By Myles Palmer
I wanted Man United at Highbury in the FA Cup 4th Round- but I’m happy with Liverpool.
And Anelka. Owen and Anelka.
Yes! Arsenal owe both strikers a stuffing and in 23 days time both Owen and Anelka should have been stuffed twice at Highbury.
Which game would I rather win?
Both! I would rather win both!
But I’m knackered tonight. I’m footballed out after watching 4 live games in two days in the box.
Arsenal outclassed Watford, winning 4-2, as we all knew they would.
They are playing well now, confidently, professionally, scoring plenty of goals.
A collectors item: the Kanu header for 3-1, clipped onto his head by Vieira after a power run and nimble turn on the bye-line.
Jermain Defoe of West Ham showed he is a fox in the box with two fabulous goals in a 3-0 win at Macclesfield.
Some nice football by both sides.Joe Cole was showboating early on, but scored a sharp goal.
I’ve been watching him very carefully since hearing two weeks ago that he will be at Highbury next season.
I like Joe a lot and he would improve hugely at Arsenal.
But if Arsene Wenger uses him a jinking playmaker, the current speed-based format would have to be sustantially reconfigured.
How well would Joe Cole gell with Pires, who is currently the fulcrum of the side?
Cardiff’s Crazy Gang played a tactically superb game to beat Leeds 2-1 after being 1-0 down.
Viduka’s goal was good, Kavanagh’s freekick was great and Scott Young’s dramatic blast for 2-1 was fantastic. Good TV.
Cardiff, managed by Alan Cork, beat Leeds with Wimbledon’s tactics.
Fowler and Viduka have everything but pace, so Cardiff pressed, hounded them in their own half, caught them offside, won more corners.
Cardiff conjured up a good old-fashioned FA Cup tie and deservedly beat ten men after Alan Smith was rather unluckily sent off for what was a stray arm rather than an elbow.
O’Leary could be up on an FA charge after appearing to call the ref a cheat .
Then Fergie came up with one of his silly selections at Villa Park.
Veron is not Sheringham, Alex! When are you gonna learn that!
The first half was a complete yawn.You thought : this will be 0-0 until van Nistelrooy comes on to score the only goal of the game.
Then Ian Taylor scored and Phil Neville headed an own goal for 2-0.
Then Fergie brought on RVN to turn the game upside down with two fine goals after Solskjaer had snatched the most important goal of the game.
Villa 2 Man United 3, wouldn’t you just know it?
At 2-0 Villa had been playing like Barcelona. At 2-1 they were suddenly playing like Barrow. Confidence collapsed totally in seconds and defeat was inevitable.
Van Nistelrooy, as I’ve been saying for months, is the best United striker since Denis Law.
They’ve had Frank Stapleton and Mark Hughes and Andy Cole but they’ve never had a great striker since Law.
Ruud van Nistelrooy can do everything a centre forward needs to do and he might become Fergie’s best signing since Schmeichel.He is the real deal.
But while Fergie keeps tinkering,good teams can beat United. Because they keep on conceding goals.
6th January 2002.