Wolves halt United's unbeaten streak
Source: Agencies |
February 7, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MANCHESTER United's unbeaten start to the Premier League season finally ended on Saturday with a surprise 1-2 defeat at last-place Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Nani put the league leader ahead in the third minute but George Elokobi and Kevin Doyle scored before halftime for a defensively superb Wolves side.
"We didn't get going really in the second half today," United manager Alex Ferguson said.
But Arsenal was unable to take full advantage of United's slip up, throwing away a four-goal lead to draw 4-4 at Newcastle in the highest scoring day in Premier League history.
The second-place Gunners were 4-0 up at halftime but had Abou Diaby sent off in the 50th minute for pushing over Joey Barton's in reaction to the Newcastle midfielder's tough challenge. Barton scored a penalty to spark the comeback before a goal by Leon Best, another penalty by Barton and Cheik Tiote's 87th-minute equalizer.
United is four points ahead of Arsenal after a day that featured a record 41 goals from eight matches.
Carlos Tevez scored all Manchester City's goals in a 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, and Louis Saha hit four as Everton beat Blackpool 5-3.
Niko Kranjcar's injury-time winner gave Tottenham a 2-1 win over Bolton, Clint Dempsey hit his 10th goal of the season to earn Fulham's 2-2 draw at Aston Villa, Stoke beat Sunderland 3-2, and Wigan beat Blackburn 4-3 to climb out of the relegation zone.
United was unbeaten in 29 Premier League matches since April, equaling a club record partly set in its treble-winning 1998-99 season. That run looked like being beaten when Nani cut inside onto his left foot to score with a fierce shot past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.
But Wolves withstood the little pressure that United created and equalized just eight minutes later, the unmarked George Elokobi adding to the goal he scored against United in the League Cup with a firm header past Edwin van der Sar.
The move that led to Doyle's 40th-minute winner started when Rooney lost the ball with his back to goal on the edge of Wolves' area. Wolves carried the ball up the middle of the pitch and won a freekick just outside United's box.
Nenad Milijas hit the freekick to the near post, where Doyle deflected it in.
"They are a handful at set-pieces and they proved that again today," Ferguson said. "It was an opportunity for us to continue the great run we've been on."
But United's passing was awry and its players became increasingly frustrated in the second half as Wolves held on for a first win over the Red Devils since January 2004, when the teams were also first and last in the standings.
United could have paid heavily for the loss but Arsenal became the first team in the Premier League's 19-year history to surrender a 4-0 lead.
The Gunners beat Newcastle 4-0 in the League Cup in October and led by the same margin after just 26 minutes on Saturday.
Theo Walcott gave them a first-minute lead and Johan Djourou headed in Andrey Arshavin's freekick for 2-0 just two minutes later. Robin van Persie made it 3-0 in the 10th and the Netherlands striker headed in his second goal from Bacary Sagna's cross.
But Diaby's red card left Arsenal with 40 minutes to play with 10 men.
"It was a completely unnecessary sending off and I believe Barton was very lucky to stay on the pitch for the tackle on Diaby," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
"He has been injured so many times from bad tackles that he lost a bit quickly his nerves because this boy has been out for a long time and many times."
Laurent Koscielny brought down Best inside the area for Barton to score his first penalty in the 68th and Best scored himself from close range with 15 minutes remaining.
Barton hit the day's seventh penalty - another Premier League record - in the 83rd and Ivory Coast international Tiote volleyed left-footed into the bottom left corner to complete the comeback.
"We dropped two points, that's all," Wenger said.
Third-place City moved to within a point of Arsenal, albeit having played one game more, following Tevez's first-half hat-trick.
Tevez hit the post after only three minutes before scoring a 17th-minute penalty for Steven Reid's trip on Aleksandar Kolarov.
The Argentina striker scored again minutes later following an exchange of passes with David Silva and, after Kolarov had struck the bar from long range, Tevez took his season tally to 20 goals with another penalty, awarded when Jerome Thomas handled the ball.
Nani put the league leader ahead in the third minute but George Elokobi and Kevin Doyle scored before halftime for a defensively superb Wolves side.
"We didn't get going really in the second half today," United manager Alex Ferguson said.
But Arsenal was unable to take full advantage of United's slip up, throwing away a four-goal lead to draw 4-4 at Newcastle in the highest scoring day in Premier League history.
The second-place Gunners were 4-0 up at halftime but had Abou Diaby sent off in the 50th minute for pushing over Joey Barton's in reaction to the Newcastle midfielder's tough challenge. Barton scored a penalty to spark the comeback before a goal by Leon Best, another penalty by Barton and Cheik Tiote's 87th-minute equalizer.
United is four points ahead of Arsenal after a day that featured a record 41 goals from eight matches.
Carlos Tevez scored all Manchester City's goals in a 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, and Louis Saha hit four as Everton beat Blackpool 5-3.
Niko Kranjcar's injury-time winner gave Tottenham a 2-1 win over Bolton, Clint Dempsey hit his 10th goal of the season to earn Fulham's 2-2 draw at Aston Villa, Stoke beat Sunderland 3-2, and Wigan beat Blackburn 4-3 to climb out of the relegation zone.
United was unbeaten in 29 Premier League matches since April, equaling a club record partly set in its treble-winning 1998-99 season. That run looked like being beaten when Nani cut inside onto his left foot to score with a fierce shot past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.
But Wolves withstood the little pressure that United created and equalized just eight minutes later, the unmarked George Elokobi adding to the goal he scored against United in the League Cup with a firm header past Edwin van der Sar.
The move that led to Doyle's 40th-minute winner started when Rooney lost the ball with his back to goal on the edge of Wolves' area. Wolves carried the ball up the middle of the pitch and won a freekick just outside United's box.
Nenad Milijas hit the freekick to the near post, where Doyle deflected it in.
"They are a handful at set-pieces and they proved that again today," Ferguson said. "It was an opportunity for us to continue the great run we've been on."
But United's passing was awry and its players became increasingly frustrated in the second half as Wolves held on for a first win over the Red Devils since January 2004, when the teams were also first and last in the standings.
United could have paid heavily for the loss but Arsenal became the first team in the Premier League's 19-year history to surrender a 4-0 lead.
The Gunners beat Newcastle 4-0 in the League Cup in October and led by the same margin after just 26 minutes on Saturday.
Theo Walcott gave them a first-minute lead and Johan Djourou headed in Andrey Arshavin's freekick for 2-0 just two minutes later. Robin van Persie made it 3-0 in the 10th and the Netherlands striker headed in his second goal from Bacary Sagna's cross.
But Diaby's red card left Arsenal with 40 minutes to play with 10 men.
"It was a completely unnecessary sending off and I believe Barton was very lucky to stay on the pitch for the tackle on Diaby," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
"He has been injured so many times from bad tackles that he lost a bit quickly his nerves because this boy has been out for a long time and many times."
Laurent Koscielny brought down Best inside the area for Barton to score his first penalty in the 68th and Best scored himself from close range with 15 minutes remaining.
Barton hit the day's seventh penalty - another Premier League record - in the 83rd and Ivory Coast international Tiote volleyed left-footed into the bottom left corner to complete the comeback.
"We dropped two points, that's all," Wenger said.
Third-place City moved to within a point of Arsenal, albeit having played one game more, following Tevez's first-half hat-trick.
Tevez hit the post after only three minutes before scoring a 17th-minute penalty for Steven Reid's trip on Aleksandar Kolarov.
The Argentina striker scored again minutes later following an exchange of passes with David Silva and, after Kolarov had struck the bar from long range, Tevez took his season tally to 20 goals with another penalty, awarded when Jerome Thomas handled the ball.
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