The dream is over – Everton win on penalties
Howard haunted ex-club
By Chris,
April 19 2009
Never again may a team come so close to winning the “Quintuple”. Manchester United entered Sunday’s semi-final with Everton knowing that they were perhaps nine or so wins away from the single biggest achievement in football history. However, Sir Alex Ferguson, a man we treasure and trust, made the foolish decision of fielding a weakened side and paid the price as United crashed out on penalties.
Absolutely gutted. The dream is over.
After the win in Porto, there were some United fans that genuinely started to believe that the Red Devils could win all five major trophies this season. To be in with a chance at this stage of the season is a remarkable feat - but the dream is over and it's difficult to look beyond Sir Alex's questionable team selection.
The Scotsman made too many changes for the League Cup final but - courtesy of a tremendous Ben Foster display - United claimed an undeserved win on penalties. The Reds were much better on Sunday - but ran out of luck with spot-kicks despite the shoot-out tacking place in front of 30,000 nervous Reds.
Edwin van der Sar, Patrice Evra, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov - to name just six - were all left out of the United line-up. No fewer than eight changes were made from the team that won in Porto and, though an anxious Fergie kicked every ball himself on the touchline, the team he fielded couldn't quite see us through to the final.
After a goalless draw which United edged but lacked a cutting edge in front of goal, the lacsidasical Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand were entrusted to take United's first two penalties. A bizarre call - and both players missed. Nemanja Vidic, heroic in defence throughout, and Anderson did the job from twelve yards - but it was too little, too late for United.
When Tim Cahill bashed his effort over the crossbar as the shoot-out got underway, the United fans perhaps had reason to believe that the Reds would again claim the jackpot in the spot-kick lottery. But it wasn't to be. The Toffees, to their immense credit, would score all four of their remaining spot-kicks whilst ex-Red Tim Howard would block a pathetic penalty from Berbatov and a tame effort from Ferdinand. It hurts.
The game itself was hardly memorable. In fact, it was pretty dour for long periods as most semi-finals seem to have been since they were moved to the new Wembley. Danny Welbeck was clattered in the box by Phil Jagielka but Mike Dean didn't award a penalty - whilst both teams had a handful of decent opportunities.
United, however, lacked composure for long periods and you always had to question whether such a young, inexperienced side could handle the pressure of a Cup semi-final. Darron Gibson, for example, was sloppy in possession whilst Foster looked edgy throughout the opening period. You just always had that feeling that it was going to be the end of the Quintuple hunt.
Everton are hunting their first major trophy since 1995 and are one of the league's strongest outfits. David Moyes' men will have been even more motivated when news filtered through of Fergie's complacent team selection and it was no surprise to hear that odds of an Everton win moved from 4/1 to 6/4 with the bookies after the starting line-ups were announced.
It's important to remember that United remain top of the league and are in the semi-finals of the European Cup. With the League Cup and Club World Cup already safely in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet, it could still be a season which emulates the greatness of 1999.
However, all the talk amongst the fans and the media as been of the clean sweep, the grand slam of cups, the impossible dream. It has, indeed, proved impossible - and we said so all along. But the players and fans now face a big-ask to pick themselves up.
You have to think it would all have been rather different had Sir Alex shown the Toffees the respect they undoubtedly deserve. Surely such a shadow first-XI would have been much, much more likely to claim a win against Portsmouth on Wednesday than in this high-pressure, winner-takes-all clash at Wembley Stadium?
Full Time - Everton 0-0 Manchester United
(Everton won 4-2 on penalty-kicks)
Attendance - 88,141
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For a few reasons, I passed my ticket on to friends – mainly in protest to the ridiculous decision to play the semi-finals at Wembley, and partly due to economic considerations.
Watching on the box was just as tense, however – and what a horrible 140-odd minutes it proved to be.
My above feelings should make things clear.
I was hugely disappointed with Fergie’s team selection. Yes, we’ve got so many big games coming up but eight changes was excessive and we were missing a match-winner.
I knew as soon as the team was announced that it was going to be Everton’s day and good luck to them in the final against Chelski.
Absolutely gutted. It hurts to lose any game on a shoot-out; but after fielding such a severely weakened side it hurts even more.
The only gripe i have is about the penalty takes. Why was Tevez going to be last assuming he would hit one? Why wasn't Rafael given one? Or Welbeck? Berbatov was a disgrace. I couldn't believe it when he came on for ET. Why not bring Nani on who has pace and directness and put Welbeck up top.
I'm gutted we went out but we want the league and CL more so i felt it was the right decision with regards the team selected.
It wasn't complacency. Fergie knew it would be tough but he also knows the PL and the CL are much more important than the FA Cup. Rooney was struggling anyway and the way Ronaldo is playing its about time he wasn't in the team. These boys have to come of age sometime and today they could have done it. They had their chance, they didn't blow it.
If we had pulled it off it would have been a masterstroke to rest all our key players. This could be the break they needed and it kicks in to touch all the stigma attached to winning everything.
Strange to not to see Tevez go first though.
I don't understand the criticism from our own fans about this game to be honest.
We are in the hunt for the league & champions league as well as we were for this competition. They take priority. Yes it would have been brilliant to win five but it is clearly that a lot of our players are knackered.
We have a large and talented squad, today Fergie used it so he could rest players for more important games. It wasn't complacency, he gave young players a chance which is a big part of what this club's about and I think people are forgetting that we were only knocked out on penalties! And that coming after we were denied one of our own in normal time which would have probably have seen us through to the final had we converted it.
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loved to see the fans gutted faces lol
might make ur heads shrink abit!
FA CUP , U @#$%& IT UP
FA CUP , U @#$%& IT UP
Also, i had a feeling we would lose the shootout. We've won many recently and I just thought we were using up all our luck so if we had to lose one this season let it be the FAC SF. Just my brilliant logic
The criticism is an absolute joke. I get people are disappointed as i am but the team selection wasn't farcial. It was exciting.
Howard is a very good penalty saver, at least he was in his time here. Remember wishing so much Fergie would bring him on in extra time against Arsenal in that cup final
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I know how it might have affected them but i still thought they should have been given the chance. They ahve what it takes to get through a semi final so give them a penalty and let them win it. I was really surprised Rafa didn't step up first, he seems like that kind of boy.
Anyone think ths game was an ideal, totally ideal game, for giggs?
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It was an odd decision.
After Cahill missed, United wanted someone to roof home the first to really settle the nerves and leave Everton panicking. Instead, Berbatov rolled the ball towards Tim Howard and you had to think it wasn't our day.
I remember being at the Millennium for that Cup final, Hatter. I quite liked Roy Carroll but wanted Fergie to bring Howard on for the penalties. Sadly it never came - bloody Viera. That one hurt even more than Sunday; particularly after watching us totally dominate the entire final for 120 minutes.
Berbatov took a few for Spurs I think, no suprises about that he was chosen to take one, just how he took it. Wouldn't expect Anderson to be good at penalties given his shooting!
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He started a 2nd string who were probably better than Everton.