ManUtd 3-0 Liverpool: Vital for the Title
March 27, 2008
For the first time in United’s history we had a match on Easter Sunday. I do not approve; Easter Day is for other things. The scaremongering weather forecast and the fact that Tom still had my ticket from Wednesday night did little for my peaceful sleep. I had to be up at 5.30 and out into the sub-zero morning to make Easter Mass at Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Just in case I was tempted not to take the trouble, the only time I have ever missed Mass because of a football match we lost 0-1 at home to Liverpool.
My plans went well. The roads are not teeming with activity at six thirty on a freezing Easter morning, there was some fairly serious snow around Oxfordshire and Warwickshire but up the West of the country the sun was shining, there was a beautiful covering of snow on the Pennines, I made breakfast with John at Sandbach and Tom turned up with my ticket with minutes to spare and I was in my seat for kick off.
The atmosphere inside the ground was what you would expect from one of the bitterest rivalries in European football with both clubs in the last eight of the Champions League and on impressive winning runs, and despite the inhospitable timing of the fixture the ground was packed. 76,000, they said. What’s that? Have we stopped bothering to count properly now?
I was relieved the defence was back together again but I am always disappointed to see Tevez on the bench. Nevertheless the decision to play three central midfielders was a sound one and Scholes, Carrick and Anderson were the right choices. Ronaldo and Giggs were on the flanks and Rooney on his own up front. Liverpool also played it with caution, like a big away European match, Torres, lately in devastating form, their lone striker.
Ferguson had picked the First XI, and they blew Liverpool away. We were not hindered by referee Steve Bennett’s decision to send off their most aggressive player after 44 minutes but by then the pattern of the match was clear, and at the end Liverpool were grateful to get off the pitch only three goals down.
