Less than two months ago, Manchester United were bulldozing their way over all oppositions; they broke clean sheets record and played exhilarating football. To wit, they bundled Inter Milan out of the Champions League and everything was as smooth as silk!

 

Then came calling Rafa’s army! They not only took the three points at stake, they destroyed Manchester United and scored some unbelievable goals on their way to a most unexpected victory. We all thought that the performance was a one-off and that the Red Devils would be back with a vengeance against their next opponent. How wrong we were! They were beating by Fulham and another goal of the season contender was scored against them in a 2-0 defeat.

 

Suddenly, the jury came out on SAF and his boys! With suspensions to Vidic, Scholes and Rooney, surely they will capitulate and surrender the lead they’ve had for over three months? And with Liverpool earning a last gasp victory over the same stubborn Fulham, the pressure seems to have been shifted to the defending champions.

 

They are supposed to cruise over Aston Villa with ease and of course continue on the way to the league title after their recent poor results. They got the perfect start when they led through a free kick that Ronaldo rifled into the top corner of the net to ease tensions at Old Trafford.

 

However on the half hour mark, John Carew equalized to set a tone for a titanic battle in the second half. A battle that would try the limits of human endurance for the whole of 50 minutes of second half!

 

It got bad for United when Villa after some good passes and interplay took a shocking lead in the 58^th minute to silence the vociferous crowd in the stadium. An upset seemed to be on the way and ‘am sure messrs Benitez and Hiddink would have thought ‘well, here we go, it isn’t easy anymore. The title is wide open and…….’ And God, did Villa played? They put up a vastly improved performance compared to their last four matches.

 

When Ronaldo scored again to tie the match at two goals apiece, you can sense that something dramatic is about to happen. They poured forward like a swarm of bees looking for the final sting and they got it at the death through the neophyte, Federico Macheda who was making his debut in the EPL! A stunning goal from a kid turned the table against Villa and Man U are back in the hunt for you know what!

 

Football is filled with this kind of dramatic games. Games that ordinarily should be concluded in one direction turned upside down at the end. To appreciate this kind of result, just gauge the animated celebrations of the fans and the players. What about SAF? He grinned from ear to ear hugging and pumping fists!

 

Do you have any exciting result like this one? Let’s hear it even as we continue to enjoy the unpredictability and spontaneity of our game. Have a nice week.