Paken Iskandar: March 2010

Bayern Munich 2 United 1

United have work to do in Manchester next week after a sickening dose of familiar medicine in Munich.

The Reds looked all set to come home with a decent score draw but that all changed when, two minutes into injury time, Bayern striker Ivica Olic swept past a couple of defenders and finally beat the man who'd been a big obstacle all night, Edwin van der Sar.

United had led for the majority of the match, from Wayne Rooney's lightning strike in the second minute until Franck Ribery's free-kick equaliser in the 77th. But the home side were the better side on the night and will come to Old Trafford full of confidence.

The Reds' first attack produced the coveted away goal. Only fifteen seconds in, Nani was brought down by the masked Martin Demichelis close to the corner flag. The Argentine assailant was then found wanting as the winger’s free-kick, via a large deflection off Markus van Bommel, dropped into the six-yard box where Rooney volleyed triumphantly into the roof of the net.

It was a dream start for the Reds and it threatened to get even better as Sir Alex’s superior midfield unit sliced through the Bayern rearguard and presented Nani with an opportunity of his own. Unfortunately, he scuffed wide of the near post but the opening was encouraging, as was his right-wing cross that skimmed off the bar.

With the injured Arjen Robben forced to watch from the stands, Bayern were pinning their hopes on Franck Ribery.

Source : Man Utd

27th March 10
Happy Birthday to my classmate Ak Zaim, thanks for the mcdeluxe treat. Great Saturday night while "celebrating" EARTH hour & cosplay meet.

United reclaimed pole position in powerful style on Saturday evening, routing Bolton at the Reebok in response to Chelsea’s earlier slaughter of Aston Villa.

After a Jloyd Samuel own goal gifted the Reds a half-time lead, Dimitar Berbatov made certain of three big points with his first league brace for United. Darron Gibson then added a late fourth goal after coming on as a substitute.

The margin of victory was no more than the champions deserved, having dictated proceedings with the likes of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs pulling the strings and Nani and Antonio Valencia stretching the play on the opposite flanks.

Darren Fletcher was also heavily involved, almost creating the opener with a similar cross to his assist against Liverpool – only this time it yielded not a header from Park, but a wonderful volley by Berbatov, well saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen. Fletcher laid the ball off to Jonny Evans when the ensuing corner wasn’t cleared but the Irishman, in for Rio Ferdinand, couldn’t keep his shot down and Bolton breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the best chance of the first half-hour was for the home side, when Jack Wilshere – on loan from Arsenal – played Elmander into the left-hand channel. The big Swede looked odds-on to score but his powerful shot was beaten away by the strong hand of Edwin van der Sar.

Source : Man Utd

United moved back to the top of the table above Arsenal and one, significant step closer to a 19th championship and record fourth consecutive Premier League title with this well-deserved 2-1 win over fierce rivals Liverpool.

It was hearts-in-mouths time after just five minutes when Fernando Torres put the visitors in front with a free header. But United recovered when Wayne Rooney scored the rebound from his saved penalty kick six minutes later. From then on Sir Alex Ferguson’s men dominated, and the winner arrived after an hour when Ji-sung Park’s diving header sent Old Trafford into delirious celebration.

Liverpool have won the last three of these fixtures, United suffering the ignominy of a 4-1 defeat on home turf here last season. Settling that score itself may have formed a significant part of Sir Alex’s pre-match team-talk. But there was a wider focus for United than one-upmanship over a local rival. Three points would raise the prospects of a fourth straight title and the undisputed crown of being English football's most successful team.

That fuelled the atmosphere on a bright and sunny spring day in Manchester, and whether fans were dressed in the traditional red and white or protest green and gold, everyone was united behind the team.

Sir Alex opted to stick with the formation and line-up that yielded success against Milan in Europe – a 4-5-1 formation with Rooney leading the line, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher anchoring the midfield, Park charged with hassling and harrying Steven Gerrard and co., and Antonio Valencia and Nani operating out wide.

Source : Man Utd

Sunday 21st March, adakah patut birthday time hari yang paling boring..hahaha..bh enjoy your day with "Tears Of Joy" aku malas + boring so aku ambil pic yang ani saja. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SI TUA!!!!

United moved back to the top of the Barclays Premier League with a hard-fought victory over Roy Hodgson's Fulham at Old Trafford.

Red-hot striker Wayne Rooney grabbed his 31st and 32nd goals of the season in the second half, turning in a pair of close-range finishes after pinpoint crosses from Nani and Dimitar Berbatov, before the Bulgarian added a deserved third goal late on.

United dominated possession for long periods, but had to put in a sweat-soaked shift to overcome a well-drilled, patient Fulham side who defended in large numbers, attacked with purpose and could have broken the deadlock themselves in the first half.

Clint Dempsey and Bobby Zamora both came close for the Cottagers, but those brief flurries were against the grain in a match dominated for long periods by the champions.

Following his side's tactical triumph against AC Milan, Sir Alex Ferguson and his staff reverted to a more orthodox 4-4-2 set-up for the bread and butter of a Sunday afternoon Premier League clash. Berbatov was restored at the expense of Ji-sung Park, while Michael Carrick returned from suspension to take Paul Scholes' place.

Fulham's sturdy defensive record - one goal conceded in their previous five Premier League games - suggested a tight afternoon, and it took the Reds 11 minutes to fashion any opening of note. Berbatov's superbly-weighted pass released Darren Fletcher, the Scot opted to square for Rooney rather than shoot, and a heroic last-ditch challenge from Stephen Kelly shielded the open goal.

Source : Man Utd

It was oh-so-easy for United on Wednesday night, as goals in either side of the break from Wayne Rooney and second-half strikes from Ji-sung Park and Darren Fletcher helped United cruise into the Champions League quarter-finals.

AC Milan, so often United’s bogey team in Europe, rarely tested Sir Alex’s men, despite coming to Old Trafford intent on scoring goals. Instead, it was Wayne Rooney who found the net twice to put the tie beyond Milan’s reach and spoil David Beckham’s homecoming. Park and Fletcher merely iced the cake.

Few could had predicted how easy it proved to dump the Italian giants out of Europe’s premier club competition. The Rossoneri arrived in Manchester determined to overturn a 3-2 first-leg deficit and employed an attacking 4-3-3 formation, with Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Marco Borriello and Ronaldinho up top.

But United, buoyed by a vocal home support, flew out of the traps. Within the first 10 minutes Rooney let fly twice from distance (once narrowly missing the left-hand post), Gary Neville fired a left-footed long-ranger over the bar and Nani forced goalkeeper Christian Abbiati into a smart save down by his near post.

There were scares for the Reds early on, too: Ronaldinho headed inches wide after Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick was flicked on by Nani, while Huntelaar’s control let him down badly when he drifted beyond Patrice Evra to latch onto a long ball from Thiago Silva.

Source : Man Utd

07th March 2010. Happy Birthday Hafizah also known as Peej.

Paul Scholes reached a century of Premier League goals and fired United to the top of the table as the Reds battled to a 1-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux.

Shorn of the services of the injured Wayne Rooney, Sir Alex’s men struggled to hit top gear against a Wolves side fighting for their top flight status. But United have a fourth consecutive title to play for and the Reds knew a victory was a must and Scholes ensured United left with exactly what they came for when he slotted home with 18 minutes remaining on the clock.

United paid the price for Rooney’s midweek exertions for England as the striker was forced to sit out the visit to Molineux and rest his injured knee. The Reds were, however, boosted by the return from suspension of Nani and from injury of Rio Ferdinand who partnered Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the defence for the first time since October. Dimitar Berbatov took up the lone-striking role with Nani and Antonio Valencia on hand to offer support down the wings. Wolves, meanwhile, who were fined £25,000 for fielding a weakened side at Old Trafford in December, kept an unchanged side for the fourth straight match.

The game got off to a scrappy start with Wolves focused on keeping things tight and United taking time to adjust to life without their main front man. Seven minutes after Valencia had fired a powerful drive just wide of the near post, the Reds had a decent shout for a spot-kick on 15 minutes, but referee Peter Walton saw nothing wrong with Karl Henry holding back Darron Gibson as he attempted to make the most of Nani’s blocked free-kick which had dropped into his path.

Source : Man Utd