Glory Glory Man Utd
MANCHESTER United forgot about the mounting injury list and continued their treble drive as they smashed four past Bolton for the second time this season. Park Ji-Sung and Wayne Rooney both scored twice as Sir Alex Ferguson's men surged to a victory which leaves them requiring a maximum 18 points from their last eight games to end a four-year title drought.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the show, as Bolton found themselves totally incapable of stopping the brilliant winger.
Yet the victory came at a price for the hosts, who were already missing six senior men through injury and suspension, as skipper Gary Neville was forced off with what a serious-looking ankle injury. The game was only 10 minutes old when the England coach's day took a serious downturn as Neville lay on the ground in agony after his left ankle crumpled under a challenge from Gary Speed. Already, the chances of the United skipper being fit for international duty in Israel next Saturday appear slim to non-existent.
Having already suffered heavily at United's hands once this season, Allardyce was keen to avoid a repeat. Yet, after Bolton had received a major let-off when Park skied over from three yards, the visitors were well and truly flattened by a big red steamroller driven mercilessly by Ronaldo.
The opener came from an innocuous beginning as Wayne Rooney won a header with Tal Ben Haim close to halfway. Ronaldo was on to the loose ball in a flash, darted not just to the by-line but down it, then picked out Park with a fine cut-back which invited the South Korean's precise finish.
A capacity crowd was still catching its breath when United scored one of those breakaway goals which have been such a hallmark of their success down the years. Breaking out of their own area as they half-cleared Ivan Campo's long throw, the Red Devils streamed forward. In the end only Ronaldo and Rooney were required to make contributions as the pair exchanged passes twice in a run which took them 80 yards downfield before Rooney beat Jaaskelainen with an impudent chip to register the 50th goal of his United career.
For a while it seemed Bolton would be humiliated in a manner seldom seen since Allardyce took charge seven years ago. It was almost as if the visitors were so fearful of Ronaldo they dare not go near him, offering the winger a suicidal amount of space to run into every time he got the ball. Jaaskelainen was spooked enough by his presence to allow a relatively weak shot to slip from his grasp just before the half hour, the rebound rolling kindly for Park to tap home his second.
From that point on it was a damage limitation exercise for Bolton, with Ferguson feeling sufficiently comfortable about his side's position to remove Giggs and Ronaldo, who went off to a standing ovation. Alan Smith came on for Ronaldo and set Rooney free with a lobbed pass which allowed the United forward to outpace Ben Haim before belting an unstoppable volley past Jaaskelainen. The goal involved precisely five touches from the moment the ball left the United area to it entering the Bolton net.
Story abridged from Manchester Online
GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED
Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the show, as Bolton found themselves totally incapable of stopping the brilliant winger.
Yet the victory came at a price for the hosts, who were already missing six senior men through injury and suspension, as skipper Gary Neville was forced off with what a serious-looking ankle injury. The game was only 10 minutes old when the England coach's day took a serious downturn as Neville lay on the ground in agony after his left ankle crumpled under a challenge from Gary Speed. Already, the chances of the United skipper being fit for international duty in Israel next Saturday appear slim to non-existent.
Having already suffered heavily at United's hands once this season, Allardyce was keen to avoid a repeat. Yet, after Bolton had received a major let-off when Park skied over from three yards, the visitors were well and truly flattened by a big red steamroller driven mercilessly by Ronaldo.
The opener came from an innocuous beginning as Wayne Rooney won a header with Tal Ben Haim close to halfway. Ronaldo was on to the loose ball in a flash, darted not just to the by-line but down it, then picked out Park with a fine cut-back which invited the South Korean's precise finish.
A capacity crowd was still catching its breath when United scored one of those breakaway goals which have been such a hallmark of their success down the years. Breaking out of their own area as they half-cleared Ivan Campo's long throw, the Red Devils streamed forward. In the end only Ronaldo and Rooney were required to make contributions as the pair exchanged passes twice in a run which took them 80 yards downfield before Rooney beat Jaaskelainen with an impudent chip to register the 50th goal of his United career.
For a while it seemed Bolton would be humiliated in a manner seldom seen since Allardyce took charge seven years ago. It was almost as if the visitors were so fearful of Ronaldo they dare not go near him, offering the winger a suicidal amount of space to run into every time he got the ball. Jaaskelainen was spooked enough by his presence to allow a relatively weak shot to slip from his grasp just before the half hour, the rebound rolling kindly for Park to tap home his second.
From that point on it was a damage limitation exercise for Bolton, with Ferguson feeling sufficiently comfortable about his side's position to remove Giggs and Ronaldo, who went off to a standing ovation. Alan Smith came on for Ronaldo and set Rooney free with a lobbed pass which allowed the United forward to outpace Ben Haim before belting an unstoppable volley past Jaaskelainen. The goal involved precisely five touches from the moment the ball left the United area to it entering the Bolton net.
Story abridged from Manchester Online
GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED
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