It was a day crammed with comeback stories - and ultimately Manchester United just about survived the biggest one of the lot.
Could United really hit back after the 6-1 humiliation inflicted by City in their own backyard in October?
Could the Reds get back on the front foot after back-to-back league defeats against Blackburn and Newcastle?
Could Wayne Rooney prove his heart and his future was with United?
On the eve of the derby the striker was forced to tweet a dismissal that his Reds career was over while United and his advisors had to swiftly collaborate to produce a statement denying he was on his way out of the Old Trafford exit door.
His alleged row with Sir Alex Ferguson over a Boxing Day soiree and subsequent fitness levels in training cost him a hefty fine and a Fergie ban.
This sparked talk of the manager and his biggest playing asset being on an irreparable collision course.
And then, an hour before kick-off, came confirmation that an even more dramatic turnaround tale was happening when Paul Scholes officially came out of retirement.
If that wasn’t enough, this classic cup tie had another potential comeback angle as the Reds had to stave off a spirited Blues revival as the Reds led 3-0 at half time with the home team down to ten men.
Drama
It all added up to an afternoon of pure theatre.
Pre-match talk was dominated by the Scholes bombshell.
Nobody really gave the Reds much hope of hitting back after their abject Boxing Day and New Years’ Day defeats.
With the damaging 6-1 defeat gnawing away at the back of their minds on top of the festive flops, few could rustle up a convincing argument that the Reds could wipe out that haunting October memory.
Instead, the news 60 minutes before the action began, that 37-year-old Scholes was on the bench was met with disbelief and accusations that Sir Alex Ferguson was desperate to even consider sanctioning the U-turn.
It was viewed as a panic measure that summed up why the Glazers’ backing of any January transfer was met with such cynical suspicion.
Scholes, remember, had admitted last season that his legs could no longer sustain him at the top level.
The midfield legend told M.E.N. Sport on the eve of his farewell testimonial against New York Cosmos that he couldn’t understand the obsession with having to replace him.
“I don’t think it is a big deal really replacing me because I haven’t been the type of player people are talking about for the last four or five years,” he said then.
“I haven’t been scoring goals or been the main playmaker in the team for a while. I wasn’t the pulling the strings anymore, definitely in the last two years and probably even since I was 31-32.
“If you look at the facts over the last couple of years. I haven’t played in the big games. So I don’t think there is that much that needs replacing!
“I couldn’t cope playing full games and big games like that. Physically, it was too much for me.
“I think when people are talking about replacing Paul Scholes they are talking about replacing the Paul Scholes of five years ago.”
Whatever he may say, replacing the playmaker has come to nought so why not replace ‘like-for-like’ when the Middleton-raised Salfordian hinted he’d made a mistake hanging up his boots after the Champions League final against Barcelona.
Return
Would his impact and return be a George Foreman comeback or a Bjorn Borg. Floyd Mayweather or Michael Schumacher?
Sport’s biggest names have found the lure of the adrenalin rush too much to ignore.
But for every Foreman success there has been a Borg flop and more.
Which category Scholes eventually is categorised in will be judged at the end of the season.
There remains an underlying question mark over the decision and the reasons behind it but Ryan Giggs’ display was proof enough that the Scholes story could be another Fergie masterstroke. A Henrik Larsson-style temporary fillip to gee up the dressing room.
Giggs is 12 months older than his former Class of ’92 FA Youth Cup winning colleague but he was head and shoulders above anyone in the frenzied midfield jungle at the Etihad Stadium in the first half.
The Welshman’s yoga sessions might mean he is leaner and more supple than Scholesy but nonetheless Scholes’ soccer brain will not have deteriorated in six months. And the former England midfielder showed last season that he could find space in a telephone box and his fellow old boy Giggs highlighted the value of that ability in a sensational opening 45 minutes for United.
The ball was attracted to the 38-yearold’s calming presence and it was his pass that was the source of the Reds opener.
Rooney was eventually on the end of it and was later to miss a penalty but convert the rebound.
That brace may not have been as spectacular as last season’s derby overhead kick winner at Old Trafford and subsequent celebrations that put to bed lingering worries about his commitment to Old Trafford.
His two goals at the Etihad sent the same comeback messages.
Mancunian Danny Welbeck’s goal sandwich between the two Rooney efforts confirmed United’s dominance.
The United fans’ demands for seven goals to erase October’s battering looked an achievable ask but 10-man City’s comeback in the second half saw the Reds go from swaggering to panicky and exposed some deep-seated flaws that ensure there is still cause for concern.
Scholes’ return was mixed as he looked cool at times and then almost calamitous on others. But he did arrive on the scene when the Blues had their tails up and United were hanging on for a crucial victory.
But they survived the onslaught, adding more games to the 2012 calendar that Scholes can use to prove that his return won’t be a mistake.
What do you think? Have your say.
Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3: Stuart Mathieson's verdict
January 08, 2012
Comments
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I thought Pantboy was unlucky with all 3 goals and he nearly tied the game
Best of all, United did not have to fork a fortune for Scholes! Great investment!
Well, I did predict that we would beat the noisy neighbours but everybody thought I was mad. Even some of our own supporters. Well, shame on you for doubting and just in case any of you Berties are reading - ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha........!!!!!!
At the moment we cant handle teams having a go at us. Against 9 men we should of killed them off. Need a leader and a creative player to inspire the squad.
Honestly chuffed to bits we knocked out city, and really pleased Wazza scored twice after all the press talk before the match. Now the reality after some reflection;
1 - The team we have simply is not strong enough to compete fully at the top. We struggled to beat a side with 10 men, and were hanging on at the end.
2 - Brnging back Scholes is the clearest sign yet that there is NO MONEY to spend on new players. Fergie clearly believes our Midfield is not stong enough, and the answer cannot be to bring back a former great. What next, Ince and Keane to dust themselves down and get out there?
3 - Rooney is absolutley correct to complain about our lack of depth and quality. Nobody else, but us the fans, will say anything, yet we all know, Fergie included, that we are not strong enough.
4 - This should be Rio's LAST season at the club. Any pace he had has now gone, and he is making several mistakes in each game he plays in now.
5 - What has happened to Chicarito?
6 - Why aren't Pogba and Morrison being included? Is it any wonder they both appear to be leaving. So much for youth.
Ultimately, we BEAT city, and that is Great. There are however harsh realities to accept, and if these are not addressed soon, we will really struggle for seasons to come.Personally, I would sign Tiote / Cahill / Rodwell - NOW!!! (but perhaps we just don't have any money...)
Welcome back Scholesy. Cleverly, Pogba & others will learn from u
Paul Scholes back on the pitch can only be a good thing, we've nobody else who can do what he does due to injury or just not being good enough. I heard a bitter on the radio after the game saying we should be embarrassed by his return, which made me laugh especially as they brought on hargreves, I think Scholes played more mins yesterday than that mercenary crock has played this year. 2nd half was torture but the result very sweet, hopefully this will galvanize us.
It was great to see Scholes back, but he will manage 20 - 45 mins at best a game, his legs were shot last year, and I cant see the break improving that situation. I think it is sad that for me by doing this SAF is basically admitting that the current midfield is poor, and even a half fit Scholes gives us more than abject Anderson, and back pass Carrick. I really though when Cleverly started to shine at the beginning of the season we had found Scholeses replacement, but with him being out injured since Oct, we have really struggled. Not sure sure why he doesnt use Pogba, or Morrison, sure they may be green but at least they will be greatful for the chance and play with energy and passion, and Im sure after a few games they would start to rise to the top, and if not, we should bin them anyway.
I truly adore SAF but his thinking of late doesnt fill me with confidence, he is 70 after all!!!
I am SO happy that we won! we should have scored more, should have killed off the game, but this is better than I expected! I LOVE YOU UNITED!! next time we must be more ruthless and less nervy! all that matters for now is that we are through to the next round of the cup! bring on liverpool! as long as we replace our second half performance with the first, we should be fine! next for bolton!
What an absolutely brilliant chance to get that monkey off our back from earlier in the season and we blew it Jeckle & Hyde again from the lads,still we are through bring on the scousers .See you in April.
RIP Manchester United. If ever there was a statement of no intent then bringing back the "Ginger Prince" then this was it. How the chickens are coming home to roost that we now have to rely on retired 37 yr olds to help our hapless midfield shows the world that the money sucked out of the club by our american owners is now so detrimental to the team. SAF should hang his head in shame at continually supporting the leeches whilst destroying his own legacy. What message does that send to the youth at the club? Why would Pogba sign a new contract? This is no slant on Scholesy as he has been magnificent for us but time waits for no man, and by his own admission he felt he could no longer contribute. It's unbelievable that we can't find one midfielder better than Gibson, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Giggs & Scholes as he is now. Fergie claims he won't buy inferior players to sit on the bench but he's going to have to go some way to buy anything worse.
Welcome back Scholesy, its great to see you on the same pitch as Giggsy again. I hope we can pursuade Gary Nevilley to come back too, maybe even Becks as they all have the experience to carry us to our league title #20. We don't need to spend millions to be successful, it will good to the old guard back.
1st half we were awesome then we saint come back out, I am worried that we either don't have money spend or fergie is doing a wenger n don't wanna do what the fans are begging for that's a couple of top signings, it's easy saying big stars won't come in January but this is man utd, they will sign whenever, we don't need excuses we need improvements.
A strange match report with the actual game hardly mentioned.
Maybe we can pursuade Eric Cantona and Edwin van den Sar back too... We'll surely need them...
I am honestly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Firstly, I am delighted with the win since a lot of people, including me thought that we would get spanked before the game. However, let's get something straight, City SHOULD have beaten us, they SHOULD beat most teams because they have undeniable quality throughout their squad because they have spent a fortune on some very good players.
I do think Kompany's red card was harsh, however if it had been Scholes or Rooney that had made the tackle then all the blues would have been saying it was red. The downside between these matches and will be the downside at Anfield is that we only see things through our clubs eyes. Nothing anyone ever says will do anything to change that and it's getting progressively worse with City's money and what happened between Evra and Suarez recently. I don't care that a decision went in our favour as we should have had a penalty and it wasn't given. There is nothing to say that with Kompany on the pitch we wouldn't have gone on to score those two goals but there is a good chance that we would have scored the penalty.
I do actually believe that Scholes went to SAF and asked to come back, rather than it being the other way around. We can do with having options and no one can pick a pass better than him, that's a fact.
The downside to this win is that it does mean that we are not going to spend any money , certainly in January and also gives us a false sense of security about where we are.
There was this amount of hysteria last season when we had LESS points and we went on to win the league. We might not have world class players in every position, in fact, we don't have anything like that, BUT we are Manchester United. That goes a long way in my book.
We can't always win everything but I will always support my team no matter what.
So T&C and Alias are unsurprisingly acclaiming bringing Scholes out of retirement as a masterstroke, whilst the words of Scholes himself 6 months ago tell us that back then, before he had 6 months of retirement behind him, he wasnt up to it. And yet they conclude that this in no way indicates that we are deficient in midfield!!! You couldnt make it up. Oh but its only due to injuries they cry. Fletcher is out. Apart from that Cleverley, who has played a half dozen games, but he is on the way back. So down to the bare bones then!!! The reality is we are paying now for not strenghtening the squad in the summer when we should have done
The proportion of this piece that relates to a 'match report' sums it up - nothing more to say about the match itself Mr. Mathieson?
Well we won hip hip against 10 men! and who had a squeeky bum! Yes SAF he thought City would pinch a draw so off come Wellbeck & Nani simply to bolt up the midfield! Sorry guys bringing back Scholes just shows the state of our transfer chest! In my opinion its tiddly squat! So come on SAF lets hear the truth for a change about our wonderful owners and what you have to spend not all this nonsense about a quality squad! go out and buy and lets start with Cahill & Samba! Cost max £18M
Giggs was a weakness in the midfield never a midfielder he passed every ball nearly to City
Young and De Gea what 36 million
MUEN.
This is without doubt the most ridiculous article ever published. Please can you explain how this piece is an account of the journalists verdict on the game ( as per the title )?
It is in fact nothing but speculation and history with his own views thrown in regarding past players former glory and transfer gossip.
Mr Mathieson is ripping you off. For half of whatever you pay him, I will write you a 'match verdict' which will actually be about the match.
1. Over 90 minutes City were the better team.
2. Kompany should not have been booked.
3. Both teams were denied a penalty.
There you go, and that would waste far less paper.
Proud of my team & stayed until the death to applaud them off.
Unlike some fans we get behind our team no matter what.
After 20 years of sucess if the result was the other way alot of reds would be saying sack Fergie & walking out at half time despite having alot of trophies to support his name no matter what happens,
NO LOYALTY.
We have had little sucess & some hard times YET WE STAY TILL THE END & clap our boys off despite a defeat against our bitter rivals.
The fact is we were unlucky & everything that could go against us did- Injuries, referee & Utd taking 3 of the four chances they had.
11 V 11 i have no doubt even at 1-0 down we would not of lost & probably won.
Utd were lucky to escape with a result & they know it, this result merely papers over the cracks as they will get knocked out by Liverpool or someone else anyway.
You could see Utd crumble as soon as Kolarov scored (Both Fans & Players were silent). On another day who knows, thats football we didn't get the rub of the green.
Fact is we had 10 men for alot more time than Utd did at Old trafford yet fought like lions whereas they collapsed.
Keep showing that pride & heart for the sky blue shirt lads & We will be champions come May.
C.T.I.D
There is a lot of nonsense being spouted about Mancini's 'brilliant technical nous'. Make no mistake, the half time changes were all about not getting slaughtered and were defensively minded only. Both sides probably went into the second half looking to preserve the status quo - both sides would have been happy to come off at 3-0. However, when City scored to make it 3-1, you could sense United's quandary - to go to kill off the tie with another goal or sit on the lead, in the belief that City were unlikely to score 2 more. The dye was cast when Foy failed to give a penalty for the obvious foul by Kolorov on Valencia at 3-1 and I guess the United players felt that, given half a chance, Foy would be looking to even things up in player numbers. I think that explains SAF's philosophy in wihdrawing Nani and Welbeck - Nani, because he can mistime tackles and Welbeck because he's inexperienced in handling such a refereeing situation. United decided quite rightly to pass the ball around the midfield to run down the clock. For all the City belief that they got moral high ground points from the game, the fact is they lost - therefore, job done. Its interesting isn't it, that the only two games played which were definitive this season (ie 'wiiner take all' games) - the Community Shield and the FA Cup tie, have both been won by United?
On reflection, I really think some so-called fans on here are genuinely disappointed that we won the game. It's robbed them of the chance to have a proper "told you so" moan.