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Impregnable United cruise on auto-pilot
By Derick Allsop | |
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Man Utd (1) 3 Coventry (0) 0 THERE will doubtless come a time when Manchester United are required to awaken their dormant talents and, no doubt, they will respond to the challenge with vivacious conviction. In the meantime, however, they appear content to slumber along at the expense of teams devoid of the wit or luck to catch them unawares. Coventry will feel the fates conspired against them at Old Trafford and the margin of United's victory compounded their sense of injustice. But, already, the champions are on a familiar, ominous course, and the Premiership will have to be wrenched from Alex Ferguson. United have 13 points from a possible 15 and have yet to concede a goal. Some statistics do not lie. From the moment, 72 seconds into the match, Andy Cole's shot ballooned off Richard Shaw and over the stranded Steve Ogrizovic, Coventry were, in the modern parlance, chasing the game. By the last minute, when Karel Poborsky dispatched the third, they were chasing shadows. Genuine chances were lost in the backdrop of the great theatre, Dion Dublin, once a bit-part, if highly popular, player here, left most frustrated by the plot. Three times in the first half he might have brought his side level, three times he could not. When he struck the post with an acrobatic overhead kick, he may have feared the worst. The early goal, which has so often eluded United, might well have lulled them into an apparent state of semi-consciousness. United still displayed their finery, but it was mere edging. David Beckham's early enterprise dwindled and the supply dried up. Cole, lifted by his break, went in search of more bounty, only to arrive tantalisingly too late on two occasions. Gradually, he was stifled by the excellent and alert Shaw and was withdrawn, along with Phil Neville, mid-way through the first half, a compliment to the purpose and persistence of Coventry's football. The introduction of Poborsky for Cole enabled Beckham to move inside, in support of Roy Keane and Nicky Butt and stem the flow of Coventry's optimism. It also served to ignite Ryan Giggs, who dipped into his bag of intricate tricks to mesmerise his would-be markers. Belated urgency carried United to an improbably comfortable scoreline, yet could not camouflage a lingering problem for Ferguson. United have sustained their phenomenal run of success without a prolific scorer and Cole still looks ill at ease charged with the responsibility. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's return will be even more eagerly anticipated. Ferguson conceded: "It was a flattering scoreline. They had an appetite for the game, showed us no respect and we played like a team who felt we could win if we wanted to. It wasn't that we gave them no respect, but we are a better team when we show real hunger and determination to get at the game." His one-time protg, now Coventry manager, Gordon Strachan, said: "With a bit of luck, which you need against world-class sides, we could have taken something out of the game. People will see 3-0 and think it's the usual Coventry performance. I didn't have a bad player in my side." Among the best of his players was Shaw, who read Cole's intention as the striker shaped up just outside the area but his intervention became an unwitting assist, the ball looping over Ogrizovic into the net. Roland Nilsson, brought into Coventry's side at the expense of Gary Breen, helped compensate for the continued absence of the captain, and creator-in-chief, Gary McAllister, with splendid service to Dublin. The big centre-forward, alas, headed wide and then shot tamely before hitting the frame of United's goal. Beckham, relishing the opportunity to run from a more central position unleashed a characteristically ferocious shot from distance, which the effervescent Ogrizovic turned away. In the 72nd minute, however, Coventry's resistance was breached again. Giggs and Beckham worked the corner on the left, Gary Pallister attacked the centre and Keane applied the finish. Giggs was the orchestrator of the finale, threading a devastating, angled pass into the path of Poborsky who accepted the invitation with gusto. _________________________________________________________________ Man Utd (1) 3 Coventry (0) 0 Cole 2, Keane 72, Poborsky 90. Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Pallister, Beckham, Butt, Cole (Poborsky 66), Sheringham, Giggs, P. Neville (Irwin 66), Keane, Berg. Subs Not Used: McClair, Van Der Gouw, Curtis. Coventry: Ogrizovic, Shaw, Burrows, Williams, Huckerby, Dublin, Salako, Telfer, Richardson, Hall, Nilsson. Subs Not Used: Lightbourne, Borrows, Soltvedt, Johansen, Hedman. Booked: Nilsson. Att: 55,074 Ref: G R Ashby (Worcester). _________________________________________________________________ Man United (1) 3 Coventry (0) 0 FT Cole 2 Keane 72 Poborsky 90 Manchester United created another piece of Old Trafford history with a fifth clean sheet, but boss Alex Ferguson will know that only poor Coventry finishing and a huge slice of good luck got his men off the hook. Goals by comeback man Andy Cole, skipper Roy Keane and substitute Karel Poborsky ensured United's unbeaten start to the season continued, while the visitors' inability to beat Peter Schmeichel made it five blanks on the bounce for the Reds their best defensive start to a campaign in 105 years of league football. But Sky Blues boss Gordon Strachan will travelling down the M6 tonight feeling that his men were hard done by after giving the champions a torrid afternoon. Coventry, who arrived without a victory at Old Trafford in 23 years, must have had a bout a deja vu as Cole fired United ahead after just 73 seconds on his return after surgery to remove an abscess. The Sky Blues were breeched twice in the opening four minutes as they crashed to a 3-1 defeat by the home side last March and this time the seeds of defeat were sewn even earlier. The 55,074 crowd which included David Beckham's Spice Girl girlfriend Victoria had hardly taken their seats when Cole latched onto a pass from Teddy Sheringham, drifted in from the left, and fired a shot that ballooned off Paul Williams and over the stranded Steve Ogrizovic. Coventry looked set to be swept away by a tide of Red goals. Richard Shaw produced a timely clearance to prevent Cole heading home David Beckham's cross and Henning Berg heading across goal and narrowly wide from Beckham's resultant corner. But Coventry must have delighted Strachan with the way they fought back to dominate he remainder of the first period on his old stomping ground. Former Old Trafford favourite Dion Dublin should have done better than head well wide from Roland Nilsson's cross. Dublin did better from another Nilsson cross minutes later, turning to fire in a first-time shot that was saved at full-stretch by Schmeichel. And although Cole had an effort ruled out for offside and both Gary Neville and Sheringham forced Ogrizovic into action with thunderous long-range blasts, the visitors should have been level by the break. Dublin was desperately unlucky when John Salako served up an inviting cross from the right and the Sky Blues skipper arched into a spectacular overhead kick that clattered the post before Schmeichel could move a muscle. Moments later, Schmeichel came unwisely from his line when Darren Huckerby found himself in the clear, but the high-speed winger's finish was wastefully high and wide. Butt did try to galvanise United with a curling shot from 20 yards that beat Ogrizovic but also the big keeper's left-hand post by inches, while Sheringham blazed wastefully over from a Giggs cross. But Coventry came again to force United into some desperate defending and, after the ball had drifted dangerously across goal, Huckerby returned it with a low cross that hit Butt and ricochet inches wide. The visitors were unable to turn their bright approach play into goals, however and were made to pay dearly. Beckham forced Ogrizovic into a marvellous tip over with a trademark 25-yard blockbuster, before Keane made it 2-0 after 72 minutes with a close-range finish after Gary Pallister had flicked a Giggs free-kick across goal. Even then it took a goal-line clearance from Berg to deny Williams, but Poborsky sealed it seconds before the end when he swept the ball home over Ogrizovic from Giggs' pass. Man United: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Pallister, Beckham, Butt, Cole (Poborsky, 66), Sheringham, Giggs, P. Neville (Irwin, 66), Keane, Berg. Subs not used: McClair, Van Der Gouw, Curtis. Coventry: Ogrizovic, Shaw, Burrows, Williams, Huckerby, Dublin, Salako, Telfer, Richardson, Hall, Nilsson. Subs not used: Lightbourne, Borrows, Soltvedt, Johansen, Hedman. Booked: Nilsson. Attendance: 55,074. Referee: G R Ashby (Worcester). ----------------------------------------------------------------- FERGUSON SYMPATHY FOR SKY BLUES By Simon Mullock, PA Sport The Sky Blues suffered a 3-0 mauling against Manchester United at Old Trafford. And they must have known it was not going to be their day when former United favourite Dion Dublin planted a spectacular overhead kick against a post just before half time. Andy Cole opened the scoring after just 73 seconds when his shot took a deflection off Paul Williams and looped over the stranded Steve Ogrizovic. And when Keane made it 2-0 on 72 minutes and Poborsky added a last-minute third, boss Gordon Strachan must have questioned whether there is any justice in the game. Strachan made only a fleeting visit to the post-match press conference, revealing that he wanted to return to the dressing room to console his players. The Sky Blues conceded two goals in the first four minutes in the corresponding fixture last season and were lucky to get away with a 3-1 defeat on an afternoon when United could have doubled their tally. But today Strachan said: "I am very proud of my team. The team that we brought here last March has improved out of sight. "With a bit of luck - and you need that playing against a world class team - we could have got something out of the game. "Five games into the season we would have liked a few more points, but I've seen individual players improve immensely over the last five or six months and that is what has pleased me." He added: "My players are devastated. People will see that it was 3-0 and say that it was a typical Coventry performance, but it wasn't." Even Alex Ferguson had sympathy for the Sky Blues, although he was also satisfied with another piece of Old Trafford history. Despite winning by a comfortable margin United were forced on the backfoot for long periods before the late strikes from Keane and substitute Poborsky. The clean sheet meant United have not conceded a goal in their opening five Premiership fixtures - their best-ever defensive start to a campaign in 105 years of league football. Old Trafford boss Ferguson, who brought back Cole for his first Premiership start of the campaign when Paul Scholes reported ill, said: "It wasn't fair on Coventry, but we won 3-0. What can I say? "Coventry deserved better than they got. They played like a team who want to go somewhere, while we played like a team who felt they could win the game at any time. "That's no disrespect to Coventry. It's just that coming off the back of a terrific performance at Everton in midweek, we were perhaps a little too complacent." Ferguson added: "It was a bonus to score so early. That should have set us up for a good afternoon, but it didn't. "It's nice that we have kept another clean sheet. I'm pleased with that, but not the performance." © PA Sporting Life |
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