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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 17:55:07 GMT
With Christmas gone, the day's three completed games so far has nourished 12 goals with only Fulham not finding the net. In a see-saw relegation-zone encounter at Bramall Lane, Luton found themselves two down to Sheffield United but came back to win 2-3 and are now just one point in debt of 17th place with Sheffield rooted to the bottom on 9 points, Chris Wilder suffering his 3rd defeat in five games since taking over early this month.
Nottingham Forest's comeback was equally impressive after going a goal down to Newcastle at St James' - winning in fine form 1-3. Bournemouth climbed to 10th place to go 3 points clear of Chelsea and within 3 points of Man Utd (all having played 18 games each)
Manchester United, goalless in four, welcome Aston Villa Sir Jim Ratcliffe to Old Trafford. Britain's 2nd wealthiest person bought 25% of the club for around $1.2 bn - a sum recoupable courtesy of his offshore tax savings in Monaco by about April next year, I'd say. Ratcliffe, a lifelong United fan, he says, was the fellow who bid $4.25 bn for Chelsea not so long ago and was rejected only to be taken over by that well-known footballing US mind Todd Boehly. Ratcliffe also completely owns OGC Nice of French Ligue 1, currently 2nd in the table, though it is officially owned by INEOS (Ratter's $17 bn baby)
At any rate, United, it's safe to say, are currently in the footballing sh*t. Unrecognizabe as a fully functioning side for some time now, they sit 8th in the table having lost eight games this season. Coach Ten Hag is 11/8 favourite for next to go, the 113 year old stadium is rickety with leaking rooves, the Food Standards Agency last week awarded Old Trafford a 1* hygiene rating (out of 5) and two weeks ago the club was dumped out of Europe without so much as a back-door pass to the Europa League and looking unlikely to qualify for even the Euro Conference League this season unless there is a mighty turnaround. If all this sounds particularly bitchy and with prejudice towards United let me tell you that half of the above also applies to Chelsea, added to which the Blues have spent over a billion quid in a year for the privilege - nobody's laughing in south west London either, pal.
Today's visitors to Old Trafford are high-flying Aston Villa who came unexpectedly unstuck last time out by drawing at home to lowly Sheff Utd, a hiccup after a fine run of five wins out of the last six including seeing off Man City, Arsenal and Tottenham.
United, somehow are favourites with the bookies who may be of the opinion "for f*ck's sake they've gotta start scoring sooner or later, let's back 'em" but I fancy Villa to turn United inside out today. Kick-off is at 8pm.
Man Utd 13/10
Villa 9/5
At Turf Moor the 4th game of the day sees Darwin Nunez curl in a beaty for the visitors who after 25 minutes look like they might run riot here.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 18:11:29 GMT
Jurgen Klopp, a goal up and running the show here, should be sitting comfortably alongside his assistants in the trench, but in true-Klopp style he stands on the touchline persistently throwing words at the nearby linesman - about what who knows? Possibly about Gatko's disallowed goal minutes ago after the ref blew up for a related foul by Nunez. The decision was made, the goal was disallowed, the awarded free-kick went to Burnley. But the 4th official is obliged to approach Klopp and request he stop hassling the lino.
Salah's rocket shot rattles off the bar just there with half an hour gone. Burnley have been, well, pretty vacant, you have to say, almost nonplussed at times at the prospect of running 90 minutes with the L4 Anfield Massive. They need to up their game to avoid a good slapping here.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 18:24:32 GMT
Half Time
BURNLEY 0 LIVERPOOL 1
A few excellent saves by Burnley keeper James Trafford has kept the deficit to one for Burnley as Klopp stalks towards the tunnel with a scowl festering beneath his baseball cap. Was he sort of kid who scweamed and scweamed and scweamed till his drained mami finally gave in or what?
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 18:48:56 GMT
GOAL
0-2 Liverpool, as Burnley can't deal with defending their own penalty area and Elliot stabs it home from close-range.
VAR
Is Salah offside and blocking Trafford's view of Elliot's shot? Let's join the ref ias he watches the screen in his Referee Review Area (everything's got its own name now, no?) He stands there and watches. He stands there and watches. But he doesn't stand there and watch for very long...
NO GOAL
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 19:00:32 GMT
CHANCE BURNLEY
They build a move from central to left with Odobert zig-zagging deliciously past two Liverpool defenders to feed Gudmundsson at the far post on the six yard line with a free header on goal. But oh no, he sends it high and wide. That was 1-1 if ever it was, except it wasn't. Come on.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 19:06:40 GMT
Is Klopp getting rattled. He prowls the touchline, his scarily white teeth clenched and shining without reserve in the floodlights' glow like Dracula before a nubile young wench's snow-white neck.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 19:22:35 GMT
GOAL
Jota. It's over. It always was really.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 20:04:51 GMT
It's underway at Old Trafford and it's got to be Villa to score 2+ at Even Money.
What were the odds on both teams taking the knee before kick-off, I wonder. Is it a thing again?
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 20:22:17 GMT
On '19 it's 400 minutes since United scored a goal, in any competition. 400.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 20:28:10 GMT
GOAL
Villa players employ diversion tactics with two players running into offside positions as McGinn floats in his free-kick from 40 yards out. The ball curls in at an angle across the pitch. United's defence is confused by the Villa tactics. The ball heads for goal. It's on course. It's going in. It's going in. It's gone in! Onana beaten and looking confounded. United players, particularly Fernandes, hassle the referee for offside. But, no, neither of the two Villa players in an offside position were interfering with play as McGinn's curler sailed untouched into the net. It's a goal for McGinn.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 20:34:52 GMT
GOAL
5 minutes later the shambolic United defence allows Lenglet to head down McGinn's corner into the path of Dendonker who jabs it beyond for 0-2. There were about 9 Utd bodies in the box and most of them stood and stared as the ball went in. The boos ring out. What's going on, the crowd is asking. Luton have scored more goals than Man Utd, for crissakes. Three more to be precise. It's really bad here. Unthinkable for some United fans. Can their team come back from this one?
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 20:44:32 GMT
Barry Glendenning notes a few minutes after Villa go two up : "Possibly motivated by the possibility of outright revolt in the stands of Old Trafford, Manchester United’s players appear to have realised this isn’t actually fever dream and is actually happening in real life."
I'm not sure he's watching the same game as me. I can see no marked difference in United's approach. Chasing the ball wildly for 30 seconds after you've just gone 0-2 down doesn't constitute 'motivated'. And Villa are back in the driving seat again, happy to let the home team have their little runaround.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 20:50:26 GMT
Garnacho for United runs for an advancing ball just by the halfway line. He hurtles towards the goal pushing the ball past two defenders and fires. His shot is wide. It wouldn't have counted anyway. He was offside when the original ball was played.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 20:53:51 GMT
It's half time at Old Trafford. Boos ring out. Villa lead 0-2. They have contained the play very well, striking twice within a few minutes, expertly laying the offside trap when needed.
As for United, I can't. I can't. Who on earth can?
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 21:17:42 GMT
GOAL
Garnacho gets an early second half goal for United. It's 1-2.
Edit : NO GOAL
Offside. By a bootlace. But really he could have have held back as Rashford fed him the pass. Poor timing by the Spaniard.
GOAL
Garnacho again fed similarly by Rashford but this time stays onside to slot home. Suddenly the rickety old stands of Old Trafford are full of love and hope.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 21:25:25 GMT
Now United are showing us something, jabbing the ball around with intent. Looking aware, looking like footballers.
Garnacho now drives one wide of the post, low and hard and at an angle.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 21:36:48 GMT
GOAL
Whether they got an actual real life rocket up their asses at half time I can't be sure, but United are back in this at 2-2. They've been running around like their shirts are aflame. Garnacho fires it in after a build-up that caught Villa dead. Bit of a deflection off Carlos maybe but it's in. It's 2-2. Well, what can I say? Jekyll and Hyde? The Gemini Effect?
At any rate it's gonna be a lively final 20 minutes or so.
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 21:47:37 GMT
GOAL
It's there. It's there. It's a Rasta-Blaster from Rasmus Højlund. A volley. A curling volley. Keeper no chance. Ten minutes left. Incredible scenes. Even Onana makes the 100 yard journey to join his teammates in celebration. In the dug-out you know who has just exhaled the hardest, the very hardest. It's 3-2 United. Fackin' hell!
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Post by staggerstag on Dec 26, 2023 21:53:47 GMT
You know, this comeback has not been entirely off United's own back. You've got to give them credit, yes, and they have been ten times the team they were in the first half. But if you think Villa have offered anything in the way of resistance or counteraction this half, you're wrong, buster. Not so much a hard capitulation by them as a soft gradual submission. They've shown us nothing this half. Maybe they were taken unawares by the lively change-around by the home side after the interval. There'll be 9 minutes of added time. They'll never hold on  Edit : But they do. They do. And they go 6th. Well, I'll go the foot of our stairs. And I've just got to say well done BOB. I slagged off United something rotten in the first half (and deservedly so, I might say) but they came good eventually and served me up my words on toast with extra relish. |
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TheSowIsMine
Junior Member
@thesowismine
Posts: 2,656
Likes: 1,689
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Dec 27, 2023 8:46:03 GMT
Both results are good for Liverpool.
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