Manchester United beat Fulham last night to go three points clear at the top of the table thanks to a Wayne Rooney strike. Here are five talking points to come out of the match.
Should Fulham have had a penalty?
Yes, United were fortunate. Danny Murphy had burst into the penalty area when he was impeded by Michael Carrick, who got nothing of the ball. City fans will point to the decision as a lucky one which has gone in United’s favour, while Reds will point to the one incorrectly given to Newcastle against Rio Ferdinand in a 1-1 draw earlier in the season as evidence of events balancing themselves out- an argument backed by Rio Ferdinand. Statistics show United have conceded four penalties at Old Trafford this season, so any conspiracy theories seem wide of the mark. In this instance, referee Michael Oliver elected not to point to the spot, and was accused of bottling the decision by pundit Robbie Savage on Twitter. When even Sir Alex Ferguson admits his side were lucky, you know the referee got it wrong.
How long can Wayne Rooney continue his incredible scoring run?
In 2012 Rooney has been a man on a mission, scoring nine league goals since the start of February. If United are to win the title, they will look to their talisman to keep up his good form. Can he maintain it? City will hope not, but right now he is showing no sign of slowing down, and looks like he is going to score every time he walks onto the pitch. He bagged two at the Etihad in the FA Cup, and will hope for a similar outcome when United travel to City next month.
Are the nerves beginning to show?
Sir Alex Ferguson’s trademark phrase for this time of year is ‘squeaky bum time’ and last night was a classic case in point of jangling nerves. United were on top, but could never make their advantage count beyond the one goal, and by time the final 20 minutes came, Fulham looked like becoming more and more dangerous. The Red Devils may have scraped through this encounter, but more performances like that and they could miss out on the crucial three points they need. Up next is a trip to battling Blackburn Rovers next Monday night, and they will have to improve.
Jonny Evans and David de Gea continue to impress
United have now kept three clean sheets in as many Premier League games. This is surely down to having a settled back line. At the start of the season they were chopping and changing every week, but now they are getting into a clear rhythm. Jonny Evans re-emergence as a major talent has played a large part in that, while David de Gea has seen all the ‘dodgy keeper’ talk fade into a distant memory after weeks of solid performances. Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Rafael also deserve credit for their part too, effectively silencing the dangerous Pavel Pogrebnyak.
Fulham are a better side than their league position suggests
They say the Premier League table never lies, but Fulham’s 13th place seems a little harsh. On this showing, the club are more than capable of being a top half team, and inside the top 10 is where they should aim to finish the season. They have picked up more points in London derbies than any other club, including a January win over Arsenal, so must improve their consistency. Losing 3-0 at home to Swansea last weekend was a big blow, and this makes it two successive defeats, so Martin Jol will have to rally his players and get them to finish strongly over the final eight games.
image: © eirikref
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