Premier League - Newcastle hold Manchester United
Manchester United were held 1-1 at Old Trafford by an impressive Newcastle United in their opening match of the Premier League season.
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Obafemi Martins (pictured) leapt to head home from a corner to give Newcastle a shock lead in the first half only to see Darren Fletcher finish a Ryan Giggs cross two minutes later at the other end to cancel it out.
United, missing Carlos Tevez due to family reasons as well as Cristiano Ronaldo, were frustrated in attack by a stubborn away defence, although the Magpies had designs on snatching a victory for themselves.
Newcastle were on the ball from the opening kick-off. Argentine midfielder Jonas Gutierrez epitomised the Magpies' game plan of standing firm while all the time looking for opportunities to counter, running from deep when the chance arose while working hard defensively.
Fraizer Campbell made his debut in Manchester United's attack for Tevez and the 20-year-old frontman was immediately involved in the action, winning a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area after a late tackle by visiting debutant Fabricio Coloccini.
Ryan Giggs took the kick, from a central position: the skipper's shot was blocked by the arm of James Milner in the wall; it did not seem deliberate and referee Mike Riley waved away appeals for a penalty kick.
After eight minutes Campbell must have thought he had given the Red Devils the lead. Wayne Rooney, who seemed a tad off-colour after his illness, sent in a welcoming cross at head height from the left and Campbell met it with power. Visiting goalkeeper Shay Given, impenetrable for almost the entire 90 minutes, blocked the effort point blank with his head.
A minute later Jonas broke free of the attentions of the home midfield with a surging run down the left. With a man in the middle also to contemplate, Nemanja Vidic came across quickly and made contact with the South American on the edge of the box, who went down; referee Mike Riley waved away the indignant protestations of the Toon players.
Rooney and Paul Scholes could have opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Given saved low down from the England striker before recovering to block the midfielder's rebound in the six-yard box.
Nigeria international Martins stunned the Stretford End on 22 minutes when he arrived unmarked six yards out and rose to glance a header to the far post, where Scholes was stood but could not keep it out.
However with centre-half Steven Taylor off the pitch receiving treatment, United rallied immediately to equalise. Giggs took possession in a similar spot to the Rooney cross for Campbell before and whipped in a low one this time with his left foot.
Fletcher had made an intelligent darting run to the near post and met the ball cleanly to finish past Given.
Coloccini, who had looked a touch slow up against the nippy Campbell in the opening minutes, was a solid presence alongside Taylor at the back as Newcastle repelled attacks with seemingly little trouble, forcing United to shoot from distance. That belied the work that went into their game, closing down and dealing with a multitude of crosses.
Nicky Butt summed up the encounter not long into the second half, piling back to dispossess Rooney as the striking star sought to get the ball out of his feet and pull the trigger from distance. Campbell again was denied by Given after a neat twist and turn, shooting to the near-post bottom corner where the 'keeper shot out an arm to deflect for a corner.
Brazilian Rodrigo Possebon made an entrance for Giggs, who had been complaining of an injury, but had little impact.
Jonas could have snatched the lead once again for Toon when Scholes gave the ball away to Martins in the middle of the park. He threaded a pass down the left for the loping playmaker to attack; heading straight for goal he was stopped in the area by a flying, clean tackle from Serbian lynchpin Vidic.
Vidic met a corner with a downward header that looped up and on to the crossbar with Milner thanking his lucky stars beneath it. Another Brazilian Rafael Da Silva came on for Campbell after the former Hull man had been booked for a bad challenge; Wes Brown and Rooney also picked up yellow cards as time and United patience ran low.
There was one last chance for the home side when Rafael was felled right on the edge of the penalty area by Butt. Riley's judgment was sound and Rooney stepped up to take a free-kick to the right of centre.
He bent it low around the wall but also past the near post to consign Alex Ferguson's team to a stalemate in their opening match - on a weekend when Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all won |
發表於 2008-8-18 02:14 AM
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