Manchester City Draw Manchester Derby

Ok, first things first, Chelsea won and we're still top of the table baby! If you are a Chelsea fan, chances are you haven't stopped smiling this season. We are still unbeaten in the league (God, be praised!) and I hope this phenomenal run of the Blues continues. It was all about two shades of  Blue this week, Chelsea blue and light Blue, hoping for a Manchester City win in the Manchester Derby. The Manchester derby this season had been one of the most eagerly anticipated matches and always seemed like it would be a thrilling game. People couldn't help talking about it from the moment Carlos Tevez had signed on the dotted line for Manchester City till Sunday Kick Off and it looks like they will never stop talking about it. It truly was one of the most thrilling and unforgettable of derby matches. Manchester United came in all guns blazing and were one goal up in the first 5 mins of the game. I thought, that was the end and that Manchester City were going to retreat and it would turn out to be one of those humiliating nights for 'the Citizens' who had dared to question Manchester United 's superiority in Manchester. I was forgetting that they had Carlos Tevez, who looked absolutely thrilled to be back and eager to remind his former club exactly what they had foolishly let go. He had said before the match, in an interview that according to him Ben Foster, was the weakest link in United's team and he proved he was right by poaching the football off of the United keeper for Barry to score the equalizer. City almost took the lead, after Tevez's shot had hit the post and flew out. It was a good pass from Kolo Toure and really should have been converted. It definitely announced to the hosts that City weren't going to go down without a fight, they were there to win. Both teams were a goal apiece at half-time but  Fletcher changed all that with his header off Ryan Giggs curved pass, giving United the lead in the second half. United were in it to win too. This is when I think, the true desire of a team really starts to show, when they are losing 2-1, 50 minutes into the game against a team like United. They either retreat and somewhere give up often beating themselves in their head or they attack and they push harder and try and get that equalizing goal. So, I felt this was the time to truly judge how far Manchester City had come as a team. They did me proud when Bellamy scored a scorcher of a goal and City were back in the game. Manchester United were amazingly good in the second half and that made Bellamy's equalizer even more admirable. Neither team was settling for a draw, it was really 'Game on' after this point and Shay Given, once again proved why he is considered among the best goal keepers in  the league by saving 3 almost unstoppable Berbatov shots. At one point, I thought Berbatov gave Given the 'What you got against me?' look. It just wasn't to be Berbatov's day, as Fletcher, once again scored a goal off of Ryan Giggs pass. Everyone now seemed to believe that Manchester United were going to win after all -everyone, that is except the Manchester City players. Rio Ferdinand, was definitely of the lot that thought  that the game was in the bag and allowed himself to be lazy. Craig Bellamy made him pay. At 90 minutes the game was tied at 3-3, which seemed like the most fair result for a very well played match by both teams. Manchester City had shown everyone, that they were title contenders and you had to  beat them to win. They weren't going to let big names and club histories and brilliant managers scare them. They were there to play and to win. Sir Alex, decided on an added-time substitution brought Michael Owen on. I love Michael Owen and think he is an incredible footballer and really do wish this hard-on-luck player to do well and score loads of goals. This was till he joined United and I no longer wish him to 'score loads of goals'. Now, anyone who had seen the game, would bet good money that no more than a couple of minutes would be added on. The game was played in very good spirit with no bad challenges and hardly any yellow cards. The referee, however held up 4 minutes which was puzzling.

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This however, was just the beginning of the entire jigsaw puzzle which was on its way. The game finally went on into the 97th minute. For a minute I thought maybe the referee had passed out from all the excitement. According to Martin Atkinson the referee, he had added 1 minuted into the added time because of the Owen substitution and 45 seconds (which should actually have been no more than 26 seconds) because Bellamy's celebration had been too long - something that anyone who has seen the match and is not a United fan or Sir Alex will disagree with. So that makes it 5 minutes 35 seconds. The game went into the 97th minutes plus and the winning goal from Michael Owen came in the 96th minute, a full 5 minutes 26 seconds into the 4 minutes added time. Manchester City haven't got the 1 point that rightfully was theirs but they have come out winners.They should write-off the one point as a friendly gift to an annoying neighbour. The good news for United fans is that Fergie's Mythical Magic Watch is alive and ticking. Moral of the story for anyone playing Manchester United and leading or drawing the match, is to remember that  the added time at Old Trafford is always 'as long as it takes.' According to me, Manchester City drew the match they were playing against Manchester United and lost to Sir Alex's Watch.

Sinfully Scrumptious Sunday

"Chocolate Brownie!",  that is the thought I woke up with. I am a 'weekend dieter' which basically means that I try to undo the harm done to my body by junk food over the week by going on something of a detox diet of fruit, beer (for those additional anti-oxidants) and to add delusions of a spa-like experience to it all, Wine!  So, I  was mortified to be thinking about a hot, straight out of the oven, really chocolaty chocolate brownie even before I had gotten out of bed.

It didn't take long, after the brownie scored from the penalty spot and a very cuddly lion rejoiced, for me to realise that I was not having a chocolate brownie craving from hell.  It was the mouth-watering Chelsea - Tottenham Hotspur game which my silly sleepy brain had got mixed up with a chocolate brownie! The London derby, Frank Lampard being pitted against his Uncle, a chance to beat Tottenham, who have had a very good season minus the match against Manchester United, a chance to stay top of the table....Yes sirree, it definitely  is a delicious fixture!

Now, the world is full of inventive geniuses like the person who invented the 'hot chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream,  topped with chocolate sauce and cookies sundae'. That is what the Manchester Derby does to the Chelsea-Tottenham game. It adds that dressing, the finishing touches, and that extra bit of magic to a perfect treat. Also, I am thrilled that the Chelsea game follows the Manchester Derby 'coz I always like last bite of my sundae to be the brownie. It promises to be a sinfully scrumptious Sunday with no calories... woop woop!

The Alex Factor

There is something about Manchester United. It's like the whole world conspires to help them win. A lot of people would argue (the sort that has read ‘The Alchemist’), that the whole world helps when you want something bad enough. I won't argue with that and Manchester United players certainly want to win every match, every time, but so does every other team in the Premier League. Agreed some, don't have the luxury of having gifted footballers like Rooney, on their teams but the top five or six English Premier League clubs certainly have top quality players. So how it then, that Manchester United have been winning the premier league for the past 3 seasons despite having lost more games than second place Liverpool last season? Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that Manchester United aren’t a great team. They are or rather were, the perfect mix of talent, youth and experience and had till the last season perhaps the best player in the world at the time in Cristiano Ronaldo who hit unbelievable form. His magic seemed to rub off on the team and they were unbeatable on their day. On their off-days however, they like any other team always had a touch of green. But on such days luck was with them. It was like Lady Luck favoured them above all the rest. Understandable, because ‘Luck’ wouldn’t be called ‘Lady’ if it remained unaffected by the charm of the talented Cristiano Ronaldo! But now that Cristiano has finally moved to Real, I was hoping Lady Luck would follow him there, going by the ill-fated Derby match which looked like it's already doomed, it seems like Manchester United are still the favourites with ‘her’.
I can't help but feel bad for Manchester City, who spent so much money on bringing in top (may be slightly overpaid) players with the one of the aims being to beat Manchester United in the derby matches. Carlos Tevez, Robinho and Roque Santa Cruz, very talented players, capable of beating Manchester United are all injured and unavailable for the ‘doomed derby’. Like, things weren't bad enough for Manchester City, their in-form striker Adebayor did what he did last week and now has to serve out a well deserved 3 match ban. Does this sound like the world conspiring to help Manchester United to win? Manchester United have evened out the odds already and they haven't even played City yet. It’s like the curse of the Red Devils!
Surely, there has got to be more to this than just luck. Luck can't always work. I have a feeling; maybe it has something to do with the aura around Manchester United. Their ‘never-say-die’ spirit; try-till-the-end reputation and push-the-limits image that they have worked very hard to acquire and maintain, definitely has something to do with their incredible record. No one, goes to Old Trafford to play 11 men in red, they go there to play Manchester United - the Champions, the Legends, the unspoken Kings of the Premier League headed by the best manager in the world Sir Alex Fergusson. This image and spirit of Manchester United has remained at the core of the team’s self esteem even when individual player have come and gone. Sir Alex really is a genius. He has managed to create a Loch Ness monster of sorts in Manchester. It exists because you buy into the hype, or else it’s just a myth. If you believe the hype, even for a second, it takes control of your psyche. Too bad, most teams buy into the whole 'Nessie' of Manchester and, either get too over-awed or too pumped up about playing Manchester United. Sir Alex knows how to use the rival club's fear as well as their enthusiasm to beat them. It's not Lady Luck, its Sir Alex. I hope Manchester City go to Old Trafford to play 11 men (some of them past their prime) in Red and not the 'Champions', 'The Red Devils', Manchester United.

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Derby Derailed

I am absolutely gutted. Carlos Tevez is injured and is almost certain to miss next week's Manchester derby. I mean did nothing good come out of the Argentina-Brazil match? Ever since, Tevez signed for City, I have been the relishing the prospect of the derby (had the date circled out on my calender, the 'do not disturb' sign handy, put champagne on my shopping list, the works!)! I don't know what the details of Tevez contract were and why Manchester United didn't or couldn't hold  on to such a wonderful, hard-working, absolute dynamo of a player. But I did feel the pain when Tevez who I think is a rare footballer and is respected, loved not only by his club fans but by all football fans regardless of their club loyalties. Fans who are lucky enough to have him play for his club 'love' him and those who don't have him (fans like me), are terrified of him but still love him. Carlos is also one of those footballer who tells the press exactly how he feels, call it naivety, lack of media savviness, insanity but its admirable all the same. He made it amply clear in interviews, time and again with tears in his eyes how badly he wanted to stay at United and how much he loved it there. He didn't want to leave England and how he wanted his kids to grow up there. He contributed to the United cause from the day he was signed till his last game as a United player. He kept hoping, I think till the very last day that United would renew his contract but  Manchester United were mean to him.  I was happy that he signed up for Manchester City (would have been happier if he was a Chelsea player though), and really wanted Tevez to make United pay for letting him go. To make them lose some more points. I think a lot of City fans will be feeling as disappointed and some United fans letting out a sigh of relief for they know what a Carlos Tevez (in a good mood) can do to the opposition let alone a revenge seeking Carlos Tevez. The silver lining is that there is always a next time and may be that will be an even worst time for United to slip up (can't help but think how nice a 6-point slip up will be). Oh well, shouldn't get so greedy but Carlos, you owe me 3 points off United (and may be you could take it a little easy on the 5th of December). Get well quick.