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Cottee shatters United fortress
By Derick Allsop | |
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Man Utd (0) 0 Leicester (1) 1 LEICESTER City celebrated the upset of the season and had clubs from Stamford Bridge to Anfield rejoicing with them. Manchester United's championship is there for the taking after their first home defeat of the campaign and their second successive setback in the League. The noble fortress showed rare signs of crumbling and suddenly the Premiership contest no longer seemed a foregone conclusion. Leicester lifted themselves out of their recent trough of depression to stun United with the energy and enterprise of their football, and deservedly plundered a first-half lead. Tony Cottee, much-travelled and often written off, scored the goal that confirmed the quality of Leicester's game and the vulnerability of a side aspiring to a third consecutive title and more. United, however, were below the standard of potential European champions. Their play was disjointed and careless, their trademark slick passing non-existent. Alex Ferguson's team, resuming League business after the busman's holiday in the FA Cup, were under instructions to find an extra gear and risk no further erosion of their Premiership advantage. Defeats at Coventry and Southampton sustained the belief they were fallible after all. At Old Trafford, however, they had maintained a near perfect record, dropping only two points - to Chelsea. Teddy Sheringham, recovered from a calf injury, was named among the substitutes, Ferguson retaining the Andy Cole-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer combination that produced four goals against Walsall last week. Leicester arrived here without a win in eight games, a run that took the wind out of their Premiership sails and cost them their place in the FA Cup. United's early momentum was checked, to the alarm of the gallery, when Cole pulled up on the edge of the Leicester penalty area after a challenge from Matt Elliott. The England contender looked distinctly unhappy, unlike Leicester's young striker, Emile Heskey, whose pace and power patently troubled the United defence. Ronny Johnsen was so distressed he had to be replaced by fellow Norwegian Henning Berg in the eighth minute. United's uncharacteristic discomfort encouraged Leicester to take the game to their illustrious hosts. Even Peter Schmeichel fumbled what for him should have been a routine catch. Had Elliott made firmer contact on the ground and then in the air, United might have been two goals down inside 16 minutes. Gary Pallister's mistimed header invited more pressure and the defender was relieved to see Mustafa Izzet's shot clear the bar. Ferguson responded by bringing Ryan Giggs into a more central role, but could not ward off Leicester's 27th-minute goal. Robert Savage and Garry Parker linked up to send Cottee through. Berg appeared favourite for the ball but his hesitation left Schmeichel at the little striker's mercy and old habits die hard. Giggs provided Cole with a chance to equalise, but the striker's effort on the turn was touched behind. Heskey bustled past Berg just before the break, only to blaze over. Ferguson gambled by bringing on Sheringham for Berg early in the second half and operating with three at the back to counter Leicester's system. At the front the opportunities continued to come Cole's way, and he continued to squander them. Paul Scholes fashioned an opening, then lifted his shot over. Solskjaer had a better chance, and he too shot high. __________________________________________________________ Man Utd (0) 0 Leicester (1) 1 Cottee 30. Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Irwin, Johnsen (Berg 8), Pallister, Beckham, Butt, Cole, Giggs, Scholes (P. Neville 84), Solskjaer, Berg (Sheringham 55). Subs Not Used: McClair, Pilkington. Booked: Scholes, Sheringham. Leicester: Keller, Savage, Guppy, Kaamark, Elliott, Walsh (Prior 35), Izzet, Lennon, Parker (Campbell 65), Cottee (Wilson 88), Heskey. Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Fenton. Booked: Savage. Att: 55,156 Ref: G R Ashby (Worcester). __________________________________________________________ February 1 1998 FOOTBALL Cottee stuns United Louise Taylor at Old Trafford Manchester Utd 0 Leicester City 1 MARTIN O'NEILL had psyched his squad up by enquiring if they intended to spend the remainder of the season challenging for Europe or flirting with relegation. On yesterday's impressive evidence the Leicester players' answer was unequivocal; after seven Premiership games without a win, indomitable individuals such as Matt Elliott, Kasey Keller, Steve Guppy and Muzzy Izzet reminded us of their true Uefa Cup potential. Granted, United's midfield began in dysfunctional mode with established internationals persistently caught in possession and Andy Cole having an absolute shocker, but O'Neill's men thoroughly deserved the points. Some extravagant celebratory cavortings at the final whistle emphasised the scale of Leicester's achievement; they had, after all, just become the first visiting team to triumph at Old Trafford this season. Even Alex Ferguson admitted he had "no complaints" about a result secured via a 30th-minute goal from Tony Cottee - remember him? Indeed, United's manager proceeded to lambast his team for an unscheduled second successive League defeat - they succumbed at Southampton last time out - and promised: "They'll work hard for the rest of the season, though. You can bet your life on that. I'm damned disappointed; we got what we deserved. We made a terrible start without any workrate." Unfortunately for United, Leicester were positively suffused with the work ethic. All the pre-match talk had centred on the possibility of Pontus Kaamark man-marking Ryan Giggs but, in reality, the Swede was used on the right of a central defensive trinity where he found himself generally succeeding in suppressing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. This 3-5-2 Leicester formation dictated that Guppy necessarily played left wing-back, which all seemed rather a waste of one of England's most exciting left wingers. Even so, Guppy still contributed enough accurate centres to embarrass Ferguson's rearguard. There was clearly method in O'Neill's system, because Leicester's midfield five were forcing Nicky Butt into all sorts of early, uncharacteristic errors. At this juncture Neil Lennon, Garry Parker and Izzet passed and moved with increasing distinction, while the shaven-headed Elliott consistently menaced from a series of set pieces. And United? Well, Cole was experiencing one of those regressive days when his first touch looked alarmingly suspect and by the time Cottee put Leicester ahead Keller had still to make a significant save. Only playing because O'Neill had decided against giving Ian Marshall the pain-killing injection that would have enabled him to start, Cottee benefited from slick passing on the part of Robbie Savage - ironically, a United reject - and then Parker, who controlled an akwardly bouncing ball, before intelligently wrong-footing Henning Berg and springing United's rusty offside mechanism. That feat accomplished, the diminutive veteran (well, 32-year-old) advanced down the inside-right avenue before cutting into the penalty area and defying Schmeichel courtesy of a waspish, low shot, despatched from an unpromising angle with the sort of precision that, 10 years ago, made him Britain's most expensive footballer. Can it really be a decade since Cottee left West Ham for Everton in an unprecedented £2m move? Cole cost United £7m but here he had seemingly mislaid his shooting boots because when Giggs played him into a perfect position he fired wide of the far upright. By the interval Leicester really should have doubled their advantage but Emile Heskey ballooned the ball over Schmeichel's bar after muscularly turning a dizzy and disoriented Berg inside out. All credit to Schmeichel for spreading himself in exemplary fashion but on this cameo evidence it was easy to understand why Berg was only on as a substitute for the injured Ronny Johnsen. By contrast, much of Leicester's defending was excellent with Savage - a fleet-footed right wing-back - patently relishing this opportunity to remind Ferguson he released a fine footballer. Although inevitably increasingly penned back in their own half as the second period unravelled, Leicester were not deliberately set on last-ditch denial and, creditably, aimed to counter-attack whenever possible. Significantly, United's defence continued to look vulnerable to being run at - particular by Izzet. Maybe attack really is the best form of defence at Old Trafford. Ferguson's response was to liberate Teddy Sheringham - newly recovered from a calf strain - from the bench in place of the hapless Berg. The only drawback was this necessitated David Beckham's re-location to right wing-back. No matter; Sheringham's ability to hold the ball up under pressure began conjuring a relentless stream of home chances, his heightening influence being mirrored by O'Neill's ever more agitated touchline gesticulations. In the event, Cole spurned three presentable openings and Solskjaer proved almost equally profligate but, happily, O'Neill's nervous energy was not transmitted to Keller and Elliott who remained magnificent in the face of growing hostile fire. Hats off to Leicester - and not least for hinting that the Premiership title might not be a foregone conclusion after all. Manchester United: Schmeichel, G Neville, Johnsen (Berg 8min, Sheringham 55min), Pallister, Irwin, Beckham, Butt, Scholes (P Neville 84min), Giggs, Cole, Solskjaer. Leicester City: Keller, Kaamark, Elliott, Walsh (Prior 35min), Savage, Lennon, Parker (Campbell 65min), Izzet, Guppy, Heskey, Cottee (Wilson 88min). Scorer: Leicester City: Cottee 30 Booked: Savage (69min); Sheringham (79min). Referee: G Ashby (Worcester). Attendance: 55,156. Copyright 1998 The Times Newspapers Limited. __________________________________________________________ February 1 1998 FOOTBALL Cottee breaches United fortress Jim Munro, football editor IT MAY take a while to sink in, but Manchester United have lost three of the past four matches in their defence of the Premier League title. A 1-0 defeat by Leicester City at Old Trafford was their first at home this season, and Alex Ferguson, their manager, having ground his chewing gum to dust by the final whistle, was making no excuses. "We got what we deserved," he said sternly. "We made a terrible start without any workrate and we can have no complaints about the result." Leicester's decisive strike came from the shortest of launch pads. Tony Cottee, 5ft 8in, 32 years old and in the starting line-up for only the second time in his 18 appearances for the club, collected an incisive pass from Garry Parker and cut inside the penalty area to ram a low shot past Peter Schmeichel. Despite a frantic assault on the Leicester goal, United could not claw their way back into the game or escape their manager's ire. Concluding his post mortem, Ferguson said of his players: "They will work hard for the rest of the season, you can bet your life on that." Chelsea eased into second place after a 2-0 win over Barnsley, goals from Gianluca Vialli and Mark Hughes helping the London club leapfrog Liverpool and Blackburn, who drew 0-0 at Anfield. Their match was marred by an injury to Jason McAteer, who fractured the fibula in his left leg. Alan Ball's return to management with Portsmouth was overshadowed by an assault on a referee's assistant during a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United at Fratton Park. Edward Martin was knocked unconscious by a Sheffield United supporter after he had been consulted about an infringement which led to Simon Tracey, their goalkeeper, being sent off. The assailant was arrested and Mr Martin was said to be feeling better after treatment in hospital. Copyright 1998 The Times Newspapers Limited. __________________________________________________________ Saturday January 31 2:51 PM EDT Cottee goal moves Leicester closer to safety By Mike Collett LONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Manchester United and Leicester City have vastly differing ambitions this season. While United manager Alex Ferguson's sights are set on winning the European Cup, the English title and the F.A. Cup, Leicester manager Martin O'Neill would settle for just 42 points. That is the number he believes Leicester need to avoid relegation -- and thanks to their shock 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday they look like achieving that target with relative ease. The victory, courtesy of a 28th minute strike from ex-West Ham, Everton and England veteran Tony Cottee, keeps Leicester in ninth place on 33 points and means they need to win only three of their remaining 14 matches to reach O'Neill's safety target. The victory also ended a run of seven league games dating back to the end of November without a win and was their first at Old Trafford for 25 years. While not exactly throwing the title race wide open, it certainly raised some question marks about United's current form. They have lost three of their last four league games. United are now just four points clear of the chasing trio of Chelsea, Blackburn and Liverpool and Ferguson was highly critical of their performance on Saturday, especially the way they played in the first half. ``That was certainly the worst we have played all season,'' he said. ``We didn't defend well enough or work hard enough and just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong. ``We improved dramatically in the second half and had four good chances to score but did not take any of them and if you don't do that you don't deserve to win.'' While O'Neill believes he needs 42 points to survive, Ferguson, whose side already have 49 points, believes teams have little chance of winning the title if they lose as many as six of their 38 league games. Saturday's defeat was United's fifth of the season, and Ferguson said: ``At the outside you might lose seven but that's absolutely the limit. We really have no more margin for error.'' By that reckoning Blackburn, with only three defeats, and Arsenal, who have lost only four times, would look to be United's main threat for a third successive title. But no one was writing off United just because they lost on Saturday. O'Neill said: ``While it was a terrific result for us I still think United will win the title, and not only the English title. They are the potential champions of Europe, too. ``They created enough chances today but I thought Kasey Keller in our goal and our defence were magnificent, especially for the way we handled their pressure in the second half.'' For Cottee, the winning goal rolled back the years to the 1980s when he won seven England caps and was a regular scorer for both West Ham and later Everton. Now 32, Cottee joined Leicester at the start of the season after a brief spell in Malaysia with Selangor. He has been on the fringes of the first team having made 11 substitute appearances for Leicester, and, including Saturday's match, starting just two games. The goal came when he took advantage of a slip by Henning Berg to lash a pass from ex-United apprentice Robbie Savage over Peter Schmeichel's head and into the roof of the net. ``He was terrific today,'' said O'Neill. ``He may be 32 but he has retained some of his old sharpness and scored a great goal for us today.'' __________________________________________________________ FERGIE - WE GOT WHAT WE DESERVED By David Anderson, PA Sport Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson had no complaints after Leicester ended their unbeaten home record with a shock 1-0 victory. "I think we got what we deserved," he said. "We were just too casual to win a game of football. "Our first half performance did not deserve a victory and I was very disappointed with that. "Leicester's work ethic was superb and they deserve to win for that. In the second half we had enough chances to win it but we needed that break and we didn't get it." United's lead at the top of the Premiership has been further reduced, but Ferguson denied that his side were suffering from any title jitters. "I don't think that there is any anxiety. We're too confident for that," he said. Leicester goal hero Tony Cottee was delighted to finally break his Old Trafford duck after 15 years of trying. The former West Ham and Everton striker has never scored before at Manchester United until his strike after 27 minutes gave the Foxes a shock win. "I have been trying for 15 years to finally get one and I'm absolutely delighted," he said. "I have had shots cleared off the line, knocked away and everything so I'm absolutely thrilled to score." Cottee, 32, played only because of a groin injury to Ian Marshall and the strike was his second goal of the season and first in the Premiership in nearly two years. Leicester's delighted boss Martin O'Neill sang Cottee's praises after the striker made only his second league start for Leicester. "Tony Cottee's own individual performance was excellent and he was brilliant for us," he said. "I told him on Wednesday if Marshall did not come through, there was a fair chance that he would start the game and he has done better than I could have asked." O'Neill was thrilled to win at Old Trafford, but he still feels United will go on to win their fifth title in six years. "This is a great, great win for us," he said. "To come here and win after being under so much pressure is terrific. "I thought we were brilliant in the first half - we got the goal in front and we could have got another one. "United came out and roared at us in the second half and you have to say whatever bit of luck was going, it was going in our direction. "United still lead and four points is a lot of points. They are still a terrific side, but you don't need me to say that." © PA Sporting Life __________________________________________________________ Man United v Leicester 31/01/98 3.00 Man United (0) 0 Leicester (1) 1 FT Cottee 30 Leicester breathed fresh life into the FA Carling Premiership title race when they inflicted Manchester United's first home defeat of the season with a shock 1-0 win at Old Trafford. Forgotten man Tony Cottee scored the all-important goal after 27 minutes on only his second league start for the Foxes. The second half resembled a remake of the Alamo as United created, and squandered, chance after chance as they threw everything at Leicester. Unlike the Mexican army, though, they could not breach their opponents' defence. But take nothing away from Leicester. They worked hard for their first league win since the end of November and were superbly organised and disciplined. United's lead at the top has been cut to four points and this result will remind them that a fifth title in six years is far from secured. The champions and league leaders had won their last 11 games at Old Trafford and had dropped just two league points at home. Some people thought United were unbeatable at the Theatre of Dreams - but then the Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable! Leicester, who were 8-1 shots to win, upset the odds to win their first league match in eight attempts to do the unthinkable. The victory was also their first at Old Trafford since September 1973, which was the season United were relegated. United were forced to make an early substitution when Henning Berg came on for Ronny Johnsen, who appeared to have a calf injury. Leicester were making life difficult for United from the first whistle and in a moment of confusion Gary Pallister needlessly headed Steve Guppy's cross out of Peter Schmeichel's hands for a corner. It was a sign of things to come for United, who are used to having things their own way at home. United found themselves in the unusual position of being pegged back at Old Trafford as the Foxes pushed and harried them. Muzzy Izzet was presented with a chance midway through the first half but he was off balance and fired over. Leicester deservedly took the lead after 27 minutes when Berg misjudged former United trainee Robbie Savage's cross and Cottee lashed it home past Schmeichel from close range for his second of the season. The Foxes made their first substitution on 34 minutes when Spencer Prior came on for captain Walsh. Andy Cole went close to equalising for United four minutes later when he collected Ryan Giggs' pass and cut back inside Prior only to shot narrowly past Kasey Keller's far post. Now it was United's turn to pressure Leicester, but they were being thwarted by an 11-man defence. Emile Heskey had a chance to make it 2-0 right on half-time when he got half a yard on Berg but shot over. United pushed Denis Irwin and Gary Neville forward after the interval but Leicester still looked dangerous and Izzet went past four challenges before Pallister stopped him at the expense of a corner. At the other end Cole shot straight at Keller and Butt fired over from outside the area. United went for broke when they replaced Berg with Sheringham nine minutes into the second half. Cole sneaked through the Foxes' defence four minutes later but Keller saved his point-blank shot. Leicester added fresh legs to their midfield when Stuart Campbell replaced Garry Parker. Sheringham was left holding his head in his hands midway through the half when he blasted over from close range. Still the chances came and went for United and Cole fired wide on 72 minutes. Giggs then missed 10 minutes from time before Cole sent a header wide. United played their final card seven minutes from time when Phil Neville came on for Paul Scholes, while Stuart Wilson replaced Leicester's goal hero Cottee. Perhaps United's best chance fell to Sheringham, who shot wide from just yards out two minutes into stoppage time to sum up their miserable afternoon. Man United: (4-4-2) Schmeichel, G. Neville, Irwin, Johnsen (Berg (Sheringham, 55), 8), Pallister, Beckham, Butt, Cole, Giggs, Scholes (P. Neville, 84), Solskjaer. Subs not used: McClair, Pilkington. Booked: Scholes, Sheringham. Leicester: (5-3-2) Keller, Savage, Guppy, Kaamark, Elliott, Walsh (Prior, 35), Izzet, Lennon, Parker (Campbell, 65), Cottee (Wilson, 88), Heskey. Subs not used: Arphexad, Fenton. Booked: Savage. Attendance: 55,156. Referee: G R Ashby (Worcester). |
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