FA Cup Final - Rooney’s best game for years at heart of United win

There was no refereeing conspiracy, only a bad referee

For Crystal Palace fans, it would have been hugely tempting to look at Mark Clattenburg and assume that this was another case of a referee being intimidated by a big club and failing to act. Several times in the first half he failed to play advantage when Crystal Palace seemed to have the upper hand, but ultimately quelled the threat. Wayne Rooney slid in the penalty box and seemed like he’d committed a foul, but Clattenburg also didn’t give that. He could have sent Rooney off later, too, but favoured clemency. There were, and are, plenty of reasons to feel aggrieved by the decisions he took throughout the match.

But for United, they could have had a foul when Marcus Rashford was barged off the ball in the second half, and had his match curtailed. He could have at least punished Yohan Cabaye for leaving his studs on Anthony Martial’s knee. There were other decisions, too, that could have gone United’s way only for Clattenburg to take the wrong options. Simply put, there is no reason to think that English football is 100% clean, but this seemed to be a textbook display of nothing more sinister than refereeing incompetence. It won’t be the last time.

Rooney could have seen red but this was one of his best games for years

Rooney is oddly patronised, praised and given an easy time of things when he plays in midfield. For all his supposed technical ability, he is near-constantly lionised for all his efforts, however good or bad they are. If there’s a mistake, well, it’s not his fault, he’s still adapting to the position. That ignores that he’s played about three seasons worth of games in this position over his career and should really be capable of trapping the ball, like he could at 24. When he pulls off a pass, he’s called the second coming of Paul Scholes, despite his flat, slow passing being a trademark of his game now.

But today, he was one of the better United players. His passing was unusually crisp for him, and his energy was at the heart of United’s best attacks. He, for once, led by example and not by shouting. There’s no point pretending that this marks a sea change in his career, it’s far too set in decline unless something miraculous happens. But the victory today in a large part down to him.

Alan Pardew

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. When you invite such ridicule with such brazen hubris, it almost feels like bullying to enjoy mocking Pardew. Almost.

Louis van Gaal demonstrates that all his talk of youth was a lie

Van Gaal has often patted himself on the back for giving youngsters a chance, but there’s no merit in that when you’ve no chance. Injuries and suspensions - and indeed not buying a proper squad - have forced Van Gaal into giving the debut of plenty of young players over the last two years. That only means something if they establish themselves in the first team at the expense of senior, but less competent players. This has happened just once with United, with Rashford, and that also came only because of injuries - he did not spot some great talent off his own initiative.

Look at today. Marcos Rojo is utterly terrible, but Cameron Borthwick-Jackson wasn’t even in the squad. Antonio Valencia was at right-back. Memphis has regressed so much that Ashley Young is now the go-to substitute striker. Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney all started in midfield despite having terrible years, and they still started the last chance for silverware of Van Gaal’s career (you assume). Van Gaal was conservative when he arrived, belligerent only in interviews. It’s how he will leave, too.

He leaves a lucky general

For all his faults - and this is a blog not a monograph, so don’t expect a comprehensive list - Van Gaal’s greatest quality was to be a lucky general. His luck was at the very top, where he wouldn’t be sacked because Ed Woodward needed a warm body of his own, not because of any of his own talent. He kept winning against the big sides like Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, when it seemed that things were going untenably badly. He had Rashford and Martial who kept him afloat. All during a season when everyone else who was usually in the top four did their level best to make him look relatively competent.

And today. Chris Smalling was sent off, a victim of his own brainlessness that Van Gaal has done absolutely nothing to correct. He had Clattenburg give United the benefit of the doubt at most turns. He had David de Gea, somehow with the club because of fax machine shenanigans, not because he actually wanted to stay with the club. He has the FA Cup, a meaningful trophy for a manager of his vintage, and a necessary gloss to a slightly imperiled legacy. He earned his chance at United with his CV, but he was lucky to get this far, and with the first silverware since Alex Ferguson left.