Wayne Rooney failed to inspire a much-changed Man Utd to victory over Rangers as the British rivals drew 0-0.
Valencia suffers broken ankle; Fergie gamble backfires
Wayne Rooney failed to inspire a much-changed Manchester United to victory over Rangers in Group C of the UEFA Champions League as the British rivals drew 0-0 at Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old returned to Sir Alex Ferguson's first XI as one of 10 debatable changes to the side which dramatically surrendered a comfortable lead to draw 3-3 at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.
Former Toffee Rooney had been saved from walking the Goodison Park gauntlet because his manager, who will be questioned about his radical team selection, was concerned about the amount of abuse he would receive in the wake of allegations about his private life.
But the England international could not turn on the style in what was a painfully tight stalemate, which owed greatly to the stifling tactics of Rangers, and the match was overshadowed by a horrible injury suffered by Antonio Valencia.
The greatest talking point regarding Rooney before half-time was when the forward turned his ankle in the turf, but the under-scrutiny forward was able to shake off the minor scare.
Valencia was not so fortunate after the interval as the Ecuador winger sustained a suspected dislocated and fractured ankle in an innocuous incident and he was stretched from the field of a shocked Old Trafford.
Rangers, last season's SPL winners, maintained their intention to avoid a repeat of the 3-0 defeat they received in Manchester in the group stages in 2003 and boss Walter Smith will have been delighted to see his game plan come to fruition.
Rooney's name was one of 10 changes to the United team that faced Everton. Rio Ferdinand's was another. It was a staggering number for the first game of club football's most prestigious competition.
Room to breathe
Ferguson has made similar mass alterations before, but he usually reserves it for the last couple of games in the group phase, usually when qualification is already assured.
For all the United manager's talk of a Rangers history he grew up on during those childhood days in Govan, it is a measure of how far Scottish football has fallen that he felt able to take on the challenge of beginning another European season with a win by placing his trust in rookies Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling.
It is a measure of Ferguson's old club's obduracy that the move backfired so spectacularly ahead of the weekend visit of Liverpool to United.
From the first whistle, United met two lines of blue; the first of four, the one behind of five, that offered precious little room to breathe.
Darron Gibson's trusty right boot can usually be relied upon for a pot-shot or two and the Irishman did go close on a couple of occasions.
United also had a penalty claim for handball against David Weir turned down, Rooney smart enough to vent his frustration at the goal-line official who will become a familiar presence as the tournament progresses.
Yet it summed up the hosts' difficulties that Rooney should be racing back into his own half trying to retrieve possession when he turned his left ankle.
As he hopped away from the incident, Old Trafford, except the 3,000 or so Rangers fans who had trooped south under so much scrutiny after the disgraceful conduct Manchester endured around the Uefa Cup final two years ago, held its breath.
Ferdinand provided the instant diagnosis. Not sure. Then came the thumbs-up sign that meant Ferguson could rest easy again.
Rooney had mustered just one shot at the Rangers goal, which Allan McGregor dealt with easily enough.
Parked the bus
It seemed the visitors had parked all those buses that had taken them from their Wigan holding base bang in front of the goal.
Kenny Miller put in an industrious shift as a lone front-man, but there was never any pretence at trying to offer him any proper support.
The monotonous flow of the game continued after the interval, with Gibson flashing a volley wide after he had latched onto Madjid Bougherra's clearing header.
Yet its inexorable one-way route was halted by Valencia's departure.
It took medical staff almost five minutes to treat the South American, who left the field with an oxygen mask round his mouth, the distress of Kirk Broadfoot obvious, even though no blame could be attached to the Rangers man.
The only positive from United's perspective was that Valencia's replacement was Ryan Giggs. Long-term the consequences could be pretty dire.
Bobby Zamora has just been ruled out for four months after suffering a similar injury on Fulham duty at the weekend and with the transfer window closed, United will now have to rely on Giggs, Nani and Gabriel Obertan for pace out wide.
The introduction of Michael Owen had a touch of desperation about it at a time when Rangers were starting to make a nuisance of themselves, even to the extent of having more shots on goal than their hosts.
Not that the statistic translated into a meaningful save for Tomasz Kuszczak, who was watching from the other end of the field when Gibson sent another long-range effort fizzing over.
The first corner of the entire contest came thanks to a deflected Gibson shot six minutes from time. United wasted it.
| Manchester United |
Team Statistics |
Rangers |
| 0 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
1 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
0 |
| 11 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 3 |
Corners |
0 |
| 20 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 83.9 |
Passing Success |
74.9 |
| 17 |
Tackles |
27 |
| 82.4 |
Tackles Success |
81.5 |
| 63.1 |
Possession |
36.9 |
| 66.5 |
Territorial Advantage |
33.5 |
|
