Manchester United fans have surprisingly little to cheer about after the squads 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the Manchester Derby on Monday April 30, as reported by ManUtd.com. City now moves level with United on points but gains first place by virtue of a superior goal differential. With two games left to play, the title race is destined to go down to the wire. The two teams went neck and neck all year long, and it is a bit fitting that it comes down to the final few matches of the season.
Of course, all of the favor has to go to City, at least right now. I was a little surprised at the player selection that Sir Alex Ferguson decided to go with. While Scholes has been a valuable addition to the Manchester United side since returning from retirement, Park and Giggs were a bit of a shock. With Valencia, Young, and Wellbeck all sitting on the bench until the second half, United seemed content to try to play out a 0-0 draw.
I was surprised that Wayne Rooney was left by himself at the front. The United forward still created moments of havoc against City, but rarely got a sniff of the goal. City dictated play for long stretches of time, and the fateful goal seemed to be a miscommunication at the most wrong time possible. Still, the closing minutes of the first half saw the Manchester City corner find its way into the net, and that is all that really mattered.
United now has to concentrate on the task at hand, which is something that has not exactly seemed like the squad is capable of. The loss to Wigan and the tie to Everton are what made the revival of City possible, and the team has no one to blame but themselves at this point of the season. United had a chance to render this match nearly meaningless, but that was not in the cards. Now the Red Devils must fight on and hope for a slip up from Manchester City, plus win the final two games of the season by ridiculous goal differences. It is going to be an interesting last few games.
Jason Gallagher is a long-time Manchester United fan, following the performances of the Red Devils since the days of Eric Cantona and David Beckham.
