Berba on Fire

Berba makes no mistake in finishing his hat-trick

This is fantastic. My first Premier League match in the UK had fallen on an auspicious match! What better way to start my Premier League season in the UK than the ever-classic clash with the Scousers between United and Liverpool? To top it up, I actually watched it in a bar, which happens to be a Leeds United lair. As such, celebrations and reactions need to be tone down for safety..lol. In the end, it was good match with lots of breathtaking moments.

United fans have never really been convinced on the value of Berbatov up till this match, myself included. The countless amount of wasted chances and lethargic running characterised him all these while. Last season's performance by Berbatov left little to be desired to the extent that it was rumored that he asks Fergie to allow him to stay to prove himself. Nothing about his Tottenham form has been replicated well in his Man Utd career and indeed, some of the Old Trafford crowd have grew weary waiting for it to come out. Perhaps he has lost it just like Owen.

This season's story proved otherwise starting from the pre-season. Berbatov's being in good shape and this culminated in an excellent performance against Chelsea in the Community Shield. Since then, he's been banging in goals for the early Premier League matches. His best form in United truly showed its nature in this match.

I would say that United on the overall view was the better side with them getting the chances going and was more of a threat than Liverpool. There were a few close calls but on the 41st minute, the deadlock was broken which I felt that Liverpool could have prevented if Konchesky had covered the post earlier instead of hovering just behind Pepe Reina. Berba for the first goal had shook off his marker to head it in and Konchesky decided to do an Uruguay style handball save but it still went in anyways. The Scousers sunk into deeper trouble when Berbatov finished off a superb bicycle kick to put United 2-0 up. Such was his confidence that this goal would definitely rank as one of the contenders for the goal of the season. More drama followed by as Evans clumsily brings down Torres in the box and Gerrard converts the penalty with ease.

A controversial point of play emerge later when O'Shea was alleged to pull Torres down as the last man. Fergie said that Torres made a meal out of it while the Scousers were screaming for O'Shea to be sent off. Nevertheless, Gerrard got his free kick and a Fletcher's cowardly shift away from the wall meant that his shot managed to squeeze through the wall gap. To the annoyance of most United fans, the team has now squandered a 2-0 lead for the second time in a row. Another draw would leave the fans fuming for sure and Berbatov has no intention of letting them to do so. In the late 80+ minutes or so, he rose above Carragher to head in a ball into the net to become the first United player to get a hat-trick against the Scousers since 1946. Sheer delight for the Old Trafford crowd and by the end of the final whistle, there's no way Liverpool could wriggle out of defeat. Once again, Dimitar Berbatov has outperformed Rooney this season and he looks set to be on fire with 7 goals tied with Malouda on the top of the scorer's sheet so far.

With one rival match being dealt with, Man Utd is now at least within a distance reach from Chelsea while Liverpool continues to languish at 16th place. It doesn't look good for the Scousers at all. Oh well, I've thoroughly enjoyed this match and what a way indeed to smack Liverpool from the back when they think for a moment that they were safe to escape..lol.