REDS Rule!!

I had to bunk two classes and risk missing a surprise exam, but club loyalty is club loyalty. I just HAD to watch the match, in my Red jersey.

 

The atmosphere at Old Trafford itself (the venue of the match) could not have been more tense. There were hardcore fans gathered in the common room, in eager anticipation, waiting to watch their favourite teams battle it out. There was eager anticipation writ large on every face, when the match kicked off.

 

After 23 minutes, we were chasing the game already! The goalkeeper, Reina, accidentally fouled Ji-Sung Park, to give Manchester United a penalty kick. And that vile creature, C. Ronaldo, just doesn’t miss those.

 

1-0 to United! The Man Utd supporters leapt around in joy, while we shook our heads in disbelief.

But, only five minutes later, it was the opposite, as our best striker, Torres, (nicknamed El Nino) scored a peach of a goal. 1-1, the score, and the temperature of the game upped a few notches.

Things seemed to have settled down a bit, with both teams finding it difficult to break down each other’s defences, despite boasting of world-class attacking players in their line-ups. When, in one of the increasingly threatening Liverpool attacks, our talismanic captain, Steven Gerrard was fouled by Patrice Evra. The ref awarded a penalty, and we were delirious, because Gerrard just doesn’t miss from that range. He duly delivered, and we went into half-time, rapturous.

Woeful United must have got a major dressing down during the half from their manager, because they looked less like headless chicken running around, and tried showing some purpose. But then, the Liverpool defence was not in a particularly charitable mood, and refused to give Rooney and Co. any chances.

 

Their wily old manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, brought on 3 substitutes to change the pace of the game, and get that elusive goal. However, one of the defenders most terrorised by Liverpool, Nemanja Vidic, eventually lost his nerve, and ended up bringing Gerrard down, just outside the box. Free kick to Liverpool, and an early shower for Vidic, who was promptly sent off by the referee.

 

Our recent buy, Fabio Aurelio, the left-footed free-kick specialist curled a ball into the corner, with the United players looking on in disbelief. 3-1 to Liverpool, with barely 15 minutes left!

Then on, the result was pretty much a foregone conclusion. United tried pushing players forward, in the hope of nicking a couple of goals, but the move backfired. There were large, open spaces at the back, for the Liverpool attackers to get through, and late in the game, almost towards the end, the substitute, Dossena scored, with a sublime finish. 4-1 to Liverpool!

By then, a despondent United had all but given up, and the game ended shortly. They slunk away with their tails between their legs, while our folks celebrated. It was a massive humiliation for a team that had been greeted by calls of ‘Champions of England, Champions of Europe, Champions of the World’ and a greatly satisfying win for us.

 

In hindsight, perhaps United’s aging manager should have given more thought to the game, than making pre-match comments. And maybe, Rooney should’ve kept his mouth shut, instead of making ‘I hate Liverpool’ statements. Or maybe, he should’ve let his game do the talking.

 

A 4-1 mauling of a team that calls itself a ‘Champion’ is awesome! Of course, irrespective of what they achieve in the future, we’ll always be at hand to remind themselves of this game.

 

You’ll never walk alone!!