A superb goal from Carlos Tevez earned Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Birmingham.
United remain in second after narrow win
A superb goal from Carlos Tevez earned Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Birmingham.
The Argentine latched on to a brilliant Ronaldo back-heel on 25 minutes to pass the ball beyond Maik Taylor and into the visitors' net.
The goal looked like being the first of many for United but a combination of valiant defending and poor finishing kept Blues in the game.
Tevez, Ronaldo and Nani all had opportunities to put the points to bed but Alex McLeish's men maintained a foothold in the game right to the end.
The Scot brought on twin attackers Daniel De Ridder and Mikael Forssell with more than half-an-hour remaining and both had openings to steal a point but United kept their composure to start 2008 with a win.
Tevez might have put the hosts ahead in the opening stages when he rose to meet Patrice Evra's near-post cross. Instead, the South American powered his header against the foot of Maik Taylor's right-hand post, meaning United were forced to endure another 20 minutes of frustration before they eventually made their breakthrough.
Opener
Birmingham might feel aggrieved that Michael Carrick opted to play on when Cameron Jerome failed to rise from an aerial duel with Rio Ferdinand.
However, under the letter of the law, the Red Devils were entitled to do just that and Jerome's problem had little effect on what happened next as Carrick flicked the ball into Tevez's path.
After finding Ronaldo with an overhead kick, Tevez continued his run, collecting an inspired back-heeled return pass inside the Birmingham box before beating Taylor in a manner that looked far easier than it actually was, before celebrating in bizarre fashion, pulling a dummy out of his pocket and sticking it in his mouth.
Had Gary McSheffrey showed a bit more calmness, he could easily have levelled with an angled drive, while Sebastian Larsson curled a free-kick straight at Tomasz Kuszczak in stoppage time.
Birmingham could only have gained more heart from surviving more United pressure at the start of the second period, when Tevez struck the post for a second time.
Woodwork
What the former Boca Juniors player lacks in size he more than makes up for in determination and after muscling his way on to Park's pass, Tevez deserved more than to see his 10-yard effort cannon back off the woodwork.
It seemed Ronaldo would eventually turn home the rebound but McSheffrey threw himself in the way of the winger's shot.
Taylor pawed the ball away from John O'Shea after he had spilled Tevez's fierce near-post cross at the Irishman's feet.
Tevez certainly deserved the standing ovation he received when he was replaced by Louis Saha 19 minutes from time but it must have been slightly frustrating his efforts had not wrapped up the points before his exit.
Birmingham promptly enjoyed their best spell of the game, with former Chelsea man Forssell causing some anxiety within home ranks when he drifted a low shot just wide.
Another Forssell volley followed but that too was off target and United's only remaining problem was the late booking picked up by Wes Brown that will rule him out of the encounter with Newcastle on 12th January.
| Manchester United |
Team Statistics |
Birmingham City |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 7 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 5 |
Shots off Target |
8 |
| 9 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 2 |
Corners |
0 |
| 11 |
Fouls |
9 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
4 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 79.6 |
Passing Success |
63.9 |
| 34 |
Tackles |
31 |
| 67.6 |
Tackles Success |
71 |
| 59.6 |
Possession |
40.4 |
| 50.7 |
Territorial Advantage |
49.3 |
|
