Man Utd fared admirably without the wantaway Wayne Rooney on Wednesday as they saw off Bursaspor 1-0.
Rooney-less Red Devils pick up welcome win in Europe
Manchester United fared admirably without the wantaway Wayne Rooney on Wednesday as they saw off Bursaspor 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League.
With all that had gone on at Old Trafford in the days leading up to the game, it was vital that the Red Devils turned the attention back to football, and that is precisely what they did.
A solitary strike of some style from Nani, who could be the pretender to Rooney's crown that United are crying out for, settled the contest after just seven minutes.
The Portuguese winger helped to settle the pre-match nerves with a characteristically well-struck shot from distance.
Having picked up the ball from Darren Fletcher in the heart of midfield, he spun away from trouble and unleashed an unstoppable left-footed drive into the bottom corner past a sprawling Dimitar Ivankov.
A couple of minutes later and Nani was causing problems for the visitors again, but on this occasion he was crowded out as he twisted and turned inside the box desperately searching for a yard of space in which to get away a shot.
Bursaspor were offering little as an attacking threat at this stage, as despite being comfortable in possession they lacked the cutting edge to worry United.
Escaped
They did, however, have their moments as the half wore on and on 26 minutes Serca Yildirim escaped in behind Rafael but lost his composure at the vital moment and failed to pick out a team-mate with a tame cross.
Opportunities were then traded at either end as Nemanja Vidic glanced a header narrowly past a post, having been unable to react to a deflected corner in time, before Rafael was forced to put in a fantastic last-ditch tackle to deny Ozan Ipek, who had sprung on goal following a slip by Vidic.
Michael Carrick saw an ambitious effort from 30 yards sail into the stands shortly after the half-hour mark as United knocked on the door but lacked the tempo and desire to open it.
The first half rather meandered to a close thereafter, with bookings for Nani and Ipek the only real incidents of note.
The two sides emerged after the interval with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wearing the kind of grin that masks how he must really be feeling inside, with the Rooney saga set to occupy his thoughts for some time yet.
He was, though, keen to keep the focus on the task in hand and the hosts went about their business in a workmanlike manner as the second period got underway, keeping the back door firmly bolted.
Bursaspor made two changes at the break as they attempted to offer more thrust going forward but Tomasz Kuszczak, deputising for the rested Edwin van der Sar following his howler against West Brom at the weekend, remained untested.
Dynamism
Unfortunately for United, they were hardly pulling up trees at the opposite end of the field, with the dynamism which greeted the opening to the game sadly lacking.
The Red Devils continued to see plenty of the ball, but their inability to find an end product only served to heighten the tension in the stands and encourage their opponents to raise their game in search of an equaliser - and a first goal in their short Champions League history.
In truth, such an effort never looked like coming as the Turkish champions were found lacking in ideas when it came opening up a United side which had five men stretched across midfield and Federico Macheda deployed as a lone frontman.
United looked the more likely to find a second and Ji-Sung Park came close to reaching a hopeful lob over the top after 57 minutes, only to be denied by a smart race from his line by Ivankov.
Moments later the Bursaspor keeper had to be alert again as Patrice Evra bundled his way down the left and fired in a cross-shot which would have snuck in at the near post.
United's buccaneering French full-back was then involved in a full-blooded challenge on halfway which left him grimacing in pain and Ali Tandogan with a bruised shin and a yellow card.
Nani, in search of the ball following a lull in proceedings, then began to operate down the left and floated over a teasing cross which had Macheda interested before he was outnumbered in the air.
Concerns
It was not to be the Italian striker's night, as on 65 minutes he was sent scampering into the box but saw the ball get stuck under his feet and the opportunity evaporate in front of his eyes.
The sight of Tandogan being stretchered from the field will have concerned the visitors, as they attempt to preserve their lead at the top of the table back home, and their hopes disappeared down the tunnel with their stricken star.
Nani was still proving to be a thorn in the visitors' side and he tested Ivankov with a dipping effort from the edge of the box which the Bulgarian keeper did well to get his body behind.
With just over 10 minutes remaining United were handed a possible injury headache of their own, with Anderson hobbling straight to the dressing room after being replaced by Javier Hernandez.
Another of United's substitutes, Gabriel Obertan, came within a lick of paint of doubling the Red Devils' advantage seven minutes from time, but he nodded off the outside of the post when picked out from a corner.
In the final minutes a hanging cross from Evra had Ivankov worried for a moment, before sailing across the face of goal, while Hernandez drilled wide when presented with a clear sight of the target.
In the end United took the spoils by the narrowest of margins and must now brace themselves for the endless rounds of transfer speculation which will inevitably greet any break in the fixture list from now until Rooney leaves Old Trafford.
| Manchester United |
Team Statistics |
Bursaspor |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 4 |
Shots on Target |
1 |
| 6 |
Shots off Target |
1 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 6 |
Corners |
1 |
| 11 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 83.4 |
Passing Success |
70 |
| 26 |
Tackles |
26 |
| 80.8 |
Tackles Success |
73.1 |
| 64.2 |
Possession |
35.8 |
| 60.1 |
Territorial Advantage |
39.9 |
|
