded into an empty goal eight minutes from time was the result secured, with United missing the passing of Michael Carrick and Cristiano Ronaldo’s X-factor against a negative yet dogged Charlton Athletic. They also suffered without Henrik Larsson, but once he arrived as a substitute, the game’s best player, Wayne Rooney, had an accomplice and the pair fashioned the decisive moment for Fletcher.
Rooney found Larsson 25 yards out and the Swede calmly held the ball in close quarters before squeezing in a clever return ball. From there, Rooney displayed the footballing brain that, more than anything, makes him unique. He drove into the box and shot against Scott Carson and, when the rebound arrived at his feet, did the unexpected by leaning back and deliberately slicing the ball into the air to his right. Fletcher and Larsson stood in space and the Scot claimed the glory.
The pitch, suffering the effects of bad weather and Wednesday’s England game, was buttery. Charlton are plainly in a jam. The transfer window came and went without any signings to improve the squad in terms of quality and, although the new manager has improved motivation, there is no disguising the tactical and technical deficiencies in Alan Pardew’s team.
They arrived with one seeming hope, that United would have a very off, off day and that the physical presence of Marcus Bent and the loan signing Alexandre Song would make them competitive. For spells in the first half, this happened, but in other patches, they could only watch their opponents from the wrong end of a wide footballing gulf.
Darren Ambrose came the closest of the Charlton players to imposing himself on the game, stretching goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak with a header and striking a drive from 25 yards into the side-netting. Dennis Rommedahl, on a break, also came close.
These minor frights came during a period when United were slovenly, squandering the momentum built during a sprightly start in which Park Ji Sung fired in a 20-yarder that Carson touched over and, after some jinking and a cross from Ryan Giggs, Louis Saha had the goalkeeper extended with a cushioned header.
United’s lead materialised suddenly. Amid a gray period of play, Giggs found Rooney who sent Patrice Evra to the by-line. The Frenchman’s cross looped into the six-yard box off Madjid Bougherra, making his Premiership debut, and left-back Ben Thatcher was preparing to head clear. But he reckoned without Park, the South Korean storming in off the right wing and thumping a downward header past a helpless Carson after a prodigious leap.
United fans sang their usual song about the consumption of dogs in their midfielder’s homeland. With two strikes in three games, after scoring just twice for United in his first 56, Park is turning into something of a goal-hound.
Rooney, missing for England with a hip injury but moving freely yesterday, almost brought something special to a drab occasion. Giggs picked him out with a 40-yard aerial pass from midfield and Rooney, at full pelt, lobbed the ball over an utterly confused Souleymane Diawara and steadied himself with a further touch. A great goal beckoned, but Rooney’s body had arrived in slightly the wrong position for a shot and, with Bougherra closing, he could only poke an effort wide of the far post United continued to hog possession, but, with Paul Scholes quiet, they rarely penetrated with their passing and Saha’s lack of match fitness showed.
Only once, when he held up the ball and released Rooney on a counter-attack, before receiving a return pass on the edge of the box, did the Frenchman look in early-season form.
At 1-0, from Rommedahl’s free kick, Bent sent a back-header six inches past Kuszczak’s far post. For United, it was a reminder that their lead, both in the match and the Premiership, was fragile and they were buttressed by Fletcher’s late goal.
Star man: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Player ratings: Manchester United:Kuszczak 6, Neville 6, Ferdinand 6, Vidic 7, Evra 7, Park Ji Sung 6, Fletcher 6, Scholes 6, Giggs 6 (Larsson 63min, 7), Saha 6 (Richardson 81min, 6), Rooney 8
Charlton Athletic: Carson 7, Sankofa 6, Bougherra 7, Diawara 6, Thatcher 6, Song 6, Rommedahl 6, Faye 5 (Zheng Zhi 40min, 6), Holland 6 (Hughes 73min, 6), Ambrose 7 (Lisbie 73min, 6), M Bent 6
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There is no finer reader of a Premiership run-in than Sir Alex Ferguson, so perhaps we should not have been surprised at his prescience yesterday. Man-chester United, he warned in the match programme, could not depend on blitzing opponents every week and, not for the first time, he was right.
They defeated Charlton Athletic, but it was the sort of grinding performance that wins championships rather than the fantasy football that attracts admirers. Faced by a team whose endeavour and spirit belied their position near the foot of the table, United got the three points their title hopes demanded, but you would have got long odds on the scorers, particularly if you had predicted both goals would come from headers.
Park Ji-Sung scored his fourth goal as a United player while Darren Fletcher got his seventh eight minutes from time, and while both have their merits as midfield players, no one would describe them as budding Tommy Taylors. Championships are won frequently by teams who keep their heads; in United's case, those heads were on surprising shoulders.
"It was a difficult game," Ferguson said, applauding Charlton as much as his own players. "It was a surprising performance because teams at the bottom of the table don't always have the confidence to play. They came out and acquitted themselves well.
"One-nil means nothing, you can concede a goal in a moment, so our second was very important. For the first time this season the pitch looked dry and bouncy, and maybe that's why we weren't as fluid as we can be."
The pitch was mitigating circumstance one, but head and shoulders higher were Charlton, who have now lost their past 10 Premiership matches against United but who were anything but cowed yesterday. On paper, top versus second bottom looked a formality; in reality it was a hard game, the theme set by the opening 20 minutes. United began with a flourish, Park and Louis Saha provoking diving saves from Scott Carson within six minutes, but Charlton could have taken the lead twice minutes later. First Dennis Rommedhal found the side-netting after Marcus Bent had sliced through midfield, then Darren Ambrose caused palpitations in the home defence with a header that Tomasz Kuszczak tipped round the post.
United's great virtue this season is that their goals have come from a multitude of sources and, after 24 minutes, they found another: Park's head. The South Korean has a habit of abandoning his judgement when he gets near the goal, so it was a surprise when he reacted quicker than anyone else as Patrice Evra's cross from the left deviated off Madjid Bougherra's attempted tackle and looped in the air. Park, who had moved off his wing, spotted the opportunity and rose above Ben Thatcher to force the ball into the corner.
United played much of the second half in such a subdued manner you could have been forgiven for thinking this was a meaningless end-of-season fixture. Charlton, sensing they might be catching the League leaders dozing, pressed forward.
The visitors came close to getting an equaliser after 77 minutes. Rommedhal's free-kick floated menacing into the box, Marcus Bent and Gary Neville contested the header and the ball bounced just wide. "It must have passed the post by a matter of inches," Ferguson conceded. "They gave us a few worrying moments."
United needed something different and, for the second time in this game, they found it. Henrik Larsson passed to Rooney, whose shot was blocked by Carson. The rebound came back to Rooney and this time he crossed to the far post, where Fletcher headed into the net.
The sound in Old Trafford was that of surprise. Then it was overwhelmed by relief. United now have two games before Chelsea next take the field in the League and could conceivably double their six-point lead before then. Meanwhile Charlton, who have played both the top two in the last nine days, are playing for their Premiership lives, their next two games, against West Ham United and Watford, possibly pivotal.
"Our season starts here," Alan Pardew, the Charlton manager, said. "We can't change what we are, which is a 20-point team, and we have to improve. We have to attack our last 11 games and do what Portsmouth did last season. We saw signs today and I believe we can go on a run and get the 20 points we need."
It was a satisfactory afternoon for Manchester United, who took another firm step towards the restoration of their erstwhile status - six points and 18 goals ahead with just 11 matches left, they should be champions now - and not a wholly discouraging one for Charlton either.
Ji-sung Park: scored United's opening goal at Old Trafford
While neither Alan Pardew nor his team enjoyed losing, they would be the first to acknowledge that their prospects of staying in the Premiership were always less likely to be affected by this match than their next. And nobody even remotely connected with Charlton will need any reminding that is two weeks hence, at home to the West Ham of Alan Curbishley, who expertly guided the club's fortunes for so many years, becoming almost a sort of mid-table Sir Alex Ferguson, before taking a rest from management at the end of last season.
Pardew, into whose job he stepped after the Norwegian take-over at Upton Park, saw his Charlton go down with a degree of honour here, limiting the number of United openings and trailing by but a single goal until the closing stages, when Darren Fletcher nodded his third of the season. Some of the credit had to go to Wayne Rooney, who, not for the first time on his return, displayed lovely control before trying a shot that Scott Carson parried but could not prevent from reaching Fletcher on the rebound.
To no one's great surprise, Rooney had recovered from the hip injury that caused him to miss England's friendly against Spain on this ground: an occasion best remembered for Andres Iniesta's smart goal and the storm of booing with which it concluded, prompting Gary Neville to berate the crowd for not being as tolerant and supportive as United's. Perhaps it would have been different had the customers been delivered a half-decent performance; this was certainly the best by a home side at Old Trafford since United beat Watford 11 days ago.
With United bent on the title and back in form after what Ferguson chose to regard as a wake-up call at Arsenal - less partial observers might have mistaken it for a thrilling vindication of the persistent passing football in which United, too, believe - the chances of Charlton interrupting their progress had seemed slim all along. Especially as they fielded two debutants. Yet Alexandre Song, a midfielder from Arsenal, and Madjid Bougherra, a defender late of Sheffield Wednesday, played their full parts in making United work and wait for a ninth consecutive home victory in the Premiership.
Tomorrow Pardew is to take his squad to Spain for a few days of bonding and motivation. "Our season starts now" was his message, reinforced by confirmation that his most dangerous attacker, Darren Bent, is over a knee injury. "We've got to improve and really attack in the remaining games,'' he said.
They had, of course, plenty of defending to do here. Although Cristiano Ronaldo was absent with a cold, any encouragement the visitors might have taken was soon dissipated as Ji-Sung Park, his right-flank replacement, burst between Ben Thatcher and Souleymane Diawara and let go a rising drive Carson had to move sharply to divert. And before long the Korean had put United in front - with a header, moreover, of which Ronaldo would have been proud.
First there were skirmishes and Tomasz Kuszczak, deputising in goal for United while Edwin van der Sar's nose heals, did well to deny a superb header from Matt Holland low at a post. Meanwhile Rooney was playing himself in, contributing to the team. Midway through the first half, moving left to take a pass from Ryan Giggs, he swiftly transferred possession to the overlapping Patrice Evra, whose cross the challenging Bougherra unluckily deflected high into the air. When it fell in the goalmouth, Park timed his leap so that he utterly dominated Thatcher and could glance the ball wide of a helpless Carson.
Next Rooney treated us, albeit without further damaging Charlton. Giggs again picked him out, this time with a chipped through ball and he applied a nice first touch before letting it bounce, nudging it over Diawara near a corner of the six-yard area and gently half-volleying for goal as Bougherra slid in; it went just outside the far post, to the regret of neutrals as well as the majority.
After half-time Bougherra's failure to control a long ball let in Rooney, who shot forcefully but was confounded by Bougherra's enthusiastic dash, the ball ricocheting into the crowd at the Stretford End. Eventually Rooney helped Fletcher to let the fans relax. Not that all of them deserved it. Not after the stick they have given Fletcher over the years. Here he was the perfect stand-in for Michael Carrick, who cost a lot of money.
Match summary
Man of the Match: Darren Fletcher gets more than his fair share of disparagement, but he is a good player. He made sure the injured Michael Carrick was not too greatly missed - as well as finishing Charlton off with the second goal.
Moment of the Match: Wayne Rooney's piece of magic towards the end of the first half, when he teased the Charlton defence before narrowly missing the target; with some players (above all Pele), you remember even their misses.
Rating: 6/10
Wayne Rooney yesterday illustrated the imagination, enterprise and sorcery that England sorely missed at Old Trafford in midweek.
He failed to score but that was the only element absent from his game. As a striker of English blood, Rooney is a man without rival; and with a snapshot of the skills he possesses he created the second goal Sir Alex Ferguson craved for United as the clock ran down with Charlton still breathing defiance at Old Trafford.
Thanks to Rooney’s talent, Ferguson can still enjoy the six-point gap that separates United from Chelsea with another weekend completed. Not that he is counting, apparently.
"We shouldn’t be looking over our shoulder at Chelsea," said Ferguson last night. "Everyone’s talking about the team who are second and discussing whether the top team can last. But I believe we should be looking at ourselves. We have some exciting games coming up.
"We’re playing well and with a lot of confidence. We have an FA Cup tie against Reading next week, which should be terrific, and that’s all we should be concentrating it on now."
As an exponent of mind games, Ferguson is as cute as Rooney is dextrous in the opposition’s penalty area and words from the boss between now and the climax of the season will be measured to inflict maximum doubt and confusion within Stamford Bridge.
Last night he could afford to be complimentary about Charlton. "At 1-0 we still had no guarantees," he said. "That is credit to Charlton. They gave a good performance, a surprisingly good performance for a team at the bottom of the table. I thought they had the confidence to play."
In Alexandre Song, the 19-year-old Arsenal midfielder making his Charlton debut on loan, Alan Pardew had a young man possessed of tireless spirit and a mature comprehension of the game. "Song wouldn’t have looked out of place in a United shirt," said Pardew.
But they do not award points in the Premiership for effort and, having lost in successive weeks to Chelsea and United, Pardew adopted a realistic view of Charlton’s predicament. "The season starts here for us," he said.
And, with rich irony, Charlton’s next fixture thrusts them on a collision course with West Ham, the club who sacked Pardew with indecent haste after new Icelandic proprietors walked into Upton Park. Pardew will begin preparations for this potentially explosive game at The Valley in 13 days’ time by taking his squad to Spain for a five-day training camp.
Pardew expanded on the philosophy that he will be seeking to instil in the Charlton squad, beginning in Spain this week. "I’ll be looking to give the players a winning mentality for what’s left of the season," he said.
"We cannot accept draws,we have to chase games from now on. It’s that mentality I have to put into my team before the West Ham game."
Injuries forced Pardew to field a heavily depleted side yesterday but he is optimistic that striker Darren Bent, Luke Young and Hermann Hreidarsson could all be fit to play against a Hammers side managed by Alan Curbishley, Charlton’s boss for 15 years.
In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, laid low by a heavy cold, United lacked the penetrative threat the Portuguese delivers each time he is on the ball. However, Ji-sung Park proved to be an able deputy in his own, industrious manner.
He also sparked United into life after Ferguson’s men made a slow, cautious start. In the 24th minute, Park met Patrice Evra’s deflected cross from the left flank with a deft header that evaded Charlton goalkeeper Scott Carson.
To Pardew,it amounted to a rare lapse of concentration from his players. It was also a burden from which his team would never recover.
It did not help when Dennis Rommedahl carelessly squandered a decent opening in the ninth minute by shooting tamely into the side-netting.
Near the end Gary Neville came close to heading a Rommedahl free-kick into his own net.
Yet by this point, Rooney had calmed United’s nerves for the afternoon. In the first half, he came close to a stupendous goal with a couple of neat touches only for his shot to fly wide. Eight minutes from time, he was even more productive.
His close control in the area, combined with his speed of thought, allowed him to create the chance for a left-footed shot.
Carson made an instinctive save with a foot, but the ball looped across the area and Darren Fletcher arrived to head into an empty net.
On such moments of inspiration, championships can hang. And with Rooney on the flight to Tel Aviv, there is still reason for Steve McClaren to believe that England can achieve the result they need against Israel in the European Championship qualifier next month. He is vital to the cause beyond his imagination.