Man Utd’s youngster beaten
September 29th, 2007 at 3:47 pm , filed under Match Report.With several big names including Wayne Rooney not playing, Sir Alex Ferguson sent out a team full of emerging talents youngster to shine on the first-team stage in front 75,000 fans. Sir Alex admitted he was “shocked and flabbergasted” by United’s performance in the 2-0 defeat to Coventry City in Carling Cup third round tie.
“You take it on the chin,” he told MUTV. “That was an absolutely flabbergasting performance, I didn’t expect that. I’m not interested in giving reasons, it was just a bad performance. We have shown great hope in the young players. It’s a big shock to us all.”
The challenge now for the up-and-coming players is to get over the defeat. “They will look at it and want to prove themselves,” added the boss. “Coventry made it a cup tie, that was certainly an issue in the first half. They were first to every ball and maybe some of our players were not used to that kind of cup football.
Coventry’s Michael Mifsud scored a double in the 27th minute and 70th minute. It was United’s first defeat to lower league opposition on home soil since the 1995 humiliation by York City.
David Beckham and Ryan Giggs were unable to save United that night. On this occasion, it was the turn of Michael Carrick, Wes Brown and John O’Shea to squirm.
One of them, Nani, a much-trumpeted £17million purchase from Sporting Lisbon, was a particular disappointment.
The Portugal winger got on the ball often enough but, for a player of his supposed quality, the final pass or shot was too poor to be true. Immediately before Mifsud struck, Nani screwed a shot so badly wide it threatened the corner flag more than the visitors’ goal.Ferguson delivered his own damning verdict on his side’s performance by introducing Wes Brown and young striker Fraizer Campbell at the break.A third - and final - change followed 10 minutes after the restart as Michael Carrick was introduced for Jonny Evans.
Even with the alterations, the second period was halfway through before United carved out anything like an opportunity as David Marshall parried Dong Fangzhou’s shot into the path of Carrick, whose follow-up effort was blocked at close range.
In the 70th minute, Mifsud raced to Jay Tabb overhit first start and rocketed the ball home, by then Ferguson was slumped to his sear resigned to his fate.
