Football Update: EPL News- Manchester United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers- Park Ji-sung Saves the Day
Sir Alex Ferguson was celebrating his 24th anniversary at Manchester United, as his side faced Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford. A victory would have been the greatest present for Ferguson, which he eventually got but after an unexpected tough battle.
Manchester United again displayed that no one should write them off until the last seconds of the extra time. Once again, as the game seemed to have been levelled, Park Ji-sung found the winner in the extra minutes, to give his team a victory. First goal was also scored by the Korean captain, in the ending minutes of first half.
With Wayne Rooney still out because of an injury, Ferguson had to make some tough decisions in choosing his team. Owen Hargreaves was given a rare start after missing a lot of action since last season. With the English midfielder on the pitch, Paul Scholes was left on the bench. Also, Dimitar Berbatov and Nani were missing for United, so the match was started by Javier Hernandez and Gabriel Obertan.
The decision of starting Hargreaves did not prove well for Ferguson. Almost a week ago, Ferguson said that a timeline could not be given regarding Hargreaves return. However, a week later he was kept in the starting line-up, which seemed a bit odd. Normally a player makes it as a substitute before starting games, after returning from injury. Ferguson took a gamble and hoped that it would go well, since the midfield has been causing a lot of problems for United.
But, it did not go well for both Ferguson and Hargreaves, as the midfielder pointed out something to the bench after only nine minutes of starting the match. After this, he was replaced by Bebe, which seemed an odd choice, since Scholes was sitting on the bench as well. This puts Hernandez future in doubt, as he has not been able to play any football for more than a season now.
With Bebe on the pitch, in place of Hargreaves, Manchester United looked weaker than before. However, the Portuguese youngster had some moments, but never came close to scoring. On the other hand, Wolves also failed to take any opportunity in the first half. The first goal came just before the end of first half, as Darren Fletcher provided the pass to Park, whose shot deflected past the charging Marcus Hahnemann. The score-line did not do justice as Wolves played better football and had more chances than the home side.
The second half also started slow for both the teams. Things became lively when Wolves made a change in 64th minute, when Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was brought on in place of Stephen Hunt. The former United player was on the score-sheet at once as he scored one past Edwin van der Sar in the 66th minute.
Things were getting worse as the winner seemed unlikely. At this point, Ferguson brought on Scholes in place of John O’Shea. At this point, things started changing as United rallied to find the winning goal. However, Wolves defended their goal well, as they kept their opposition away from scoring. But, as United went forward they left their goal empty, which gave Wolves another chance of scoring. Stephen Fletcher had the ball to his feet but he missed the goal with only the keeper to beat.
As the injury time of four minutes started playing, it seemed that Wolves would be able to get a point from the game. However, Park had a say in the game as he scored after cutting from the right side and putting the ball in for United’s and his second of the night. The match ended with a victory for Alex Ferguson’s side on his anniversary. With this win United have closed the gap, from Chelsea, to two points. However, it was not a great performance by United, so Ferguson would have a little to celebrate and more to think about after this match.
Tags: