Asian Power

Park leads the way for Man United

It's been quite some time since I've done some football analysis and what better way to restart it on an auspicious duel between United and Liverpool at Old Trafford. The situation prior to this match: United needed to continue winning to keep up with Chelsea and to maintain the lead against the Gooners while Liverpool is desperately fighting for a 4th place. There are dire consequences for any side that loses this match and tensions were naturally high as usual. Fergie opted to play Rooney as solo striker upfront with a 5-men midfield.

Within 5 minutes of the game, the Scousers were already running down the flank and a cross into the box saw Torres executing a perfect header into the net. It was the ideal start for the Scousers but questions must be asked of the United defence at that time. What in the world was Ferdinand doing?! As usual, the off-concentration moment was there with him ball-watching and not posing a threat to Torres at all. With a goal down, United knew that they had to find a reply quick or it will be a very excruciating 85 minutes remaining on the clock. True enough, it didn't take long enough with Mascherano doing something stupid on the way, 5 minutes after Torres' goal. 3 years ago, he got himself sent off by running half the field. It seems that Mascherano was obstructing and pulling Valencia's hand as the Ecuadorian dribbles into the box. The controversial point is whether Mascherano had released Valencia's hand before or after he enterred the box. The referee's opinion is that Mascherano did it in the box and United were given the penalty. Rooney stepped up to take the penalty and missed it but he was fortunate to get the rebound into the net. That even things up.

A few players were getting a little emotional on the field and one of them was Torres. First, he kicked the penalty spot in frustration like a sulking small boy. The referee let him off for that. Then later on in the game, he started showing a sarcastic duck sign with his hand and that was when the referee had enough of his nonsense and showed him a red card. Torres was pushing it further later in the game when he gave Fletcher a light spank at his butt. Fletcher was also of course, involved in a fiery bust-up with Kuyt during one of the tackles.

At the 60th minute, Fletcher delivered a beautiful cross into the box and Park, ever lurking from the center propelled himself forward like a missile to head the winning ball into the net. This is no fluke considering the difficulty that comes with a diving header movement. That was good enough to secure the winner and Liverpool nearly got the equaliser in the dying minutes, only for Torres to miskick it upwards. At the blow of the final whistle, United emerged triumphant in the fixture. Disaster for Liverpool as the 4th place Champions League spot slips away further away. An excellent result for United who marched on with the title chase.

Who would have thought that an Asian would make the difference in the titanic clash? That would be unthinkable 20 or 30 years ago. But Park has proven it himself that he can make it at the big stage. He has drawn blood from Milan and Arsenal and he's certainly not shy to do it against the Scousers. That is some slick Asian power from Park and yea, we can be proud of him..haha. Park is one of the underrated players in the United squad and true, he may not be in the league of superstars like Messi, Ronaldo or Fabregas but his hardworking and persevering qualities that are found in him are invaluable. The other underrated player at United is Fletcher and one can say he's truly one player who will fight for the ball with every ounce of sweat that he has. For this match, Fletcher made the difference that merits a man-of-the-match performance. Not even Gerrard came close to inspiring his team and I would say the Liverpudian no. 8 is surprisingly quiet and remains anonymous for most of the playing time.

This is a big step for United to overcome Liverpool but the job's far from being done yet. There are still plenty of games coming up, notably Chelsea on 3rd April and Manchester City on 17th. These two games could either make or break United's attempt to win their 19th title.