Questions can be raised on the starting line-up as Sir Alex preferred resting Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs while Javier Hernandez and Dimiter Berbatov took the field. De Gea also made the starting line-up despite his poor form while Anders Lindegaard had to sit on the bench.
Earlt on Nani was booked for fouling Yakubu 10 minutes into the game. Later on, Michael Carrick also saw the yellow card for Manchester United.
Five minutes later, came the turning point of the match. Berbatov challenged clumsily Blackburn captain Samba inside the penalty box and Blackburn earned a penalty and Yakubu made full use of it by firing the ball into the left corner. De Gea could do nothing about it.
The first real chance came for United as Rafael was fouled just outside the box, 18 minutes into the match. Nani dragged the ball for Jones whose shot proved futile as the ball came off the Blackburn defenders. United kept on attacking with Nani and Antonio Valencia providing the crosses and Hernandez trying desperately to find the net.
At 43 minutes, Nani’s powerful shot was saved superbly by Blackburn goalkeeper, Bunn. An array of shots followed as Blackburn defended their hearts out denying Man Utd a goal. Going into the first half, the scoreboard read, Blackburn 1-0 Manchester United.
The first seven minutes of the second half was full of action as Berbatov scored for United while Yakubu found the spot for Blackburn to make it 2-1.
At 62 minutes,Valencia’s sheer pace gave him space as he cut the ball in for Berbatov who flicked it into the net with his right foot. The equalizer brought United right back into the game as they looked settled for a win here. Blackburn began to retreat but poor distribution couldn’t see Man Utd ahead.
But the drama had not yet ended. Ten minutes to the end of the game, Blackburn produced a beautiful corner and a superb header by Hanley settled the matter. De Gea was undoubtedly the guilty party there, as he failed to met the cross. Some incredible stuff was on display and Blackburn was leading for the third time in the match.
At one point of time it looked as if the Red Devils were back into the game, but frustration got on their nerves as they could not reap advantage out of the numerous corners that came their way. Manchester United resorted to sporadic long-range shooting in the last few minutes but could not beat the “wall” of defenders. The whole of Blackburn team were down in their own half until the referee blew the whistle that marked a historical win for the minnows.
It was only the second time in the history of the Barclays Premier League that Blackburn got the better of Manchester United who lost a golden chance to end the year as toppers. A forgettable match for United meant a dream match for Blackburn at The Theatre of Dreams.
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