Manchester United defeat Valencia CF in Spain
Manchester United came away with three vital points against Valencia CF in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, winning 1–0 courtesy of a late strike from Javier Hernandez.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team started the game without the injured Wayne Rooney, and though it's uncertain whether the out-of-form striker's presence would have helped, United failed to create many chances
during the game. Apart from the goal, Ferguson's team produced only one shot on target.
But despite creating few chances, the manager was happy with his team's perforamance after the game. "We're always a threat when we play good football and get to the edge of the box. Some of the football
was good, very good. [Hernandez] had really good penetration because of his quickness."
Roberto Soldado was gifted one of the only chances of the first half when Edwin van der Sar punched the ball in his direction, but the Spaniard could not get on top of the ball, sending his header over
the bar.
After the break, Pablo Hernandez advanced into the middle from the right wing and hit a strike that flew just wide of van der Sar's post.
Dimitar Berbatov coontrolled a long ball from Darren Fletcher with 57 minutes played. The Bulgarian's burst of pace saw him race down the left flank, but his finish was saved by Cesar Sanchez Dominguez.
It took twenty minutes before the next scoring opportunity arrived. Valencia substitute Manuel Fernandes cut inside from the right after to send a speculative strike towards the United goal. van der Sar,
who had a clear view of the ball's path, dove to his right to punch it clear.
Hernandez made an impact from the bench
Hernandez, who replaced Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira after 77 minutes, showed a striker's awareness when he threw himself onto Nani's cross, but he could only divert the ball onto the post.
The decisive moment cam in the 85th minute when Nani laid the ball off to Federico Macheda, who instead of taking advantage of the space on the right side opted to square the ball to Hernandez on the edge
of the box.
The Mexican's first touch took him past David Navarro, and his quick, left-footed finish sent the ball goalwards before Miguel Monteiro could intervene. The ball crept just inside Cesar's right post.
United came away with a narrow win, their first in Europe this season. The victory leaves them top of Group C with four points, the same as Rangers FC. Valencia are third on three points, while Bursaspor
have no points after two games.
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