• Date: Wed 19 March 2008
  • Venue: Old Trafford
  • Ref: Wiley, A
  • Attendance: 75,476
Manchester United

Manchester United

Ronaldo (9)

Ronaldo (19)

2 - 0

Manchester United vs Bolton Wanderers

Team Lineups

Manchester United

Tomasz Kuszczak
Gerard Pique
John O'Shea
Nemanja Vidic (Wes Brown, 58)
Luis Carlos Nani
Darren Fletcher
Cristiano Ronaldo
Luis de Abreu Anderson (Paul Scholes, 70)
Owen Hargreaves
Carlos Tevez
Louis Saha (Wayne Rooney, 70)

Bolton Wanderers

Ali Al Habsi
Joey O'Brien
Abdoulaye Meite (Nicky Hunt, 46)
Andy O'Brien
Gretar Steinsson
Ricardo Gardner
Gavin McCann
Danny Guthrie (Stelios Giannakopoulos, 82)
Matt Taylor
Kevin Davies, K
El Hadji Diouf


Live Text Commentary
Full time
 

It's finished 2-0 thanks to those two first-half goals from Ronaldo and United move three points clear of Arsenal at the top.

90

Stelios puts the ball into the net but it won't count as Taylor is punished for a foul

88

Hunt's free-kick finds its way to Taylor but his shot is just wide

86

A Rooney cross is sliced wide by Tevez - the Argentinian should really have done better there though

85

Bolton have given a good account of themselves in the second half without managing to penetrate the United defence

82
Substitution
 

Guthrie has been good tonight but he's brought off and is replaced by Stelios

80

Nani is denied again by another good save from Al-Habsi

79

This game is petering out now and United look like they're going three points clear at the top

75

Nani turns sharply but fires a shot over

73

Saha and Anderson haven't really done enough tonight to force their way into United's side for Sunday's clash against Liverpool

71
Substitution
 

Scholes comes on in place of Anderson

71
Substitution
 

Saha goes off and Rooney is on

70
Yellow Card
 

Steinsson is booked for a late challenge

68

United have been poor in the second half as Rooney and Paul Scholes both prepare to come on

65

Ronaldo finally wakes up again and runs at the Bolton defence before forcing Al-Habsi into a decent save

63

United have looked uninterested in the second half and it's Bolton who look the more likely scorers at the minute

61

McCann's shot is tipped round the post brilliantly by Kuszczak this time

60
Substitution
 

Nemanja Vidic has picked up a knock and goes off - Wes Brown is his replacement

59

Hunt's fantastic strike is tipped over by Kuszczak - Bolton have been the better side in the second half

56

Diouf tries again but this time it's gathered by Kuszczak

55

Pique handles the ball to give Bolton a free-kick in a dangerous area from which Diouf curls it brilliantly into the net but it's been taken too quickly and it won't count

53

A loose ball is struck goalwards by Davies but again it's easy for Kuszczak

51

Nani has another shot blocked as Rooney begins to warm up

50

Steinsson needed to go off after picking up a knock but he's back on now

48

Nani surprisingly takes it instead of Ronaldo and he forces Al Habsi into a good low save

47

Steinsson fouls Tevez and this is another chance for a Ronaldo free-kick on the edge of the area

45
Substitution
 

Abdoulaye Meite has gone off, Nicky Hunt replaces him so Steinsson has gone to centre-back

Second half
 

The second half gets underway and Bolton have made a change at half time

Half time
 

United are in cruise control at half time thanks to those two Ronaldo goals

45

Just one minute of stoppage time to be added as Steinsson blocks a Nani shot before John O'Shea's acrobatic effort is wide

45

Davies' cross is claimed well by Kuszczak

44

Almost half-time and the game looks beyond Bolton already

42
Yellow Card
 

Andy O'Brien fouls Saha and picks up the first yellow card of the game

41

Taylor is caught offside but continues on and clashes with Kuszczak - he should be OK though

39

Gavin McCann's cross is easily cleared at the other end

38

Tevez breaks again but Joey O'Brien does well to put a tackle in to put him off

36

Carlos Tevez breaks forward but can only shoot straight at Al-Habsi

34

A lovely flowing move ends when the ball is deflected behind for a corner but Bolton defend well in the end

33

United appear to be playing well within themselves at the minute with one eye on Sunday's big clash with Liverpool already

30

Bolton have shown signs that they could get back into this game in the last few minutes but there's a lack of penetration in the final third

27

Steinsson's effort is well wide this time, a lack of belief in the Bolton side so far

26

Matt Taylor's weak shot drifts wide

25

Bolton are shell-shocked after this blistering start from Ferguson's side

22

The free-kick was typical Ronaldo and the home side are in total control already

20
Goal
 

Ronaldo curls a brilliant free-kick home to make it 2-0

18

Danny Guthrie's excellent run and cross is volleyed goalwards by Kevin Davies but Kuszczak saves well - a great chance for Bolton wasted though

16

Bolton waste another free-kick and it's easy for Tomasz Kuszczak

15

Nani strikes an effort over after cutting in from the right

13

The goal has settled the home side and they are keeping the ball well now

10

Ronaldo struck the ball into the ground but it flew past Ali Al-Habsi

9
Goal
 

Cristiano Ronaldo puts United 1-0 up with a lovely finish after Bolton failed to clear a corner

8

Bolton have set themselves up to frustrate United and are getting as many men as possible behind the ball as Gretar Steinsson fouls Nani

5

Nani's ball into the box is cleared by Bolton

3

Louis Saha fouls Joey O'Brien but Bolton fail to trouble the United defence with the free-kick

1

It looks like Owen Hargreaves will play at right-back while Fletcher is in midfield

Kickoff
 

The game gets underway at Old Trafford as United look for a win that will move them three points clear at the top

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Sir Alex Ferguson has rested Wayne Rooney, who's only on the bench while Darren Fletcher is at right-back and Gerard Pique plays instead of Patrice Evra. Bolton are without the injured Kevin Nolan and Gary Cahill while Ali Al Habsi continues in goal.