Man United followed in the footsteps of AC Milan and Barcelona yesterday, clinching their domestic title with an away draw that also proved suitable for the home side, as Blackburn hit the 40 point mark and edged closer to Premier League safety.
Steve Kean’s side came into this game with just two goals from their last three games but a nervy performance by United stand-in keeper Tomasz Kuszczak offered hope to the hosts and there was no real surprise when Brett Emerton gave them the lead on 20 minutes. The second half produced a moment of madness from Paul Robinson, the Blackburn keeper bringing down Javier Hernandez in the penalty box, allowing Wayne Rooney to score the title-winning spot-kick equaliser.
With 76% Possession, United were in control throughout the game without ever exerting themselves; Rooney’s goal was 1 of only 2 Shots on target, as Blackburn battled hard to keep their visitors at bay.
Title in the bag, Sir Alex Ferguson will surely now look to rest his key players for next week’s final league game at home to Blackpool, with the Champions League Final against Barcelona on 28th May now the club’s chief priority.
Line Up News
Blackburn kept the same 4-1-4-1 formation from last week’s draw at West Ham, but chose to move the personnel around; Brett Emerton and Martin Olsson played as full-backs at Upton Park but this time round the pair started in midfield. Phil Jones returned to the heart of defence, Mame Biram Diouf dropped out- unable to play against his parent club- and Junior Hoilett moved into the centre of midfield.
Sir Alex Ferguson made three changes from the side that beat Chelsea 2-1; Kuszczak replaced the rested Edwin Van der Sar, Jonny Evans came in for John O’Shea at left-back and Nani was given the nod ahead of Ji-Sung Park on the left wing.
Player Positions
With Jermaine Jones and Steven N’Zonzi protecting the back-four, Blackburn relied on Hoilett’s speed to support lone front man Jason Roberts from his central midfield spot. Emerton pushed on from the right against Jonny Evans, with left-back not the Irishman’s natural position, and resultantly managed 5 Crosses, more than any Blackburn player.
In comparison to Nani, Valencia played deeper than normal on the wing, in a cagey game against the pacy Martin Olsson. Nani proved United’s major goal threat, with 4 Attempts. Ryan Giggs foraged forward from central midfield for the visitors, with his Average Position when in possession similar to Wayne Rooney, as Blackburn sat deep, proving stubborn to break down.
Shot Directions
Only three players had goal attempts for Blackburn; wingers Martin Olsson (3 efforts), Brett Emerton (2) and centre-half Christopher Samba (1). Olsson and Emerton both ventured inside for most of their efforts, meaning only 17% of Shots came from the flanks, with 67% down the middle.
United also had just 3 players with Shots at goal; Nani with 4, Rooney (2) and Hernandez (1). Nani did offer 29% of the team’s shots from left but also came inside to try his luck, meaning 57% came from the middle, with just 14% from the right.
Pass Types
United made three times the number of Passes than their hosts, 760 to 250. As mentioned, they controlled proceedings with 76% Possession, making 620 Short Passes to Blackburn’s 180. Michael Carrick - the visitor’s top player for distribution- made almost half Blackburn’s total, with 107 Passes.
Blackburn offered little from out wide in comparison to United, just 11 Crosses to 29 and played 53 Long Balls to United’s 100; with Roberts’ speed up front not his best asset, there was little point in firing balls for him to chase as he laboured up front alone.
Star Player Comparison
Martin Olsson was easily Blackburn’s most attacking player; he had 3 Shots, hit the woodwork and grabbed an Assist for the opener. With 45 Touches, he saw more of the ball than any other home player, bar Michel Salgado (49).
Defensively, he was very impressive, too; 4 Successful Aerial Duels, 4 Interceptions, 4 Clearances and 1 Tackle, making him the top-rated player in yesterday’s game, with a rating of 7.85.
For the visitors, Michael Carrick was the stand-out player. He saw more of the ball than anyone else; 124 Touches and 107 Passes with a 90% Accuracy. Carrick played 17 Long Balls, with 16 Accurate, his distribution superb from start to finish.
He contributed defensively, too; 3 Tackles, 3 Interceptions and 1 Clearance, and was the most fouled visiting player, on 3 occasions. Carrick was awarded 7.44 in our ratings for his display.
