Man. United terkulai tanpa Rooney

MANCHESTER - Chelsea mengambil penuh kesempatan di atas ketiadaan Wayne Rooney untuk melonjak ke tangga teratas Liga Perdana England (EPL) selepas menang 2-1 ke atas Manchester United, semalam.

Jaringan Joe Cole dan pemain gantian, Didier Drobga membuktikan dominasi kelab London itu, selepas lawan mereka jelas kurang berinspirasi tanpa penyerang Rooney, yang telah menjaringkan 34 gol setakat ini.

Jaringan minit-minit akhir pemain gantian, Federico Macheda pula membuktikan United masih mampu bertindak balas ketika tiga rayuan untuk sepakan penalti pasukan itu, dinafikan oleh pengadil.

Bagaimanapun, itu tidak boleh dijadikan alasan buat penyandang juara itu, selepas gagal mencipta peluang gol, sebelum Macheda menyempurnakan hantaran lintang dari pemain gantian, Nani pada sembilan minit akhir perlawanan.

Ketiadaan Rooney tidak menukar bentuk formasi United, dengan Dimitar Berbatov sekali lagi gagal menepati statusnya selaku pemain termahal dalam sejarah pembelian United, apabila gagal membentuk gandingan baik dengan Ryan Giggs dan Antonio Valencia di bahagian serangan.

Ancelotti menurunkan barisan yang sama ketika Blues membelasah Aston Villa 7-1 hujung minggu lalu, dengan Drogba diletak di bangku simpanan pada awal permainan.

Nicolas Anelka mengetuai rangkaian serangan, dibantu Cole dan Florent Malouda di bahagian sayap.

Gandingan mereka membolehkan Chelsea mendahului pada minit ke-20.

Gerakan bermula dari sebelah kiri, selepas Malouda melepasi Valencia dan Gary Neville, dan dia bergelut dengan Darren Fletcher sebelum melakukan hantaran lintang yang tepat kepada Cole, yang kemudiannya melakukan kuisan menarik untuk gol pertama Blues.

Chelsea memperoleh gol kedua melalui jaringan Drogba, yang dilihat berada pada posisi Offside, sebelum menyambar hantaran pemain gantian, Salomon Kalou dan melepaskan rembatan deras menewaskan Edwin van der Sar.

"Ia amat mengecewakan, kita dapat lihat bagaimana kualiti pengadil di sini, saya rasa ia mengganggu rentak permainan kami.

"Walaupun kami tewas ia tidak bermakna kami sudah gagal meraih kejuaraan liga musim ini," kata pengurus United, Alex Ferguson

04/04/10 - Utusan Malaysia

Boss: Blues have title edge now

Sir Alex Ferguson says United will bounce back from losing at home to Chelsea for the first time in five years, but admits it may not be enough to keep the title.

“It’s a disappointing result,” said Sir Alex. “I thought we looked leggy in the first half. We took too long to get going. Chelsea were by far the better team.

“But in the second half we did well and we were unfortunate not to get something from the game. We dominated that second period and there’s always that chance we can rescue it. But we just didn’t get there today.”

Unfortunate may be putting it mildly – some might say grossly unlucky, considering Didier Drogba was in an offside position when he made it 2-0 to the Blues.

“What I can’t understand is the linesman was directly in line with it,” said Sir Alex.

“There’s nobody in front of him and he gets it wrong. In a game of that magnitude you really need quality officials. We didn’t get them today and it was a poor, poor performance.”

The appointment of referee Mike Dean for this game had been criticised in midweek by another aggrieved manager, Burnley’s Brian Laws, but Sir Alex wouldn’t be drawn on that.

“I don’t know about that. I’m not going into that. When I saw it was Mike Dean, I did worry, I must admit. Plenty of people are criticising him but I’m not going to go down that road.”

Whatever the reasons for United’s defeat, there is no doubt the Barclays Premier League pendulum has now swung in favour of Carlo Ancelotti’s victors.

“Chelsea are favourites now, no question. There are five games left and they are two points ahead and four goals better off in goal difference. They’re in the driving seat, no question about that.

“I’m certain we’ll respond. But we could win our next five games and not win the league. If Chelsea win their five, they’re champions.”

Sir Alex's next task is to raise his troops for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich, when the Reds have to turn around another 2-1 defeat.

"We have to (raise the players), it's important," Sir Alex told MUTV.

"It's a European tie and an opportunity to get to the semi-finals of the Champions League with a final in Madrid beckoning. That's incentive enough."

03/0410 - ManUtd.com