11 Points Too Big?

By Scumpool
January 6 2005

Everything looked to be in such good shape for us. We had gone through a very busy December schedule unbeaten domestically then a home game against an in-form Tottenham Hotspur could simply have ruined all that good work. Chelsea are now 11 points clear at the top of the table.

Everything looked to be in such good shape for us. We had gone through a
very busy December schedule unbeaten domestically then a home game against
Tottenham could simply have ruined all that good work. We may look back to
the 4th of January, at the end of the season, and say that was the game that
destroyed our title hopes.

We started of December with a great win against our old foes Arsenal in the
Carling Cup. A solitary David Bellion strike early in the first half was
enough to see us in to the next round and a powder-keg clash against Chelsea.

Southampton was our first league game of December and a 3-0 score line
looked convincing but that wasn't the case. All three strikes by Scholes,
Rooney and Ronaldo all came in the second half of the game. It was a
comfortable win in the end but Southampton had put up a strong fight until
we scored.

Two disappointing displays followed that win. Firstly the last group game
in the Champions league against Fenerbahce. A 3-0 win for the Turkish side
wasn't the result a weakened United side were looking for but we had qualified
already so not to worry too much. There was cause for concern when we
travelled to the Cottage for a Monday night game against Fulham. An Alan
Smith strike was looking good enough to settle this difficult match. That
was until "The Wardrobe" stepped in and lashed a 30-yard thunderbolt past a
helpless Roy Carroll. Everyone was stunned and a vital two points were
dropped. The only black mark on what was a tremendous month for the club.
In Sir Alex Ferguson's words "It was an absolute giveaway."

An excellent display the following Saturday against a fighting Crystal
Palace side wiped away any niggling doubts any fans may have had that we
were on a down slide again. An emphatic 5-2 score line, which in truth
could have been a lot more if it wasn't for the impressive Kiraly in goals
for Palace. Scholes (2), Smith, O'Shea and an Emerson Boyce own goal were
enough to see off Palace. It was one of our best performances of the season
to date and one that firmly showed that Giggs and Scholes were back to
their very best.

If the Palace game was a rout then our next fixture against Bolton certainly
was nowhere near that. Goals from Giggs and Paul Scholes were good enough
for the win. It was a battling display from both teams and it was
ultimately the inability of United to not be able to finish Bolton off that
left the game on a knife-edge. Something that also occurred in the 1-0 win
at Villa park. Another Giggs goal gave us another 3 points but not without
a struggle. Villa could and probably should have levelled but that's
football. December was rounded off with this result but the players didn't
have time to sit back and take a breather because right round the corner was
a New Years Day clash at the Riverside.

An early Darren Fletcher goal in a period, which we dominated, gave us the
lead and then yet another Ryan Giggs goal mid way through the second half
made the scoreline respectable. And so it was onto the Spurs game. A game
we should have probably lost in all fairness to Spurs. A perfectly good
goal wasn't given even though the ball was a yard over the line. A huge
relief for United who have now lost an inspirational Ryan Giggs to injury for a
few weeks.

A win against Spurs would surely have propelled us right back in to the
title race but unfortunately an eleven-point gap now looks anonymous for
United. Even Arsenal don't look like catching a rampant Chelsea side. This
was a period were maximum points was vital but two slip-ups against teams,
with all due respect, we should be beaten could be too costly.

Lets hope not though, C'mon United lets show them what we're made of!

Written by Scumpool
Edited by David Hobbs