Adam Dennehey WAFU manager
Manchester United quickly got over their humiliation that was the Manchester derby by comfortably beating Dean Holdsworth’s Aldershot Town 3-0 to move through to the Carling Cup quarter finals.
Sir Alex Ferguson made 11 changes to the side that was beaten by Manchester City at the weekend. The two most eye-catching names in the starting-line up were most definitely Nemanja Vidic who returned to the team after being dropped at the weekend and Tom Cleverley who was making his first appearance since his ankle injury away to Bolton in September.
Dimitar Berbatov as expected was partnering Michael Owen up top and a lovely knock-down by the Bulgarian presented Cleverley with the chance of the game but the silky midfielder curled a shot high over the bar. Aldershot spurred on by their fans were not sitting back and a great move by the hosts forced Vidic into fouling Alex Rodman 30 yards from goal. Referee Peter Walton was left with no other option but to book United’s captain who accepted the yellow card with no fuss.
Just after the quarter-hour United went ahead after a lovely flowing move. Park Ji-Sung picked out Cleverley on the edge of the box who stroked through a brilliant pass back into the box for the Korean to run onto in the area to lay the ball to Berbatov who coolly slotted home after taking one touch to control the ball. It was the Bulgarian’s first goal of the season and long overdue.
Good play by Cleverley and Owen created a chance for Fabio to double United’s lead shortly after going ahead but the Brazilian’s shot was deflected wide of the post. Aldershot were not giving them up though and a great run by Jermaine McGlashan ended with the tricky winger firing a shot just wide of Ben Amos’s post.
United were looking in control but Peter Vincenti was impressing for the hosts and dissapotingly shot well wide of goal from fully 25 yards out when the Jersey-born midfielder, who has a reputation for having a good shot on him, should have at least tested Amos into making a save.
Three minutes before the interval United doubled their lead. With Aldershot’s players high up the pitch, Owen after receiving a pass to his feet by Park threaded a long-ball forward for Berbatov to chase down. He easily bedazzled his marker in the area and played a lovely ball through back to the former England-hitman to fire home past Ross Worner in goal who couldn’t quite do enough to keep the shot out. It was Owen’s third goal of the competition to date and his third overall for the season.
Two minutes after the break, United sealed the game thanks to a wonder strike from Antonio Valencia who struck a powerful shot from 25 yards that Worner in goal could do nothing about. It was some strike by the Ecuadorian and one that he will have to do well to better in his entire career.
Despite the game being won, Berbatov was trying just as hard to get another goal and he was unfortunate not to score a hat-trick before the full-time whistle. First he dragged a shot wide of the post after seemingly doing everything he could to score before somehow Worner stopped a powerful free-kick from the edge of the box from last season’s top scorer for United.
United’s travelling support welcomed the arrivals of the highly-rated talented trio of Paul Pogba, Will Keane and Ravel Morrison to the game and all three impressed. Morrison in particular looked sharp and a good through-ball late on almost presented Valenica with a second but uncharacteristically he snapped a shot wide when he could have took at least three touches before burying the ball in.
Aldershot to their credit of their manager Holdsworth never gave up though and Luke Cuttridge twice went close to getting the League One side a consolation but shot wide after a Vincenti knock-down before Amos spectacularly tipped a powerful free-kick from the midfielder onto the post.
United: Amos, Fabio, Jones, Vidic, Fryers (Keane), Valencia, Park, Cleverley (Pogba), Diouf (Morrison), Berbatov, Owen
Star Man
Many United fans get frustrated with Dimitar Berbatov but aside from only scoring once, he looked like a man who had something to prove to the fans and most importantly Sir Alex. His vision last night was exceptional and whilst his goal wasn’t that special, his attitude really personified United’s performance last night and surely he must have improved his chances of appearing against Everton at the weekend.
By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87
