FOOTBALL Live

Sunday August 12, 2007 Finished Old Trafford

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Manchester United

Reading

  1. United held as Rooney limps off

    United held as Rooney limps off

    Manchester United's title defence suffered an immediate blow as 10-man Reading drew 0-0 at Old Trafford and Wayne Rooney picked up a foot injury. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Manchester United
    • Reading
    • 90+5' Ronaldo steps up and fires over, and there goes the final whistle! Reading have held Manchester United, and the champions' title defence is off to a stuttering start.
    • 90+5' United free-kick awarded 30 yards from goal after a challenge on Nani by Oster, who fires off a volley of abuse. Last chance.
    • 90+4' Reading win a corner, and they are in no rush whatsoever to take it. Oster ends up taking a shot, which flies over.
    • 90+3' Nani dinks a through-ball for Giggs, but once again Hahnemann is there to tidy up. He's had a great game.
    • 90+2' Ronaldo has another crack, this time with his left foot from long range. Over.
    • 90+1' Better effort from Carrick, striking with the outside of his right foot from 20 yards. Held by Hahnemann though.
    • 90+1' Four minutes of added time! Seems like a lot, but this is Old Trafford...
    • 90' It is Ronaldo who strikes it low, forcing a good diving save from Hahnemann! Nani then cross for Fletcher who knocks down for SCHOLES! His header is saved by Hahnemann!
    • 89' Gunnarsson adjudged to have impeded Nani, and both Giggs and Ronaldo fancy a crack from this free-kick.
    • 88' Ronaldo makes a diagonal run and plays a give-and-go with Evra. His cross is blockede but the ball falls for Nani, who blazes a wayward shot miles wide.
    • 87' Another defensive change from Reading, as Andre Bikey comes on for Stephen Hunt.
    • 86' Carrick tries a long range effort now, and it is way off target. Frustration for the midfielder, who has been one of the best players on the pitch today.
    • 85' Fergie is gesticulating, pointing at his watch and all the rest of it. Presumably campaigning for 25 minutes of stoppage time.
    • 83' Nani with a corner from the left - headed away for the umpteenth time this afternoon.
    • 82' Desperation setting in for the Reds, as Paul Scholes cracks a low show ride from nearly 30 yards.
    • 80' Now Reading attack with a free-kick played into the home penalty box. It is dealt with fairly easily but United will not want to see the ball in their half of the pitch.
    • 78' Giggs with the corner, headed straight up in the air by Hunt. Referee Styles spots a United infringement somewhere there and Hahnemann with boot the ball deep downfield.
    • 77' Nani wins yet another corner on the United right, and Ferguson makes a change - Fletcher for Brown.
    • 75' Carrick fires an effort that Hahnemann deflects for a corner. Giggs swings it in for BROWN!! Somehow Hahnemann blocks it! Reading clinging on with 10 men!
    • 73' Madness from Kitson! He slides through the back of Evra and that is a straight red card! Was it a touch harsh from referee Styles? It doesn't matter. He left his foot in on Evra and will have to go. A disastrous cameo from the flame-haired striker.
    • 72' Dave Kitson comes on for Kevin Doyle, who has hardly had a kick.
    • 68' A quarter of the match remains, and still Reading stand firm. Nani lets fly from 25 yards and his effort pings just wide! Lovely, clean hit.
    • 65' United try the aerial route into the Reading box but it has the same result - a clearance. This time it's a long one from Ingimarsson and the ball enjoys a rare foray into the United half.
    • 62' An incisive diagonal ball finds O'Shea racing into the box and the box and the Irishman strikes with the outside of his right foot, bringing a smart save from Hahnemann. A proper striker would have backed himself to score from there.
    • 60' Ronaldo wins a free-kick on the right side, just outside the area. He and Giggs stand over it. The Welshman strikes, curling the ball just wide.
    • 58' O'Shea has trotted all the way up the pitch and will play as a makeshift centre-forward. This is a team who have sold Giuseppe Rossi and Alan Smith in recent weeks. Now they are playing a defender up front. Baffling.
    • 57' Mikael Silvestre is struggling, and John O'Shea is applying tape to various parts of his body, presumably in order to come on. Indeed he does.
    • 55' Confusion between Hahnemann and Duberry, who both go for the same ball. Duberry eventually hacks away for a corner that drops for Evra, whose shot is deflected wide for another set piece.
    • 54' The home side continue to pile on the pressure, but Reading are back in numbers and well organised. They clear their lines and form up, waiting for the next wave of attacks.
    • 53' Ronaldo jinks into the Reading box and can't get a shot away. The ball drops for Scholes whose left-foot shot deflects for a corner.
    • 51' Ronaldo takes a quick corner, playing a one-two with Nani and strikign a low shot at Hahnemann. A bit more dynamic from the home side.
    • 48' Stephen Hunt makes a late challenge on Van der Sar, then gets involved in a bit of afters. Hardly sensible from the man who (unintentionally) caused Petr Cech's serious head injury last season.
    • 46' Manchester United enjoyed 74 percent possession in the first half, incidentally. Alex Ferguson has said Rooney's foot was too painful to stand on. Hardly promising.
    • 46' Wayne Rooney is off. He is replaced by the exciting Portuguese youngster Nani. We await more on the extent of Rooney's injury.
    • 45+2' Goalless at half-time. It has been a frustrating first half for the champions. Reading have lost none of their organisation and work rate over the summer. They are a tough nut to crack.
    • 45+1' Reading have offered, well, nothing going forward but they are proving tough to break down. Evra finds Rooney, who is immediately swamped by five opponents.
    • 45' Giggs plays a great ball into the mixer and Carrick's extended foot is inches away from prodding the ball in. However the ball goes out for a goal kick.
    • 42' Ferdinand fires a pass into the chest of Rooney at the edge of the box, who lays off for Evra. Reading charge the ball down, and Rooney is still feeling chipper enough to shout obscentities at the referee. He thinks it should have been a penalty.
    • 40' Good news for United fans - for now. Wayne Rooney is back on the pitch and seemingly OK.
    • 39' Rooney leaves the pitch under his own steam. He's not in pain but it is clear there is something wrong. The United physios move in to investigate further.
    • 38' Wayne Rooney has gone down with an injury. He has taken his left boot off and is feeling his foot. Let's hope that isn't a broken metatarsal.
    • 37' ROONEY!! Just over the top from the new United number 10. Carrick crosses low from the right and Rooney arrives first, guiding his left-footed effort narrowly over the bar. Should he have done better? Well, yes.
    • 34' Rooney goes down under slight contact in the Reading box and sees his penalty shout waved away. Referee Styles got it spot on there. No penalty.
    • 32' Well-er! Sven Goran Eriksson is in the crowd today, along with long-time sidekick Tord Grip. His Manchester City side play United in midweek, so he's on a bit of a scouting mission.
    • 29' All United at the moment, but as Arsenal will tell you possession and territory do not always translate into victory. Scholes neearly drops a clanger giving the ball away cheaply in midfield but Vidic tidies up.
    • 27' Sumptuous control from Rooney, flicking out a leg to kill the ball - a ballet dancer trapped inside an ugly bloke's body. The move continues with a cross to Rooney from the left and the England man's header flashes just high and wide of the top-right corner.
    • 26' United corner after Ronaldo plays a delightful disguised pass to Evra. De la Cruz blocks the cross, and the corner comes to nothing.
    • 24' Ole! Ronaldo leaves Hunt in a heap with a neat stepover before crossing deep to Giggs on the left. His effort hits the outside of the post and goes out for a goal kick.
    • 22' Referee Rob Styles gets his cards out for the first time after Seol hacks Silvestre clumsily. The free-kick is played short to Ronaldo who has a crack from 25 yards - low and straight at Hahnemann.
    • 21' Ronaldo dispossesses Shorey deep in his own half and starts United away on the break. Giggs's cross towards the edge of the six yard box is good - except there are no red shirts there.
    • 20' You have to love Wayne Rooney. Fact. Even people who say they hate him love him really. Here he muscles his way out of a lungeing challenge from James Harper and clips a neat ball towards Giggs. A few years ago the Welshman would have caught up with it, but not at the age of 33 and three quarters.
    • 18' Gunnarsson penalised for a challenge on Ronaldo while the Portuguese was mid-pirouette. Potentially dangerous stuff from the winger in his own last third, but no harm done this time.
    • 16' First corner of the game to Reading. Stephen Hunt whips it in left-footed and Ferdinand heads away. But the ball comes back into the United box and we have another corner.
    • 15' It's that man Carrick again. He finds Brown overlapping down the right, but the defender falls victim to a nosebleed as he gets into the Reading box and surrenders possession easily.
    • 11' Carrick! He volleys first time from 25 yards and watches the ball fizz agonisingly over. A bright start from the midfielder. Many think his place in the first team could be under threat from Owen Hargreaves - he is clearly out to remind Alex Ferguson what he is capable of.
    • 9' Carrick delivers a tremendous ball to the feet of Rooney as he charges into the box but Hahnemann is quickly out to snuff out the danger. The home side's best move of the match so far.
    • 6' The United forwards are drifting all over the pitch. Reading are using a zonal marking system, rather than allowing their defenders to be pulled around in a man-marking set-up.
    • 3' Carrick bursts through the middle and finds Giggs on the right. United's first real attack results in Wayne Rooney scuffing a long-range effort. Easy for Hahnemann.
    • 1' We're under way! A glorious day at Old Trafford and Reading kick us off playing from right to left in their blue and white hoops. United wear red shirts, white shorts and black socks.
    • - For all Manchester United's summer spending, none of their new acquisitions are in the starting line-up, with only Nani on the bench. No place for Owen Hargreaves, Carlos Tevez or Anderson. Reading have just Kevin Doyle up front ahead of a five-man midfield.
    • - Welcome to LIVE coverage of Manchester United v Reading at Old Trafford!

  • Team Stats

    Manchester United Stats Reading
    74% Possession 25%
    25 Shots 4
    9 Shots on target 2
    1 Saves 5
    12 Corners 3
    16 Fouls 8
    3 Offsides 0
    0 Yellow cards 2
    0 Red cards 1
    20 Tackles 27
    447 Accurate passes 90
    63 Bad passes 22

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Manchester United
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Edwin Van der Sar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 0 0
      5 Rio Ferdinand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 62 1 0
      3 Patrice Evra 0 1 0 1 5 0 0 20 13 1
      27 Mikael Silvestre 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 26 12 4
      6 Wes Brown 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 29 0 1
      15 Nemanja Vidic 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 64 5 3
      7 Cristiano Ronaldo 0 5 3 0 2 2 0 46 8 1
      16 Michael Carrick 0 4 2 1 2 0 0 44 4 3
      18 Paul Scholes 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 66 7 3
      11 Ryan Giggs 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 31 9 2
      10 Wayne Rooney 0 4 1 1 0 0 0 5 2 1
      22 John O'Shea 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 7 1 0
      19 Gerard Pique 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      17 Luís Almeida da Cunha 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 12 1 0
      29 Tomasz Kuszczak 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      24 Darren Fletcher 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 1
    • Reading
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Marcus Hahnemann 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 4 0
      16 Ivar Ingimarsson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 3 5
      3 Nicky Shorey 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 3 0
      23 Ulises de la Cruz 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 14 0 6
      2 Graeme Murty 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 2
      29 Michael Duberry 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 1 1
      19 Ki-Hyeon Seol 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 6 1 4
      6 Brynjar Gunnarsson 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 12 2 2
      15 James Harper 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 7 2 0
      10 Stephen Hunt 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 6 3 6
      9 Kevin Doyle 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 5 0 0
      12 Dave Kitson 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
      11 John Oster 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 6 1 1
      4 Khalifa Cissé 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      32 Adam Federici 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      22 André Stéphane Bikey 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 90+1' Better effort from Carrick, striking with the outside of his right foot from 20 yards. Held by Hahnemann though.
    • 90' It is Ronaldo who strikes it low, forcing a good diving save from Hahnemann! Nani then cross for Fletcher who knocks down for SCHOLES! His header is saved by Hahnemann!
    • 75' Carrick fires an effort that Hahnemann deflects for a corner. Giggs swings it in for BROWN!! Somehow Hahnemann blocks it! Reading clinging on with 10 men!
    • 73' Madness from Kitson! He slides through the back of Evra and that is a straight red card! Was it a touch harsh from referee Styles? It doesn't matter. He left his foot in on Evra and will have to go. A disastrous cameo from the flame-haired striker.
    • 68' A quarter of the match remains, and still Reading stand firm. Nani lets fly from 25 yards and his effort pings just wide! Lovely, clean hit.
    • 62' An incisive diagonal ball finds O'Shea racing into the box and the box and the Irishman strikes with the outside of his right foot, bringing a smart save from Hahnemann. A proper striker would have backed himself to score from there.
    • 51' Ronaldo takes a quick corner, playing a one-two with Nani and strikign a low shot at Hahnemann. A bit more dynamic from the home side.
    • 37' ROONEY!! Just over the top from the new United number 10. Carrick crosses low from the right and Rooney arrives first, guiding his left-footed effort narrowly over the bar. Should he have done better? Well, yes.
    • 27' Sumptuous control from Rooney, flicking out a leg to kill the ball - a ballet dancer trapped inside an ugly bloke's body. The move continues with a cross to Rooney from the left and the England man's header flashes just high and wide of the top-right corner.
    • 24' Ole! Ronaldo leaves Hunt in a heap with a neat stepover before crossing deep to Giggs on the left. His effort hits the outside of the post and goes out for a goal kick.
    • 11' Carrick! He volleys first time from 25 yards and watches the ball fizz agonisingly over. A bright start from the midfielder. Many think his place in the first team could be under threat from Owen Hargreaves - he is clearly out to remind Alex Ferguson what he is capable of.
    • - Welcome to LIVE coverage of Manchester United v Reading at Old Trafford!

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Rob Styles

  • Manchester United

    Manager: Alex Ferguson

    Captain: 11. Ryan Giggs

    On the Field

    • van der Sar
    • Brown
    • Ferdinand
    • Vidic
    • Silvestre
    • Ronaldo
    • Carrick
    • Scholes
    • Evra
    • Rooney
    • Giggs

    Subs

    • O'Shea
    • Kuszczak
    • Fletcher
    • Pique
    • Nani

    Injured

    • Neville
    • Saha

    Suspended

    None

  • Reading

    Manager: Steve Coppell

    Captain: 2. Graeme Murty

    On the Field

    • Hahnemann
    • Shorey
    • Ingimarsson
    • Duberry
    • Murty
    • Hunt
    • Gunnarsson
    • Harper
    • de la Cruz
    • Ki-Hyeon
    • Doyle

    Subs

    • Oster
    • Kitson
    • Bikey
    • Federici
    • Cisse

    Injured

    • Little
    • Brown
    • Sonko
    • Maté
    • Lita
    • Cox

    Suspended

    None