February 10 2008 marks a tragedy in Mancher United, English and World Football. 50 years ago on February 6 1958, British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from Munich-Reim airport in Munich, West Germany. On board was the Manchester United Football team, nicknamed the Busby Babes after manager Matt Bubsy, along with suppporters and journalists. 23 of the 44 passengers on board the aircraft died in the disaster.

Sir Alex Ferguson publicly criticized the decision to hold the Manchester derby in the same week as the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.

 Manchester United wore a classic United direct replica kit. Without any sponsors on both kits 

Man U started off very offensive with a great chip through ball played by Anderson to Cristiano. 

Brown showed Petrov very early on he wasn’t going to give an inch when he went through him on a challenge on the right flank.

 Sir Alex has a very attack minded team Scholes, Anderson, Nani, Giggs and CristianoCarrick and Heargraves both left out of the starting line up while Anderson and Scholes started. No Rooney and Evra proved to hurt United

Sir Alex has been in charge of United 22 of the 50 years since “Munich”

 O’Shea needs more confidence with his left foot. O’Shea gives Man City an opportunity in the first 15 by not doing so. A ball that he could have let run to his left foot, he turns into danger with his right foot.

 Cristiano feeds a great ball to Tevez, whose first touch wasn’t the best; he touched it away from goal and cut his angle.

 Hamann does not pull back from Nani on a challenge that could have been avoided, and is lucky not to have gotten a yellow.

 17 min in Cristiano goes down in the box, maybe to easily and the referee says no penalty

 Man u has won 9 of there last 11 matches

 O’Shea fails to deliver a ball from the left flank, he had time to take another touch or two, but it’s hit low and very poorly right to a Man City player.Man City began their counter with numbers up they caught United with few defenders.

 Petrov led the attack and slipped a great ball to Ireland. Van der Sar came out to save, the ball fell to Vassell who fired, Van der Sar saved but only to have Vassell finish the second time around

 O’Shea’s left foot cost Man Utd the counter attack that led to the first Man City goal

 Man City have not won at Old Trafford in 34 years are now ahead

 Hart had another great save in the 26 min, as Tevez cracks a shot from the top of the 18 on a half turn volley

 Tevez goes down 25 yards out and wins a free kick for Man Utd. Crisitiano will step up, he has earned a reputation as a premier free kick taker, notorious for a shot that rises and dips down rather then curves or bends like Ronaldinho’s or a Beckham’s.

 I think it’s in the technique following contact, notice how he pulls back right after making contact with the ball and doesn’t really follow through.He hits the ball with his laces at the bottom of the ball and it gives the ball that fierce dip

Ronaldo gets a driven ball by Brown in min 35 on the edge of the box but it looks like he let it bounce one too many times and took it with his weaker foot


Other then the foul throw, Anderson played a very solid game. Not giving up possession makes him very productive

 Man City gave up possession plenty of times trying to come out playing from the back but United just couldn’t make them pay

 Ferdinand was extremely casual and naïve while trying to shield a ball against Benjani

Nani was lost for most of the first half he really didn’t participate. The times that united played from the right side it was brown making the run up the flank

Min 44 Man city earned a corner. After the third attempt from the corner Man City got it rightThe ball was cleared by Man Utd only to have it land at Petrovs feet, who delivered another great ball to Benjani. Benjani just gave it enough of a flick with his head to get it past Van der Sar 

 Benjani scores in his debut, and in a derby

 Half Time

Total Shots

Man Utd 8          Man City 6  

Giggs and Nani switch sides, Only change by sir alex

Both teams were very weak in defense; only difference is Man city has capitalized

The Crowd responded to Tevez as he hustled to a ball most players would have watched go byFew players in the world have the work rate of Carlitos Tevez

Hart was very quick off his line and read deadly through balls really well

Very poor defense by Man Utd In min 59, Ferdinand committed one of the deadly errors in defense by trying to play a ball across the middle, while the entire Man Utd team was pushed up, he lost the ball and allowed for a 2v1 counter attack against Vidic who decided to follow the second defender, and not Ireland who was on ball. A very difficult decision to make, but he got away with it this time

Park Ji-Sung came on for Nani in min 63Nani was the least productive player of the game for Man UtdHe rarely demanded the ball and was just a body on the field

Min 72 Anderson came off for Hargreaves and Carrick came on for O’shea

Man city made a change in the 75 min, bringing off the goal scorer Benjani Mwaruwariand bringing on Felipe Caicedo, a  19 year old striker from Ecuador

The Biggest Premier League crowd of the season over 76,000

3000 Man City supporters out sang 73,000 Man Utd supporters 

In stoppage time with the ball at Scholes feet, Tevez made the perfect run to draw his defender and basically parted the Red Sea for Carrick. Carrick placed the shot superbly in the bottom right hand cornerManchester United’s  goal was text book

Before the goal United looked desperate, they are playing carelessly, giving up possession far to easily.

Man City wins for the first time at Old Trafford since 1974

Should Sir Alex Ferguson have gone so offensive, without his best defense?