|feedback | low graphics version|
|You are in: Football: Eng Prem|
Saturday, 18 November, 2000, 14:09 GMT
Beckham clinches derby honours
Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United
David Beckham took just 95 seconds to decide the outcome of the 125th Manchester derby.
But the solitary goal hardly tells the story of a remarkable match.
Beckham smashed home a stunning 30-yard free kick after Alf Inge Haaland had scythed down Paul Scholes in the opening exchanges of an eagerly-anticipated game.
Incredibly, in a game of countless chances, that early strike proved enough to clinch United a sixth successive win and take Manchester's heavyweight honours back to the red corner of the city.
It was a game which could so easily have headed in any direction after Beckham's early contribution.
With the home side forced to reshuffle their pack and chase the game, United had countless chances to take the result beyond their neighbours' reach.
Yet City battled superbly to stay in touch and had a hatful of chances of their own.
Never mind one point, Joe Royle's side will have been upset not to have snatched all three.
But it was their impassioned desire to stamp an early authority on the game which proved City's ultimate downfall.
Haaland sent Scholes crashing to end United's first serious venture towards the City penalty area.
The free kick was awarded in perfect Beckham territory.
And the new England captain exacted clinical retribution with a delightful right-foot strike that bent viciously away from Nicky Weaver's despairing dive.
That goal should have signalled the opening of the floodgates, not the end of the game, but both sides wasted chance after chance in a nail-biting game.
City's biggest hope of grabbing hold of a lifeline came in the shape of teenage striker Shaun Wright-Phillips, surprisingly included in the starting line-up ahead of Shaun Goater and Paulo Wanchope.
The 19-year-old, impressing in his first Premiership start at Maine Road, sent a stinging right-foot volley just over the United crossbar after Wes Brown had only half cleared Paul Dickov's cross.
And the young striker was out of luck again on 30 minutes when he again capitalised on another poor Brown clearance to send a second volley just wide.
Haaland came even closer to an equaliser when the lively Wright-Phillips sent him clear and the Norwegian looked to have taken the ball round Fabien Barthez.
But the keeper got a vital touch and forced the midfielder into an impossibly-wide angle.
At the other end, Dwight Yorke looked out of sorts for United as he wasted a string of chances to put United out of sight.
The Caribbean striker saw another effort turned round by the toe of Weaver and then failed to connect with Phil Neville's cross in front of goal after Spencer Prior had got a vital touch.
Yorke was unlucky to see a goalbound chip brilliantly hooked away by Steve Howie on the stroke of half time but his confidence seemed badly affected.
That lack of self belief was most evident in a single second-half minute when Yorke squandered two gilt-edged chances.
First, with just Weaver to beat, he elected to pass to Scholes and saw the surprised midfielder fire into the side netting.
Then, just seconds later, Yorke ran clear of the defence again but saw his unconvincing shot beaten away by Weaver.
City were also guilty of some glaring misses.
Dickov miscontrolled a Wright-Phillips cross midway through the half.
Instead of seeing the ball despatched between the posts, City fans saw the ball bounce between the striker's legs.
Crucially, however, City's best chances fell to defenders.
Howie sent a free header over the bar from substitute Ian Bishop's cross and Laurent Charvet also failed to hit the target.
The wasted opportunities meant frustration was the overriding emotion in a high-tension game.
Tempers boiled over in the closing minutes when an ugly tackle by Danny Tiatto on Phil Neville led to an exaggerated ruck just in front of the dug outs.
Brown and Dickov tangled too in the closing minutes after the Scot had appealed in vain for a penalty as the pair chased a cross at the far post.
Despite the ugly end to an exciting game, this is a game that will be remembered more for a cool finish than hot heads.
Man City: Weaver, Haaland, Howey, Prior, Wiekens, Tiatto, Charvet, Whitley, Wright-Phillips, Dickov, Kennedy. Subs: Wanchope, Goater, Dunne, Bishop, Wright.
Man Utd: Barthez, G. Neville, Irwin, P. Neville, Beckham, Butt, Keane, Scholes, Brown, Sheringham, Yorke. Subs: Rachubka, Wallwork, Chadwick, Giggs, Silvestre.
Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).
Other top Eng Prem stories:
Links to top Eng Prem stories are at the foot of the page.
Links to other Eng Prem stories
|^^ Back to top|
|Front Page | Football | Cricket | Rugby Union | Rugby League | Tennis | Golf | Motorsport | Boxing | Athletics | Other Sports | Sports Talk |
In Depth | Photo Galleries | Audio/Video | TV & Radio | BBC Pundits | Question of Sport | Funny Old Game
BBC News >> | BBC Weather >>
© MMII | News Sources | Privacy