what a season....!

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Words can't describe this. We are king of Europe!! I will write one long grandmother story on the CL final, but before that, this is on the premier league:

Manchester United
Barclays English Premier League Winner 17th time
2007/08


It was another glorious season for Manchester United, which saw them making their presence immensely felt on all fronts- the Premier League, FA cup and UEFA Champions League. Now at the end of the 2007/08 season, I am proud to present to you my analysis on Man Utd's success-filled season, on their way towards glory. Muahahaha

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Earlier in the summer last year, the Red Devils, having just retained the league title after a 3 year hiatus, splashed some hefty 40 million pounds on Oliveira Anderson, Luis Nani, Owen Hargreaves and Carlos Tevez to bolster the squad to increase their chances in all competitions.

Community Shield

First game, first silverware. Their very first game of the season already earned them a silverware when they beat Chelsea 3-0 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Community Shield match. Ryan Giggs scored a great goal only for Chelsea's exciting new boy Florent Malouda to equalize right before half-time. And then in the penalty shootout, Edwin Van der Sar produced unbelievable performance by saving a hattrik of consecutive penalty kicks. I remember I couldn't stop laughing watching the shootout.

The Season

For champions, it was a nightmare start, drawing 2 games and losing one- first a goalless draw against 10-man Reading at Old Trafford, then a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth, and finally a 1-0 defeat in the Manchester derby. They only got 2 points out of possible 9, scored only 1 goal in 3 games. Wayne Rooney fractured a foot in the first game and was ruled out for 2 months, while Cristiano Ronaldo got sent off at Portsmouth and was suspended for 3 games. The only positive thing from the 3 games was, Paul Scholes scored a fantastic first Man Utd goal of the season.

No Rooney, no Ronaldo, but the defeat to Manchester City was the final straw and a rude awakening, prompting the Red Devils to embark on an unstoppable 11 games winning streak in the Premier league and champions league. But it was no easy task, as 6 of the 11 wins were 1-0 wins, with Man Utd slowly building up from a solid defence. New boy Luis Nani started the massacre by scoring a stunning winning goal against Tottenham and celebrating in style with an acrobatic sommersault.

Nani thunderbolt

The sweetest win among the 11 has got to be the 2-0 win over the then crisis-stricken Chelsea at Old Trafford, although it was rather controversial in favor of the devils. Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha scored in the last minute of each half, giving Avram Grant, his worst start as Chelsea's manager. And to make it sweeter, the stupid bad-boy outcast John Obi Mikel got sent off early in the first half.

Man Utd 2-0 Chelsea

By the time Wayne Rooney scored his first goal of the season in the 1-0 win over Roma at home, United's goal drought and run of unconvincing 1-0 wins were to come to an end. They went on a goal-fest as there were goals galore in the next 7 games:

Man Utd 1-0 Roma
Man Utd 4-0 Wigan
Aston Villa 1-4 Man Utd
Dynamo Kiev 2-4 Man Utd
Man Utd 4-1 Middlesbrough
Arsenal 2-2 Man Utd
Man Utd 4-0 Dynamo Kiev
Man Utd 2-0 Blackburn

Superb goal vs Roma

Wayne Rooney went on a goal rampage as well, scoring 7 goals in 7 games. Their brand of attacking football were brilliant and impressive, as they killed off games by half-time in 4 of the 8 consecutive games. Such were the menace of United's attacking play that had opposition teams running scared.

Rooney taps the ball into the Kiev net


gigantic Pique celebrates his header goal against Kiev

At the end of the 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners were celebrating in euphoria as if they have already won the season title, while the devils were dejected having wasted the lead twice. We were on our way to another sweet victory when Ronaldo scored a late goal to put Man Utd 2-1 ahead, only for William Gallas to scramble in a last minute equalizer. The disappointment was unbearable because we scored a late goal with little time left to defend the lead, we were so so near to a big, big win. All in all, for Man Utd and Arsenal fans, it was a nerve-wrecking match, while for neutral fans, the passion and beauty of the game was definitely a joy to watch.

Well, streaks do end, United's winning run was finally halted when they crashed to a 1-0 loss at Bolton. It was a game where tempers flared as Bolton won it ugly. Maybe winning it ugly was the only way to prevent United from continuing their ruthless slaying of teams at that time. Nicolas Anelka, Sir Alex's long-time target, scored the only goal to inflict a defeat for United at Bolton for the first time in 30 years, and a first win for new Bolton boss, Gary Megson, that pushed Bolton out of the relegation zone for the first time in the season. Ronaldo and Vidic were missing, the players made little impact, decisions went against United, Evra was poor victim of Kevin Davies savage tackles that left the Frenchman half-dead, Sir Alex was banished to the stands for his rant at the ref at half-time. What a defeat. Any Man Utd fan would be cursing Kevin Davies to the max after the match.

Then, United bounced back by beating Sporting Lisbon 2-1, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a remarkable free-kick in injury time that sealed their place in the knockout stage of the Champions league. He scored 2 goals in 2 games against Sporting Lisbon, which is his old club.

Ronaldo after his goal. Don't you feel like punching his face?

They then went on a 5 games winning streak, with some great Cristiano Ronaldo goals along the way. Among the wins were the priceless 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, with Tevez scoring the vital goal before half-time.

Tevez..!

West Ham was next to stop United's unbeaten streak when they exacted a big upset on their title hopes by coming back from 1-0 down to beat United 2-1. It was another disappointing "Arsenal's 2-2". Leading at 1-0, Ronaldo missed a penalty in the 2nd half and he was made to pay for the blunder when 2 central defenders Matthew Upson(he used to be a Gunner) and Rio's bro Anton Ferdinand scored with 2 late headers to give Man Utd a big slap on the face. How ironic! West Ham was becoming a real pain in the ass because it was Alan Curbishley's and West Ham's 3rd consecutive win over Man Utd!

However, each time they suffered defeat, they never fail to bounce back as they staged another winning spell, starting with the 1-0 win over Birmingham, thanks to a beautiful teamwork goal by Tevez.

What is the linesman looking at..?!
FA cup: Aston Villa 0-2 Man Utd

They then humiliated Newcastle(as they always do) by scoring six goals in the second half to give the pathetic Toons a kick in the ass. The thousands of chances that United missed in the first half was quickly forgotten. Ex-devil Alan Smith saw red as well in injury time for dissent, probably out of frustration. United fans(me) were in seventh heaven after the game.

There were so many breath-taking goals scored along the way after that, some of which are Rooney and Ronaldo against stubborn Reading, and Ronaldo's goal of the season free-kick against Portsmouth.

a goal worthy of celebration

Dropping more points were inevitable however, as Tevez scored a last minute equalizer to salvage a precious 1-1 draw against difficult Tottenham at White Hart Lane and losing again to Man City, this time 2-1 at home, the worse way to commemorate the Munich air disaster victims. Up to this point, Arsenal title-chasing run has been magnificent, winning games convincingly and taking advantage of United's slump in form, going 5 points clear of United at the top of the table.

Tevez...!!

One of the defining moments of the season came, as we kicked Arsenal's young arses out of FA cup with a 4-0 thrashing. Actor Emmanuel Eboue got sent off, Darren Fletcher scored 2 goals with headers(..?!) and ended the game as a contest by half-time at 3-0. Nani was the highlight however, scoring a superb goal, celebrating with a rare backflip, terrorizing the Arsenal backline, and humiliating poor Justin Hoyte(watch the end of the video). Such was the embarrassment that at one point disgraceful William Gallas kicked out at Nani.

Anyhow, both clubs' minds were not focused in the FA cup as they had massive Champions league games in midweek. In Lyon, potential-devil Karim Benzema gave Rio and co. a torrid time, finding the smallest of spaces between 4 defenders to blast in the opening goal for the French team. Things looked bleak for the devils, until substitute Tevez, yet again, scored a late late goal from close range to claim a crucial draw.

Tevez-kutip sayur

Meanwhile, in London, Arsenal was held to a goalless draw by defending champions AC Milan, that was the start of Arsenal's ordeal. The Gunners drew 4 of their next games before succumbing to a defeat by Chelsea, that paved the way for a United comeback. Everything went wrong for them, they conceded a last minute penalty to Birmingham, striker Edouardo broke his leg, captain Gallas softened and cried on the pitch, Senderos continues his "form" with an own goal, few chances and saving games with late equalizers. It was disastrous March for Arsenal, except for the fact that they kicked AC Milan out of champions league.

Elsewhere, it was a sweet month for United, winning all their matches except for the painful exit from FA cup thanks to Portsmouth luck. They thrashed Newcastle again, this time 5-1(newcastle is shit or Man Utd is too good? muahahaha). Squad depth was fully utilized as they beat Fulham 3-0 with Rooney and Ronaldo rested for Lyon. Then, the fresh and rejuvenated Ronaldo scored the only goal against Lyon, booking a date against Roma(again) in the quarters.

Ron again

Apart from the undeserving FA cup loss where United had few efforts cleared off the line, Thomas Kuszczak sent off, Rio being keeper conceding late penalty, and the hard-fought 1-0 win over lowly Derby, they produced easy victories over Bolton, Liverpool and Aston Villa. At this point of time, United was already 6 points clear at the top.

The victory over Liverpool was another sweet one, as Wes Brown popped up with a rare goal, Nani scored another cracker and Mascherano's non-stop rebellion earned him a red card and the reputation as "the dumbest man on the planet" as well.

bald vs bald for ball

Then, they completed a convincing double over AS Roma by winning 3-0 on aggregate to set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash against powerhouse Barcelona. As they took home a 2-0 win from Rome thanks to goals from Ronaldo and Rooney, they took 2nd leg easy as Evra, Vidic, Scholes, Rooney and Ronaldo were all rested. Had not De Rossi missed a first-half penalty, it would have been still a tight contest. United took comfortable control of the game, second stringers Silvestre and Pique had some quality time on the pitch, Hargreaves put up a brilliant performance nearly scoring a brace, Tevez headed in a Hargreaves cross and Gary Neville made a long-awaited comeback at central midfield! It was United's 6th encounter with Roma in 2 seasons, scoring 13 goals against them in total. Remember the 7-1?

Special mention of Nicklas Bendtner for clearing Fabregas' goal-bound shot off the line for Liverpool in their 1-1 draw at the Emirates.

Ron header

Rossi penalty miss- would have counted if it was a rugby penalty kick

As Arsenal faltered, Chelsea took over as United's nearest title-challenger and put up a very stiff competition. With games coming thick and fast, injuries and fatigue set in and rotations had to be made often, utilizing the squad's resources. Vidic was victim to a variety of injuries(knee, face, stomach infection) that caused him to be in and out of the hospital in the space of a few days. But, the big tough Serbian always made it back, needing only short period of recovery. Replacements Pique, Oshea and Silvestre all did well when called upon.

Vida, getting a ride home

At the Riverside, once a 7-goal hero Afonso Alves gave United a scare by scoring a stylish double before Park and Rooney combined for the latter to equalize, ending the game at 2-2.

Then, they accomplished what they nearly did earlier in the season, beating Arsenal 2-1 at Old Trafford to effectively end the Gunners' title hopes. A defensive mess-up between Rio and Van der Sar allowed Adebayor to poke the ball into the net, with his hand, giving Arsenal a much-needed lead. But, it never lasted long as Gallas handled the ball again in his own penalty area, this time spotted by the referee and Ronaldo converted the kick. Then, the moment of madness came when Owen Hargreaves struck a glorious curling free-kick into the net, leaving Lehmann static. It was a big, big goal.

Owen, stealing Ron's kick

Yaahhhh!

With the games of their lives ahead(Barcelona) and pressure mounting, the devils started to slip worryingly as they drew 1-1 away at Blackburn thanks to another late goal by who-else Tevez and finally being beaten by Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea went level on points with Man Utd at the top, leaving the title-chase to go down to the wire.

Tevez again...!

Ballack, proving he's no flop with 2 goals vs Man U

However, the disappointment was more than compensated when United pulled off one of their greatest victories of all time by beating Barcelona 1-0 over 2 legs to earn themselves a place in history and the champions league final in Moscow. However, it came with a lot of hard work.
Unlike the usual United, the back four and Van der Sar were the busier department in both matches as they fended off threats from Messi and co. over and over again.

At Nou Camp, it was one-way traffic as Barcelona had 73% possession with Messi being the thorn in the skin, 20 shots to 7, Ronaldo missed a penalty, and Park ran 11.8km.

penalty miss agony

Scholes is a bad choice to guard Messi

At Old Trafford, possession was still a problem as they again spent most of the time chasing the ball but this time, United had a twelfth man- the home supporters putting up a fantastic performance for the 90 minutes, firing United up to clinch a massive win. And it was fate that Paul Scholes, who missed their last final in 1999, had to score the winning goal in the best ever fashion, a sensational 30-yards screamer. That final whistle was the sweetest thing they have ever heard as they confirmed their place in the final, bidding for the most prestigious prize in club football. One more win and they rule Europe.

the 12th man

the priceless goal

to the final...!

With the players extremely fired up from the big win, the same 11 then crushed West Ham 4-1 at Old Trafford which saw Tevez and Ashton scoring crazy goals. Nevermind Nani's immaturity for getting sent off. Chelsea won their game as well to take the season to a nail-biting finale. But, United were too strong for Wigan as they won 2-0, albeit with some help from favourable refereeing decisions. United should have conceded a penalty for a Rio handball and Scholes sent off for two bookings. The biasedness took away the glory a bit but it doesn't matter as Manchester United are the champions of England again!!

the perfect man for the goal

the champions!

League:
GP W D L GS GA GD P
Man Utd 38 27 6 5 80 22 58 87
Chelsea 38 25 10 3 65 26 39 85

Cristiano Ronaldo 31 goals
Adebayor 24
Torres 24

Man Utd:
Cristiano Ronaldo 31 goals
Tevez 14
Rooney 12

Ronaldo:
PFA Player of the Year
Football Writers' Player of the Year
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year
United Players' Player of the Year
United Goal of the Season (Portsmouth)
Barclays Player of the Season
Barclays Golden Boot
Barclays Merit Prize

10 reasons Man Utd are champions