[EPL] Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd

[drivemein]

Sunderland v Man Utd
-news.bbc.co.uk-

Barclays Premier League
Venue: Stadium of Light Date: Sunday, 2 May 2010 Kick-off: 1600 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live, local radio, Sky Sports 1 & highlights on Match of the Day 2

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United welcomed back forward Wayne Rooney and defender Rio Ferdinand to training on Friday with both hopeful of returning to the starting XI.

Gary Neville, who has signed a new one-year contract at Old Trafford, is touch and go with a calf problem.

Sunderland are without the suspended Alan Hutton, meaning Phil Bardsley could start against his old club.

Lee Cattermole and John Mensah are hoping to return from injury, but George McCartney and Andy Reid are out.

Sunderland

Suspended: Hutton (one match)

Doubtful: Cattermole (calf), Mensah (knee)

Injured: McCartney & Reid (both hamstring)

Man Utd

Doubtful: Ferdinand & Rooney (both groin), Neville (calf)

Injured: Anderson (knee), Owen (hamstring)

MATCH PREVIEW

Steve Bruce was Sir Alex Ferguson's first Premier League-winning captain, but on Saturday the former pupil will be hoping to outwit the master and end his former club's pursuit of a record 19th league title.

United head to Sunderland knowing anything less than three points will surely call time on their pursuit of Chelsea, who are at Liverpool earlier in the day.

Ferguson will be demanding a better performance than his side managed in the reverse fixture, when the Black Cats came within seconds of victory at Old Trafford only to be denied by Anton Ferdinand's late own goal.

Only Chelsea and Aston Villa have come away from the Stadium of Light with maximum points this season, and in the in-form Darren Bent, Sunderland boast a striker with his eye on the Premier League golden boot and out to prove his World Cup credentials.

But United's record on Wearside is strong - their last defeat came in the League Cup nearly 10 years ago, while they have won 12 and lost just one of their 17 Premier League meetings.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Sunderland's last league win over Manchester United came in March 1997. Since then Sir Alex Ferguson's side have won 11 and drawn four of their last 15 league meetings.

• United have won five and lost none of their last seven trips to Wearside.

• Ferguson has won 10 and drawn three of the 13 meetings with former skipper Steve Bruce as opposing coach.

Sunderland

• The Black Cats kept their first clean sheet in eight games last time out.

• But they have lost only two of their last 10 games, winning five of those matches.

• Steve Bruce's side have lost just one of their last 17 Premier League matches at the Stadium of Light.

Man Utd

• It is six years since the club last won their final four matches of the season. In 2002-03 they beat Blackburn, Tottenham, Charlton and Everton on their way to the title.

• United have the best defensive record in the division, conceding 28 goals in 36 matches. They have kept four clean sheets in a row away from home in the top flight.

• Wayne Rooney has scored 148 club goals, while Paul Scholes needs one more to register 150 for Manchester United.

LEADING GOALSCORERS

Sunderland



Bent: 25 goals (24 league); Jones: 8 goals (8 league)

Man Utd



Rooney: 34 goals (26 league); Berbatov: 12 goals (12 league)

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Steve Bennett

Assistant referees: Nigel Bannister & Robert Madley

Fourth official: Peter Walton

LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS

Sunderland (W1-0 v Hull, a): Gordon, Hutton, Turner (Ferdinand 46), Kilgallon, Richardson, Campbell, Henderson, Meyler, Malbranque (Bardsley 46), Bent, Jones (Cana 60). Subs Not Used: Carson, Zenden, Da Silva, Mwaruwari.

Man Utd (W3-1 v Tottenham, h): Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva (Macheda 79), Vidic, Jonathan Evans, Evra (O'Shea 67), Fletcher, Scholes, Giggs, Valencia (Carrick 59), Berbatov, Nani. Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Hargreaves, Brown, Gibson.

MOST RECENT MEETING

Man Utd 2-2 Sunderland (3 October 2009)

Man Utd scorers: Berbatov 51, Ferdinand 90 (o.g.)

Sunderland scorers: Bent 7, Jones 58

[drivemein]

Wayne will groin ’n bear it
-thesun.co.uk-



WAYNE ROONEY will be back in action against Sunderland tomorrow - just over a week after it looked like a groin strain would end his season.

As predicted in SunSport, Rooney returned to training well ahead of schedule yesterday.

Brave Rooney has defied medical opinion again and the rest has also allowed his troublesome ankle to recover further as well.

Boss Alex Ferguson is also hopeful centre-back Rio Ferdinand will return to action after missing two games with a groin injury.

Fergie said yesterday morning: "We'll see how they do in training.

"But we have a couple of days until the game at Sunderland and the fact Wayne missed last week's match against Spurs has allowed the ankle to settle down a bit, so we don't have any issues with that now.

"But groin injuries are groin injuries and, at this time of year when grounds become firm, it can become an issue.

"If he comes through today it gives us something to think of for Sunday, though."

[drivemein]

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce warns former employers Manchester United not to expect any favours
-goal.com-



Former Red Devil looking to halt their title aspirations...

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is expecting a tough game when his former side Manchester United visit the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

The former United centre-back is yet to beat his previous boss Sir Alex Ferguson as manager and won't be out to do any title race favours for the Red Devils.

The in-form Black Cats are still gunning for a top-half finish and are prepared to achieve that a United's title expense.

"The one thing I can guarantee this Sunday is that [Manchester] United will be up for it," Bruce told the Sunderland Echo.

"They always are in situations like these where they have a difficult job to do and they know exactly what their goal is.

"As a group of players and as management team, they've been here so many times before and they know exactly what's required.

"They've made an art of coming into a situation and holding their nerve and getting the job done and they'll be in that frame of mind again.

"That's why we've got to be prepared and be absolutely as focused as they will be."

United need to beat the Black Cats if they are to have any chance of clinching the Premier League title this seaso, although Bruce is not in any mood to be giving out hand-outs.

"I've never beaten Manchester United as a manager," he added.

"But I'll be doing everything I can to change that this weekend.

"I know it's not easy from my Wigan [Athletic] days - you're up against one of the very best teams in Europe who are completely used to playing under pressure and who usually thrive on it.

"But what I do know is that unless everyone of my players is on their game, we'll struggle to get anything out of it.”

Sunderland are looking to hold onto a top ten finish in the Premier League while United are desperate for a win to help them clinch a fourth successive title.

[drivemein]

Sunderland Defender: Obviously I Want United To Win The League
-therepublikofmancunia.com-



Anton Ferdinand, who scored a 94th minute equaliser own goal at Old Trafford this season, has admitted he wants United to win the title but will still give his all against us tomorrow.

“I want United to win the title, obviously,” said Ferdinand. “I want my brother to win another trophy. As long as my brother is winning trophies, I’m happy. Medals mean more than anything. But There’ll be no mixed emotions if I help stop him. Maybe in the summer I’ll be thinking, ‘Bloody hell I cost him the title’. But if we win on Sunday I’ll be as happy as Larry because we would have beaten one of the best teams in the world. The fans would be happy and they would deserve that because they have been that good this season. It’s our last home game and our fans deserve a good performance. We’ve beaten Liverpool and Arsenal here, now I think we can beat United. We played well against them at Old Trafford this season, so if you can’t take confidence from that, what can you take confidence from?”

[rian4]

Kira2 Minggu depan apa yg terjadi y rekan2 UI sekalian???

hmmm.....

[theater of dream]

Player Ratings Vs. Sunderland
Vds-7,
O' Shea-7 solid
Evans-7 solid
Vidic-7 solid
Evra-7 solid

Nani-7.5 has wining goal
Scholes-8 can control midfield (MOTM)
Fletcher-7 play stndard full of energy
Giggs-7 decent

Rooney-7 shoul has goal
Berbatov-4 so poor

Subs

Carrick-5
Ferdinand-6
Hargreaves- he could be the second MOTM welcome back Hargo..

[drivemein]

Sunderland 0 Man United 1: Nani strike keeps title race alive heading into final day
-dailymail.co.uk-

Portugal international Nani ensured the race for the Barclays Premier League title will go down to the wire as Manchester United edged past Sunderland.

Hours after Chelsea had established a four-point lead over United with victory at Liverpool, United once again reduced it to just one, courtesy of Nani's 28th-minute strike.

They will now head into next Sunday's final day showdown with Stoke at Old Trafford knowing that effectively only a win can give them a 19th league title, and even that will not be enough if the Blues beat Wigan at home.


Hot-streak: Nani (left) scored for the second successive match to set United on their way

Sir Alex Ferguson and his players left the north-east at least having given themselves a chance on an afternoon when they could have made things much more comfortable for themselves with striker Dimitar Berbatov passing up a hat-trick of glorious opportunities.

However, the manager's record of never having lost to a team managed by former United defender Steve Bruce remained intact, and while there is hope, he will not give up on the big prize.

Sunderland signed off their home campaign with a committed display in front of a crowd of 47,641, but on an afternoon when Fabio Capello's representatives were at the Stadium of Light, England hopeful Darren Bent had little opportunity to stake his claim for a seat on the plane to South Africa.

United ran out knowing their title bid had reached the point of no return as a result of Chelsea's 2-0 victory at Anfield, which left them needing to win at the Stadium of Light and at home against Stoke next Sunday to have any chance to overhauling the Blues.

They set about their task with some relish, but against opponents who were never likely to let them have things all their own way.


Flying high: Portuguese international Nani has gone some way to replacing Cristiano Ronaldo this term

On a bitterly cold afternoon on Wearside, United created chances from the off, and it took a good fourth-minute save by Craig Gordon from Wayne Rooney, and then Phil Bardsley's block from Ryan Giggs' follow-up, to keep them at bay.

However, only Chelsea and Aston Villa had won at Sunderland this season, and the Black Cats, who were only denied a famous victory at Old Trafford in October by Anton Ferdinand's late own goal, caused problems of their own.

Central defender John Mensah lasted only 18 minutes before his injury problems struck again, but he headed wide from Jordan Henderson's 13th-minute corner, and skipper Lorik Cana was only just off target with his effort from a Steed Malbranque free-kick three minutes later.

Edwin van der Sar had to pull off a fine one-handed save to keep out Malbranque's rasping 24th-minute shot, and the home fans started to believe that a surprise could be on the cards.

However, United got their noses in front four minutes later when, after Giggs and Berbatov had caused problems on the edge of the Sunderland penalty area, the ball was fed out to Nani and he blasted a low shot past the helpless Gordon and into the bottom corner.

Bruce's men were dealt a major blow eight minutes before the break when young midfielder David Meyler was stretchered off with what looked like a nasty knee injury, and their fortunes could have taken a further turn for the worse before the half-time whistle sounded.


Torrid afternoon: United striker Dimitar Berbatov endured another difficult time of it in front of goal

Berbatov failed to make the most of good work by Giggs and Rooney deep inside their own half when he allowed himself to be dispossessed by Michael Turner on the edge of the box before he could shot.

The Bulgarian was wasteful once again in injury time when Rooney once again set him up, but with just Gordon to beat, he could not hit the target.

United could, and perhaps should, have had the win wrapped up within seven minutes of the restart.

First Nani was denied his second goal of the game four minutes after the restart when Gordon made a fine save as he burst into the penalty area, and then Berbatov spooned a shot over from point-blank range with the goal at his mercy.

It was simply not the striker's day, and he could not believe his luck when he met Giggs' 56th-minute cross with a firm header just yards out and saw Gordon deflect it over the crossbar.

The home side started to make an impression as the half wore on, but with strikers Bent and Fraizer Campbell seeing little of the ball, central defenders Nemanja Vidic and Johnny Evans were rarely stretched.

But substitute Michael Carrick saw his 78th-minute effort hacked off the line by Turner and although Sunderland pushed all the way to the whistle, they could not find a way back.

[drivemein]

Tekuk Sunderland, MU Jaga Asa Juara
-detiksport.com-



Sunderland - Manchester United berhasil memaksa Chelsea untuk menuntaskan perebutan gelar juara hingga pekan terakhir, setelah The Red Devils sukses menekuk Sunderland dengan skor 1-0.

Dalam laga yang dihelat di Stadium Of Light, Minggu (2/5/2010) malam WIB, MU lebih mendominasi jalannya pertandingan dan menciptakan banyak peluang. Namun MU hanya bisa menciptakan satu gol lewat Nani di babak pertama.

Dengan raihan tiga poin ini, 'Setan Merah' tetap menguntit Chelsea di puncak klasemen dengan 82 poin dari 37 laga, selisih satu dari rivalnya itu yang barusan menang 2-0 dari Liverpool. Kedua tim sama-sama akan melakoni laga pamungkas musim ini di kandangnya pekan depan.

Jalannya pertandingan

Baru tiga menit laga berjalan MU sudah menggebrak pertahanan tuan rumah. Umpan silang Dimitar Berbatov dari sayap kanan diterima dengan dada oleh Wayne Rooney yang lantas melepask sepakan voli rendah yang masih tertahan kaki kiper Craig Gordon.

Di menit ke-16 Sunderland gantian mengancam lewat sundulan Lorik Cana meneruskan free kick Steed Malbranque yang masih melebar di samping gawang Edwin Van der Sar.

Pada menit ke-24 Van Der Sar menepis bola hasil sepakan keras Malbranque dari luar kotak penalti. Semenit sebelumnya tendangan kaki kiri Ryan Giggs dari jarak 20 meter hanya membentur mistar gawang Gordon.

MU akhirnya mampu memecah kebuntuan dalam laga itu di menit ke-28. Berawal dari kerjasama satu dua Berbatov dan Rooney di depan gawang, bola pun mengarah ke Darren Fletcher yang menyentuh bola sedikit dan mengarah ke Nani yang berada di sisi kanan. Winger Portugal itu pun melepaskan sepakan melengkung datar yang merobek gawang Gordon di tiang jauh.

Enam menit selepas restart aksi individu Rooney menembus kotak penalti diakhiri dengan umpan ke tiang jauh. Di sana Berbatov sambil menjatuhkan badan menyongsong bola tersebut namun sepakannya masih melayang di atas mistar.

Di menit ke-56 Berbatov kembali membuang peluang emas setelah sundulannya dari jarak 4 yard malah melambung di atas mistar.

Pada menit ke-77 Michael Carrick di depan gawang melepaskan tembakan ke arah gawang yang sudah ditinggal Gordon. Namun dengan sigap seorang bek Sunderland menyapu bola tersebut.

Hingga laga berakhir tak banyak peluang yang tercipta sehingga papan skor tetap memunculkan angka 1-0 untuk kemenangan tim tamu.

Susunan pemain

Sunderland : Gordon, Bardsley, Turner, Mensah (Kilgallon 18'), Richardson, Henderson (Jones 73'), Meyler (Cattermole 36'), Cana, Malbranque, Campbell, Bent

Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Jonathan Evans, Vidic, Evra, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher (Ferdinand 87'), Giggs, Berbatov (Carrick 70'), Rooney

[drivemein]

Boss proud, but realistic
-manutd.com-



Sir Alex Ferguson was proud to see his side take the Premier League title race to the wire with victory at Sunderland, but is realistic about the Reds' hopes of winning a fourth successive title.

Chelsea's comfortable win at Liverpool in Sunday's early kick-off piled the pressure on United at the Stadium of Light, but only profligate finishing prevented a resounding victory after the Reds' imperious display.

"The players' attitude was terrific," Sir Alex told Sky Sports. "There was good commitment from them, they enjoyed the game and played good football. It was quite a stormy type of game, Sunderland were very aggressive in their approach to the game. There were a lot of tackles and we had to have bite in our game and I think we were that way.

"I think we were careless in our finishing. We had a lot of great chances and they probably felt they were comfortable. we got there, and that's the important thing. Three points and a 1-0 victory away from home is always a good result."

The Reds trail Carlo Ancelotti's side by a solitary point going into the final weekend of the season in seven days' time, when champions and challengers host Stoke City and Wigan Athletic respectively.

Rather than resort to any manner of psychological warfare, however, Sir Alex is philosophical about the propensity for an unpredictable season to spring one last shock next weekend.

"All we can do is win our game next week. We want to do that in front of our fans on the last day of the season, and obviously I wouldn't insult Wigan because they're a really good footballing team. They'll have a go and you never know what happens in football. It's a crazy game.

"We are clutching at straws a little bit, but the important thing is for us to win our game and enjoy it in front of our fans. There'll be 76,000 there, we'll play the right way and we'll play with a lot of dignity in our game. We just stretch it out, keep the nerves going, you never know!"

[Mahesa_Jenar]

Originally Posted by theater of dream

Player Ratings Vs. Sunderland
Vds-7,
O' Shea-7 solid
Evans-7 solid
Vidic-7 solid
Evra-7 solid

Nani-7.5 has wining goal
Scholes-8 can control midfield (MOTM)
Fletcher-7 play stndard full of energy
Giggs-7 decent

Rooney-7 shoul has goal
Berbatov-4 so poor

Subs

Carrick-5
Ferdinand-6
Hargreaves- he could be the second MOTM welcome back Hargo..

Buset dah...
Berbatov cuma dapet rating empat...???
bahkan Carrick yang masuk di babak kedua dan tampil di bawah standar masih dikasih lima...???
Ke mana aja Berbatov...????