Fabio Capello has a real quandary. Who does he take to South Africa as center back?
Ledley King was magnificent, the best Spur on display. A rock at the back, a threat on set pieces. With his recent run on form, King is pushing hard for selection with an out of sorts John Terry and an injured Rio Ferdinand.
The veteran defender kept Spurs in the game. An inert Michael Carrick and a tumbling Rafael provided no resistance to King’s header off a Gareth Bale corner.
King was not responsible for the goals that Utd poured on at Old Trafford in the second half. It was Benoit Assou- Ekotto and Wilson Palacios bringing down Patrice Evra and Nani that led to two spot kicks which Ryan Giggs, duly converted. The BBC informs us that goal was the first penalty Giggs ever scored in the Premiership?? Can’t quite wrap my head around that stat.
And Nani, the infuriating Nani, who torments and delights Sir Alex at the same time, deciding to have the game of his life as he caught fire in the second half. The second goal was Nani all through, the muscular approach and then the breath taking finishing touch as he scooped it over Gomes. Pure unthinking arrogance.
The first half dissipated into a langourous display with the heat and the slippery condition of the pitch providing the highlights. Players had trouble staying on their feet. Not pretty.
There was no Wayne Rooney and with Berbatov lacking serious pace, for a while it seemed Giggs was trying to catch out the Spurs defense. Spurs themselves riding on the backs of those historic wins against Arsenal and Chelsea, were anonymous with Defoe and Pavlyuchenko doing little of note.
Time for the second half and between the bookended episodes of Evra and Nani’s projectile vomiting, United engineered a season changing turnaround. They are now on the doorstep of unprecedented destiny.