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  • Date:2008-12-06
  • Kick-off:17:30
  • Venue:Old Trafford
  • Attendance:75400
  • Referee:Halsey, M

Live Commentary

90mins

FULL TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 SUNDERLAND. The visitors will be heartbroken by Vidic's goal but having come with no intention of winning the game it is hard to have too much sympathy.

90mins

Wayne Rooney is booked for a late tackle on Jones and he will be suspended next weekend.

90mins

MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 SUNDERLAND. Unbelievable drama! Michael Carrick's shot comes back off the post and Nemanja VIDIC is there to smash the rebound into an empty net.

90mins

There will be four minutes of added time.

87mins

It is a succession of corners for the Red Devils but still Sunderland are able to clear every cross that enters their penalty area.

85mins

Still United pressurise the Sunderland goal but the final ball is just not dropping for them and Sunderland are throwing themselves at everything.

83mins

And from the corner it drops for Carrick on the edge of the box and somehow his skewed shot evades Berbatov, Tevez and Anderson to flash wide.

82mins

Wonderful block! Rooney drives it across but Tevez misses it, however GIggs cuts it back again for Anderson but his shot is blocked by a wondeful sliding challenge from Tainio.

81mins

Another chance! Sundeland half-clear a corner that ends up back at the feet of Giggs and his cross fidns Vidic who heads down but Fulop gets down brilliantly to save.

79mins

Bardsley gives his side a problem as he leaves a long ball from Vidic which ends up at Rooney's feet and he cuts back for Tevez whose shot is screwed a yard wide of the far post.

76mins

Sunderland are making a change as Dean Whitehead is forced off with an injury and Carlos Edwards replaces him.

75mins

What a waste! Carrick works good space for a cross and Berbatov manages to head voer, unmarked from just five yards out.

74mins

Sunderland are nearly 15 minutes away from taking an unlikely point away from Old Trafford and at the moment they look more comfortable than at any other point this evening.

71mins

The crowd are growing more and more frustrated with every passing minute now at Old Trafford and Giggs increases their frustrations with a wild swipe at a volley when Tevez and Berbatov were awaiting a kock back on the six-yard box.

69mins

Sunderland are making their second change meanwhile as Kenwyne Jones replaces Djibril Cisse.

68mins

Now it is going to have to be a double change for the hosts with Giggs and Anderson replacing Fletcher and the already absent Ronaldo.

66mins

Trouble now for United as Ronaldo is now forced off holding his ribs and has had to make a hasty exit to the tunnel.

64mins

The game is still as one-sided as ever here at Old Trafford with Sunderland just 'parking the bus' in front of the goal.

61mins

Sunderland are making a change as Dwight Yorke exits to a rousing reception, as one of the 1999 Treble Winners, to be replaced by Teemu Tainio.

60mins

Clever, incisive football from United with Ronaldo at the heart of it but as Berbatov tries to set it back for Ronaldo he can't keep it down and get clattered by Andy Reid.

57mins

Sir Alex Ferguson has had enough and on comes Carlos Tevez in place of the industrious Park-Ji Sung.

54mins

Sunderland are tempted forward briefly but Park robs Cisse and United break forward with Ronaldo feeding Carrick on the edge of the box who forces a good diving stop from Fulop.

53mins

Remarkable as it may seem, Sunderland are actually deeper at the start of this second half than they were in the first period.

51mins

And still the dance continues with United shifting the ball about on the edge of the box - but this time Rafael, as ever, gets clear on the right and his driven ball finds Fletcher who can't get the shot on target.

48mins

It comes as no great surprise that the second period has started in exactly the same pattern that the first started and finished - United on the ball and Sunderland all behind it.

46mins

The second half is underway at Old Trafford and it would appear it will be 45 minutes of seeing whether Sunderland can hold out.

45mins

HALF TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 SUNDERLAND. The game has been incredibly one-sided with Sunderland stacking all eleven men behind the ball for the most part, challenging United to break them down.

45mins

There will be just two minutes of added time.

43mins

United seem to have got a bit sloppy in the final third as they want too long to decide what they want to do and Malbranque, Whitehead and Yorke are quickly surrounding them.

40mins

....however, Cisse drives it striaght into the bottom of the wall and United are able to take control of the ball again.

39mins

Chance for Sunderland now as Ferdinand leans on Cisse as he tries to head a long ball and it's a free-kick in a very dangerous area....

35mins

Young Rafael is causing no end of problems down the right hand side and again he delivers a well-flighted cross in that Berbatov can't quite get his head on.

34mins

Rooney wastes a wonderful chance! Carrick quickly flicks a smart ball low into the box but Rooney's touch is poor and Collins is able to make the tackle and eventually it's bundled away for a corner.

32mins

The pressure is mounting! Carrick makes a fine interception and after a one-two with Rooney is only stopped in his tracks by a superbly timed tackle from Bardsley.

30mins

Sunderland have held out for half an hour but if the pattern of play does not change then surely it is only a matter of time before the hosts break through.

28mins

Park is always lively and he robs Yorke on the egde of the box and Rooney backheels the ball through for the Korean whose sliding effort is blocked by the legs of Fulop again.

27mins

Michael Carrick is starting to really pull the strings for United in the last five minutes or so and his passing is proving problematic for the Black Cats.

24mins

A wonderful move from United starting with Evra on the left that ends up with Park slipping Rafael in behind Bardsley and Whitehead is fortunate to see his sliced clearance go over the bar.

21mins

Sunderland are doing a good job of hassling the ball carrier at the moment and the United players, Ronaldo in particular, are growing a little frustrated already.

18mins

The Black Cats have hardly had a kick so far and are just camped inside their own half waiting for the next attack from the hosts,

15mins

...Very clever! Ronaldo feigns to shoot and reverses for Rooney who forces a superb diving stop from Fulop and Sunderland scramble it away.

14mins

The newly-crowned World Footballer of the Year evades six challenges before falling under the tackle of Ferdinand on the edge of the box. Danger now....

12mins

Sunderland are now in a bit of trouble as United up the tempo with Rooney, Ronaldo and Berbatov combining for the latter to fire a shot in that Fulop diverts away with his leg.

10mins

Rafael has proved a revelation this season at right-back and he bursts into the box to get on the end of a Berbatov cross but the ball doesn't sit right for him and Sunderland smother it away.

8mins

No early causes for alarm really for Sunderland as they are happy to let United play the ball around in front of them.

5mins

A lovely bit of combination play from Park and Evra on the left hand side but the Frenchman rushes his cross and only finds Phil Bardsley who nods back to Fulop.

3mins

Sir Alex Ferguson is up in the stands today completing a two-match touchline ban and his side have started with their usual level of control at home.

1mins

Mark Halsey is in charge of this one and he gets us underway at the Theatre of Dreams.

0mins

Sunderland: Fulop, Chimbonda, Ferdinand, Collins, Bardsley, Yorke, Malbranque, Whitehead, Reid, Diouf, Cisse

0mins

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Carrick, Ronaldo, Berbatov, Rooney

0mins

Sunderland enter the game in a terrible run of form and Roy Keane walked out just three days ago so Ricky Sbragia, a former United coach, takes charge today.

0mins

United are back in form after victory in the Manchester Derby last weekend but despite scoring four goals in midweek Carlos Tevez once again has to make do with a place on the bench.

0mins

Welcome to Old Trafford where Manchester United entertain managerless Sunderland.

Match Preview

There will be no homecoming for Roy Keane when Sunderland visit Old Trafford on Saturday evening as the former Manchester United captain resigned as Black Cats manager in a surprise move on Thursday.

Keane would have been guaranteed a hero's reception by the home fans having led United to seven Premier League titles during a glittering 12-year spell as Sir Alex Ferguson's on-pitch general.

However, the fiery Irishman stunned fans on Wearside after walking away from the club after little over two years in charge and with the struggling Cats currently languishing in the relegation zone.

Last weekend's abject 4-1 home defeat to Bolton Wanderers - their fifth defeat in six league matches since beating Newcastle United at the end of October - had left Keane in reflective mood before news of his departure emerged on Thursday lunchtime.

In his place on Saturday will be another United old boy and Keane's former number two Ricky Sbragia.

The Scottish coach spent five years as part of the backroom staff with the Red Devils before moving on to Bolton and then Wearside 12 months ago.

Sbragia is unlikely to risk Craig Gordon at Old Trafford after the goalkeeper complained of pain in his ankle after last week's game, his first appearance after a six-week absence, so Marton Fulop could get another chance to impress.

Former United starlet Kieran Richardson is suspended after reaching five yellow cards for the season and Sbragia is expected to start with only one striker, so Djibril Cisse or Kenwyne Jones will be relegated to the substitutes bench.

Anton Ferdinand could be handed a recall after being left on the bench against Bolton, but George McCartney continues to be troubled by a foot injury so Phil Bardsley will keep his place at left-back.

United will be searching for their fourth successive clean sheet in the Premier League this weekend following victories against Stoke City and Manchester City and the stalemate at Aston Villa.

Chelsea's defeat last Sunday, coupled with Liverpool's goalless draw with West Ham United, has helped to lift Sir Alex Ferguson's side back into title contention and, with the top two and Arsenal still to visit Old Trafford in the second half of the season, a third successive title is looking possible once again.

The 5-3 midweek Carling Cup quarter-final victory over a full-strength Blackburn Rovers also highlighted the strength and depth Ferguson has at his disposal after playing some fringe members of his squad.

Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves definitely miss the match while Gary Neville is doubtful.


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Match Report

Nemanja Vidic plucked victory from the jaws of a damaging goalless draw when his last-gasp winner gave Manchester United the points against troubled Sunderland at Old Trafford.

United had thrown everything but the metaphorical kitchen sink at the Black Cats, but Sunderland held firm until seconds into four minutes of injury time.

Then, United's star man, Michael Carrick, produced a decisive 25-yard shot. The ball took a deflection off Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand and rattled the inside of the left post.

As the ball rebounded across goal, United's Serbian defender Vidic pounced to score with a left-foot shot from five yards at the far post.

It was a heart-breaking finale for Sunderland and their caretaker manager Ricky Sbragia, a former reserve-team coach at Old Trafford.

Sunderland's recently departed manager Roy Keane would have been proud of the way his former players battled to keep United at bay.

But the former United hero would also have admired the never-say-die spirit of his old side which he epitomised so well during his golden years as a player at Old Trafford.

United passed Sunderland to death, but the Wearsiders' policy of holding onto a point at all costs was reflected in the fact that first Djibril Cisse and then Kenwyne Jones were lone marauders up front.

The statistics do not lie. Sunderland created only one real chance in the game - El Hadji Diouf's cross-cum-shot from the left by-line in the 70th minute which United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar saved with his legs.

Sunderland's only corner came in the 89th minute and forward Diouf spent more time in his own penalty area than in United's.

Sunderland also had reserve goalkeeper Marton Fulop to thank for keeping the Red Devils at bay.

In the 12th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo flicked a pass from Darren Fletcher into the path of Dimitar Berbatov just inside the Sunderland box and Fulop did well to save the Bulgarian's shot with his legs.

Fulop also used his legs to keep out another United effort, this time from Ji-Sung Park in the 28th minute.

It took two attempts to save Carrick's 25-yard drive in the 54th minute and Ronaldo went off in bizarre circumstances in the 66th minute.

Turning awkwardly, the Portuguese winger deliberately kicked the ball out of play and then left the pitch, walking straight down the tunnel rubbing his left side as he departed.

United continued to pile on the pressure as Carlos Tevez, Ryan Giggs and Anderson entered the fray, but Sunderland held on almost until the bitter end.

Manchester United

Sunderland

Corners

101

Fouls

88

Goal attempts

272

Shots off target

120

Offsides

00

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