The game was effectively over after 15 minutes today at Old Trafford. When Referee Lee Mason decided to award a penalty to Manchester united and send off Shaun Derry for a "foul" on Ashley Young, QPR had no chance today. A weakened starting line up also played into United's hands too. And United dominated from opening whistle to last.
First off. The opening goal. It was offside, and the foul was.... Well there was minimal contact. He did make contact with Young, but the United winger went down like he had been shot. I also don't believe it was a red. Young was heading towards other defenders, and not directly towards goal. In the rules, that doesn't constitute a goal scoring opportunity. A blown call by both the Ref (Who had a very poor game in my opinion and the linesman). Rooney dispatched the penalty, past a diving Paddy Kenny.
It really was utter domination. Rafael lost the ball in his own corner, and Jonny Evans had to scamper and block the isolated Jay Boothroyd's shot. And Adel Taarabt had a deflected shot palmed over by De Gea, the only work the Spaniard had all afternoon by my recollection.
Paul Scholes, Micheal Carrick and Wayne Rooney dictated the match. The two midfielders stroking the ball around from deep, feeding Antonio Valencia who had a rather frustrating afternoon. Wayne Rooney was finding lots of room in between the lines, and he was spraying the ball around too. The passing on show all afternoon was terrific.
Yet we couldn't find the second goal. Not untill later on in the second half. Taarabt tried a bot of flashy skill on his own box, the ball fell to Paul Scholes, who took a touch and unleashed a shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Just what the docter ordered. It was a goal of sheer desperation. But only if you are Patrick Viera. For all Manchester United fans, it was perfect. I feel many of us wanted a Paul Scholes goal from distance. He popped up and duly delivered.
After that the game almost petered out. United still had all of the possession. They probed and pressed, yet QPR stood firm. Micheal Carrick unleashed a wonderful strike, yet it slammed against the upright.
All in all, it might not have been scintilating. With QPR down to 10 so early, I wanted a few more goals. But it really is not important, as we are now 8 points clear, with City set to play Arsenal in around 15 minutes. A victory for the home team really would end Manchester City's title chances.