FA Cup Semi-final: Manchester United 4 - 1 Watford

This was actually a more nerve-wracking game than the scoreline suggests -- mostly due to the gaping holes where the United defence used to be. With Neville, Vidic, Silvestre and O'Shea all injured, they started the game with a rejigged back line that included Patrice Evra at right-back. (You do see right-footed players at left-back quite often, but they're usually competent with either foot. Evra? Not so much.)

And then they lost Rio Ferdinand to a groin strain in the first half, which meant another reshuffle, with Evra moving to the left and Heinze in the middle (Why didn't he start there, you ask, and then move Wes Brown to right-back? Heinze does play centre-back for Argentina, after all. Well, yes, but it's on the left of a back three. And I don't think he's quite tall enough for a traditional centre-half.) Oh, and then we had Darren Fletcher at right-back. That's the sort of thing that makes me pine for John O'Shea -- although Fletcher did acquit himself reasonably well.

Having said all that, United got off to a good start with an early goal from Rooney, and were continuing to pile on the pressure. But then, to compound their problems at the back, Van der Sar got whacked in the face (part of the treatment involved getting what looked like tampons shoved up his nose) and was still looking a bit groggy when play restarted and Watford scored, with a quasi-bicycle kick from Hameur Bouazza. I have to wonder if Van der Sar might've saved it in other circumstances -- and he didn't have the best game again on Saturday -- but then again, with the way Kuszszszak has played recently, they were probably just as well off leaving Van der Sar in.

United recovered the lead almost immediately, with Rooney setting up Ronaldo. Rooney was United's best player, and he, Ronaldo and Alan Smith were combining well. Smith has surprised me, actually -- I didn't see him as the ideal choice to play as the lone striker, but he's been very good in the past couple matches. Although there were a few chances in this game where I thought he should have taken a shot instead of trying to set Rooney up for the hat-trick.

Watford started the second half much more strongly, keeping United pinned back for quite a while. The makeshift defence were having real trouble dealing with set pieces and clearing their lines, especially against a big, physical team like Watford -- every single one of their players apparently built like a built shithouse. But Rooney scored again for United to give them some breathing room, and there was even a goal for Kieran Richardson, coming on as a sub -- in both cases, Watford guilty of some shocking defending of their own, as they were giving United acres of space.

I guess it was a comfortable win in the end, but now I'm nervous about how United will do in the next few games, until they can get a few more players back from injury. Come back, John O'Pies! All is forgiven!


In the other game, fucking Chelsea beat Blackburn 2-1, although they had to take the game to extra time to do it. Mourinho, predictably, is whining about his team being tired from playing so many games, and I have no sympathy whatsoever. Especially considering that United are playing in exactly the same number of competitions right now.

I will grant you, though, that it's probably less tiring to build up a three- or four-goal lead and then coast than it is to scrap your way to a last-minute winner the way Chelsea always seem to do. But I guess we can't all win 7-1.

Premiership Weekend Roundup: January 13-14

Watford 0 - 3 Liverpool
If you had to pick a team to play after two morale-sapping defeats, Watford would almost certainly be at the top of the list. Face with such obliging oppositions, Rafa Benitez fielded an unorthodox 3-4-3 formation (and by unorthodox, I mean "Whichever 11 players are fit and haven't totally sucked recently").

The first half of the game -- as you might expect, from one team playing an unfamiliar system and another propping up the bottom of the Premiership -- was pretty messy, although Craig Bellamy scored a well-deserved goal. Peter Crouch also popped in a couple, on either side of halftime -- probably two of the easiest he's ever scored; no spectacular bicycle kicks here. Bottom line: A comfortable win and, perhaps more importantly, no new injuries as they gear up to face Chelsea this weekend.

Manchester United 3 - 1 Aston Villa
Villa must be glad that they don't have to face United again this season, having now lost by a cumulative total of 8-2. It certainly didn't help that their defence was an absolute shambles for the first 15 minutes of the match; after that they began to show a few signs of the challenge they'd mounted in the FA Cup last week, but by then they were two goals down and it was already too late.

As for Wayne Rooney, he's still not scoring. The rest of his game looks fine -- no question that he's working hard -- but the goal-scoring touch just isn't there, although he did ping one shot off the crossbar towards the end of the match. You know who did score, though? Michael Carrick. Probably just to shut me up after I criticized him a week ago.

Chelsea 4 - 0 Wigan
A brief lull in the ongoing schadenfreudelicious saga at Chelsea, thanks to Wigan essentially self-destructing in front of them. A free kick that should've been easily stopped, a suicidal back-pass and an own-goal...one, two, three goals, thank you very much. Plus one more for good measure in stoppage time, from Didier Drogba, who I think I actually hate more now that he's obnoxious and a very good players, rather than just obnoxious and falling over a lot.

Apart from the comedy of wondering how Wigan would shoot themselves in the foot next and watching Jose Mourinho's series of petulant faces on the sidelines, the actual game was dire. Still, the win is all that really matters for Chelsea, after four draws in five games. And Mourinho's decision to leave out Andriy Shevchenko appears to have worked, as he came away with both the three points and a promise from the board that they'll loosen the purse strings. Damnit.

Blackburn 0 - 2 Arsenal
Just for the record, I still don't like Arsenal. But I think that right now I dislike Blackburn more. They really are a deeply unpleasant team. Maybe not quite as bad as last year, since Craig Bellamy and Paul Dickov aren't running around like annoying little yappy dogs anymore, but Robbie Savage is enough of a git all on his own.

I thought Gilberto Silva's sending off -- for kicking out at Savage after he'd been fouled -- was kind of harsh, especially considering that Pascal Chimbonda slapping Nicky Butt in the Tottenham-Newcastle game only merited a yellow card (maybe if Butt had gone down like Arjen Robben does...). Justice of a sort was done, though, as even with 10 men for most of the game, Arsenal were still the better team, putting the cap on a scrappy win with a stupendous goal from Thierry Henry.


Other results
Everton 1 - 1 Reading
Tottenham 2 3 Newcastle
Bolton 0 0 Manchester City
Charlton 1 3 Middlesbrough
Sheffield United 1 - 1 Portsmouth
West Ham 3 - 3 Fulham

Premiership Weekend Roundup: August 26-27

Liverpool 2 - 1 West Ham
For the second week in a row, the commentators were all surprised at Fabio Aurelio playing left back. Hello: he is, in fact, a wingback. The Liverpool website even has him listed as a defender. (Yes, I checked, because I am a dork.) It's not like Rafa randomly decided to play Peter Crouch at the back. Although maybe he should have, considering how well Liverpool have been dealing with crosses recently.

Also, I've started a new drinking game, where you do a shot every time Craig Bellamy is flagged offside. Or mouths off at the ref.

Watford 1 - 2 Manchester United
I know United weren't exactly fielding their strongest defence, but that's no excuse for how shaky they sometimes looked at the back -- against Watford, for god's sake. Wes Brown has reverted to being inept, and Mikael Silvestre balanced his goal by letting Watford through for the equalizer.

But on the plus side, the attack is still clicking, even without Rooney and Scholes. Michael Carrick had a solid debut game. And Ryan Giggs' season is off to a flying start -- as long as he doesn't tweak a hamstring yet again.

Manchester City 1 - 0 Arsenal
Somebody needs to remind Arsenal that the point of the game is to actually score goals, not to play keepaway on the edge of your opponents' 18-yard box.

Blackburn 0 - 2 Chelsea
I was wrong when I said before that Lampard can only score from deflections. He scores from penalties, too (unless it's the World Cup, that is). I haven't seen the game, so no word on whether Drogba's goal was a handball or not.

Other results
Charlton 2 - 0 Bolton
Fulham 1 - 0 Sheffield United
Tottenham 0 - 2 Everton
Aston Villa 2 - 0 Newcastle
Wigan 1 - 0 Reading