United 4 - 0 Hull: We're on Top!

Ryan Giggs still confident on Carling's 2nd leg

Goalscorer Ryan Giggs says United will take heart from Tuesday’s performance at Eastlands, despite losing 2-1 to Manchester City in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final.

The Welshman, who’s played in 31 consecutive Manchester derbies, put the Reds in front on 17 minutes, only to see former United striker Carlos Tevez turn round the deficit with a goal on either side of half-time.

“It was the perfect start,” Giggs told MUTV. “You always want to go 1-0 up in a cup tie away from home. After that we probably weren’t as crisp with our passing and kept playing the ball backwards. We let City back into it, really.”

City’s lifeline arrived courtesy of a dubious penalty. Rafael tugged at Craig Bellamy’s shirt but contact appeared to be outside the box.

“We felt we were a little unlucky to go into the break at 1-1,” Giggs admitted, “but we also knew we could play better.

“[The penalty decision] was a turning point. If we’d have gone in 1-0 up it might have been a different story. Sometimes you get decisions and sometimes you don’t – you just have to get on with it.”

Tevez grabbed a second on 65 minutes before United dominated the closing stages as the Reds threw everything at City in search of an equaliser.

“After they scored we played well and probably deserved to get that equaliser.

“Last season we comprehensively beat Derby County in the second leg of the semi so hopefully we can do that again. It’s going to be tough, City are a good team. But there were enough signs, especially in the last half-hour, to suggest we’re good enough to beat them.”

“We created plenty of chances but we didn’t have that stroke of luck or the composure in front of goal. Hopefully we’ll have that in the second leg – and hopefully we can put the chances away this time" - Ryan Giggs

Source: manutd.com

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Old Trafford's 100th birthday

ManUtd.com is marking Old Trafford’s centenary with some fantastic features.

A dedicated section of the website, launched next week, will celebrate 100 years of one of world football’s finest stadiums by telling the epic tale of its evolution and recalling some of the greatest moments in its glorious history.

Here are some of the highlights to look out for online, from now until the anniversary of Old Trafford’s first-ever match – 19 February – and beyond…

The Old Trafford Story: A six-part account of the stadium’s development, from the dream of John Henry Davies in the early 20th century to the Theatre of Dreams today.

The OT 100 : Scroll through our carousel of the most memorable moments in M16; new entries are added every day until number 100 on the 100th anniversary itself.

Top 10 Moments: Coming soon – four United experts decide the definitive top 10 occasions in order of importance. Watch the video as the big debate unfolds.

My Old Trafford: Players, officials and supporters share their personal thoughts and memories, from a favourite game to the emotions they associate with OT.

Stadium Tour Video : Our whirlwind trip around Old Trafford’s inner sanctums whets the appetite for the real thing – after taking a look, you might want to book!
 
Exclusive Wallpapers: Download images inspired by The OT 100 to your desktop.

Source: RedView

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New dates for Cup derbies

United's Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester City has been postponed.

The Reds were due at Eastlands on Wednesday night, but heavy snow in the north west means the game has been rearranged to Tuesday 19 January.

The second leg, originally scheduled for Tuesday 19 January at Old Trafford, will now take place on Wednesday 27 January.

A statement on City's official website said: "After discussions with the relevant parties including Greater Manchester Police, the Safety Advisory Committee, the Football League and Manchester United, the decision was unanimously reached that the game should be re-scheduled due to safety concerns, particularly with regard to travel for supporters.

"The North West Ambulance Service has declared the region as a major incident area and Greater Manchester Police are now responding to emergency calls only. The Met Office was also consulted and with projected temperatures of minus four tonight, due to drop to minus six on Wednesday evening, all parties agreed a postponement was the only solution."

As a result of the rearranged Carling Cup games, United's Barclays Premier League home game against Hull City (scheduled for 26 January) has been postponed. A new date for this fixture has yet to be decided.

Source: manutd.com

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Preview: United v City: Fergie to axe 7 flops

ALEX FERGUSON is ready to axe SEVEN of his Manchester United flops.

Big guns Dimitar Berbatov and Gary Neville are in line for the chop when United face bitter rivals Manchester City in tomorrow's Carling Cup semi.

Anderson, Gabriel Obertan, Danny Welbeck, Darron Gibson and Fabio could also be ditched.

Old Trafford boss Fergie was left stunned by Sunday's FA Cup loss to Leeds.

His No 2 Mike Phelan said: "We will start to think a little bit differently with our selection for Wednesday.

"I don't think we did ourselves justice against Leeds in certain departments of the field. We had players out there who play for Manchester United and they did not perform as expected of them."

Fergie had virtually selected his team to make the short journey to Eastlands - but the 1-0 defeat by Leeds has forced him to think again.

Phelan insisted they expected the XI put out against the League One side to be comfortably good enough to win.

He added: "We either go experienced, or we go youth. This time we picked a bit of a mixture and it didn't work.

"This is a major blow. We need to progress in this cup. We need to be in finals of cup competitions like this. To go out at the stage we have is unacceptable really."

Centre-back Nemanja Vidic is likely to miss the City clash after pulling out of the Leeds game with a trapped nerve.

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2794427/Fergie-to-axe-seven-flops.html

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