Happy Always: 03/23/09

United's abberation against Liverpool became a blip as Fulham inflicted another shock defeat for the champions at Craven Cottage.

The damage caused by Danny Murphy's first-half penalty and Zoltan Gera's late goal on the break was compounded by red cards for Paul Scholes, for handling a goalbound effort, and substitute Wayne Rooney for two bookable offences. With Nemanja Vidic already banned, the Reds now have three players unable to face Aston Villa on Sunday 5 April.

Sir Alex Ferguson made five changes to the side that suffered a demoralising home defeat to Liverpool. Jonny Evans replaced the suspended Vidic; the other four adjustments recalled Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes to the midfield and brought Dimitar Berbatov into attack alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fulham fielded the same team that impressively beat Bolton away last weekend but was crushed 4-0 by United at Craven Cottage in the FA Cup only a fortnight ago. Clint Dempsey had been the Cottagers’ main doubt with a bout of food poisoning but he was involved from the start and how, suffering the first foul from Scholes inside 20 seconds and then striking the first shot wide of the target moments later.

United returned fire with Berbatov heading over from an Evra cross but otherwise Fulham enjoyed most of the opening moments in the spring sunshine. Bobby Zamora and Simon Davies also flexed their shooting muscles, albeit inaccurately.

Craven Cottage has been a happy hunting ground for Ji-sung Park but a poor pass from the Korean led to the first goal and Scholes' dismissal. Davies forced a corner after Park cheaply conceded possession; when Fulham giant Brede Hangeland nodded towards goal

from the resulting set-piece, van der Sar made a superb legal save from Zamora, only for Scholes to follow it by palming away the striker's second point-blank header. Referee Phil Dowd had no option other than to give the United man his marching orders and point to the spot, from where Danny Murphy buried the ball.

The rattled Reds were indebted to another van der Sar parry when Zamora broke into the box and almost doubled the damage, although better control from Johnson or composure by Dempsey as the ball broke could still have sealed the deal for Fulham. Other Edwin saves denied Zamora twice again and Davies, all from long distance.

The extra man enabled Fulham to gain dangerous amounts of time and space in front of United’s back four; the champions’ resistance was also undermined by Evans walking a tight-rope on the game’s first yellow card, for a foul on Andy Johnson.

Fulham defender John Pantsil was involved in three incidents as the half ended in heated scenes; booked for clattering Park, he was overlooked after clipping Ronaldo, and reprieved when Dowd decided Evra had simulated a foul against the Ghanian.

For the second time in seven days, the champions headed for the dressing room in arrears and in need of a rousing speech from Sir Alex. The boss kept it brief and presumably to the point; United were back on the field well before Fulham, with Wayne Rooney replacing Berbatov in the Reds’ ten for the restart.

The substitute almost immediately teed up Park for a shot; sadly it flew over the bar with the Korean seeking his third goal in three visits to Fulham’s manor. Ronaldo’s header from Fletcher’s

Less impressive was Ronaldo’s lunge of frustration at Fulham skipper and scorer Murphy; Dowd felt the same and brandished another yellow card. The Portuguese responded well to this setback, tormenting Pantsil and delivering a cross that Hangeland had to head away; then directing a firm header of his own towards goal from Rooney’s teasing pull-back on the right-hand by-line.

Schwarzer claimed this effort plus a drive from Fletcher in another good passage of play for the improving Reds. But the Australian’s best was still to come, an incredible point-blank stop to thwart Park, doubled up with a save from Rooney on the rebound. The same goal that was so brilliantly protected by van der Sar in the first half, Murphy’s penalty apart, was now being shielded to a similar level by Schwarzer.

Rooney’s introduction had significantly upped the ante, and Sir Alex cranked his attack to another level by sending Carlos Tevez on for O’Shea. It left United light at the back but it barely seemed to matter with Fulham largely locked inside their own half. Some Cottagers began to crack under the pressure - Dempsey entered the book for a foul on Rooney.

Fulham tried to stem the flow by bringing on three pairs of fresh legs; one of the subs, Olivier Dacourt, was pulled down by Rooney for the first of his two yellow cards.

With the minutes ticking by, United looked increasingly to late-goal specialist Tevez for an equaliser; unfortunately the Argentine’s decent header from Park’s cross landed the wrong side of the post.

Instead the second goal of an absorbing game came from another Fulham substitute, former West Brom midfielder Zoltan Gera, in the 87th minute. The home side broke three on two and when Johnson clipped the ball across the box, the Hungarian teed himself up for an acrobatic volley past van der Sar.

Game over – but not the drama. After Ronaldo had badgered Dowd to the point of a final warning, it was Rooney who finally snapped the referee’s patience – hurling the ball angrily in the vicinity of the official, he found himself looking at a yellow card and then the second red card of the match. United’s day had gone from bad, to encouraging, to abysmal. And as the nine men trudged off at the final whistle, the lead over Liverpool at the top of the table was beginning to look less commanding.

Rating

Edwin van der Sar: United’s best player in the first 45 by a mile; his saves from Zamora, Davies and others gave the Reds a platform to seek an equaliser after the break

John O'Shea: The Irishman stuck to his task in the difficult opening period; sacrificed in the second half as Sir Alex chased the game with Tevez

Jonny Evans: Early booking didn’t help Jonny in a torrid first half; like his senior colleagues, he improved after the break but was outnumbered for the killer second goal

Rio Ferdinand: Didn’t shackle Zamora as well as in the previous two encounters, but still produced some timely blocks and tackles when United were under the cosh

Patrice Evra: Provided plenty of attacking support to Ronaldo, despite being rattled by a caution for diving just before half-time

Darren Fletcher: Industrious performance helped compensate for the loss of Scholes; central in some of United’s best passages of play and tested Schwarzer from distance

Ryan Giggs: Difficult day for Ryan following the dismissal of his old midfield cohort but he kept plugging away as United tried in vain to turn the game around

Paul Scholes: Clattered Clint Dempsey inside the first 20 seconds and sent off before 20 minutes were on the clock; no wonder he looked gloomy, besuited on the bench

Ji-sung Park: Desperately unlucky not to score for the third time in three visits to Fulham, denied only by Mark Schwarzer’s stunning block

Cristiano Ronaldo: Frustrated by his perceived lack of protection from the referee, he still managed to force two of Schwarzer’s best saves in a busy second half

Dimitar Berbatov: Headed an early cross over the bar but was otherwise starved of service before being substituted with an injury at half-time

Substitutes

Wayne Rooney: Red card will overshadow what promised to be a heroic substitute’s performance; Fulham were on the back foot whenever he was in possession

Carlos Tevez: Increased the threat to Fulham’s slender lead after coming on; missed the target with a decent header just before the home side broke to seal the points.

HOME AWAY

Man United
1	Van der Sar
22	O'Shea	32
5	Ferdinand
23	Evans
3	Evra
24	Fletcher
18	Scholes
11	Giggs
13	Park
7	Ronaldo
9	Berbatov	10
Subs:
12	Foster
2	Neville
8	Anderson
10	Rooney	9
16	Carrick
20	Fabio
32	Tevez	22