Manchester United get dumped, dusted!
7 Jan 2014 7:50 AM IST
Eleven points off the pace in the Premier League, where they have already lost six games, United crashed out at the first hurdle in the FA Cup to give beleaguered manager David Moyes even more problems.
To compound matters, United’s injury list swelled further after Rio Ferdinand had to go off with a knee injury, while Fabio da Silva was sent off shortly after coming on to replace him.
“We were a bit unlucky to lose, but we probably didn’t do enough to win it in the end,” said Moyes, whose side visit Sunderland in the League Cup semifinals on Tuesday.
“We made some opportunities, (but) not enough. When we went down to 10 men, we just needed to see it out and at least take a replay if that was what had to come about, but we didn’t quite get that far.”
In a game preceded by a minute’s applause for late Portugal great Eusebio, who died on Sunday, Swansea took a 12th-minute lead through Wayne Routledge, who cantered onto a pass from Alejandro Pozuelo to lob Anders Lindegaard. The hosts equalised four minutes later, Javier Hernandez volleying in a cross from Alexander Buttner, but they could not find a second goal.
Ferdinand had to hobble off due to injury late on and his replacement, Fabio, was sent off for a high challenge on Jose Canas shortly after coming on.
Worse was to follow at the death, with Routledge lifting a cross into the box from the left and Bony powering home a near-post header to add a new chapter of disappointment to the tale of United’s unravelling season. West Ham United also fell in the third round on Sunday, crashing to an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at second-tier Nottingham Forest, but Chelsea and Liverpool both progressed against lower-league opponents.
Chelsea beat in-form Championship side Derby County 2-0, with Liverpool avenging their shock defeat by third-tier Oldham Athletic in last season’s competition with a 2-0 success at Anfield.
Sunderland overcame third-tier Carlisle United 2-1 at the Stadium of Light to take their place in round four.
Adam Johnson put Sunderland ahead with a fine 34th-minute free-kick and then supplied the cross from which Sean O’Hanlon put through his own goal after Matty Robson had levelled the scores. A 90th-minute strike from 20-year-old French midfielder El-Hadji Ba completed victory for Gus Poyet’s men.
Salvage job for Manchester United in League Cup semis
LONDON: Manchester United will turn to the League Cup to salvage their desperate domestic season when they visit Sunderland on Tuesday for the first leg of their semifinal. Having fallen 11 points off the pace in the Premier League, United saw another potential route towards silverware curtailed on Sunday when they were stunned 2-1 at home by Swansea City in the FA Cup third round. Although United remain in contention in the Champions League, the League Cup now represents their best hope of rescuing a trophy from a campaign that threatens to turn into an outright disaster. An extra incentive is the fact that derby rivals Manchester City are their most likely opponents in the final, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side due to host West Ham United in the first leg of the other semifinal on Wednesday. West Ham will look to put disappointment back.
FIXTURES: Tuesday: Sunderland v Manchester United; Wednesday: Manchester City v West Ham United
To compound matters, United’s injury list swelled further after Rio Ferdinand had to go off with a knee injury, while Fabio da Silva was sent off shortly after coming on to replace him.
“We were a bit unlucky to lose, but we probably didn’t do enough to win it in the end,” said Moyes, whose side visit Sunderland in the League Cup semifinals on Tuesday.
“We made some opportunities, (but) not enough. When we went down to 10 men, we just needed to see it out and at least take a replay if that was what had to come about, but we didn’t quite get that far.”
In a game preceded by a minute’s applause for late Portugal great Eusebio, who died on Sunday, Swansea took a 12th-minute lead through Wayne Routledge, who cantered onto a pass from Alejandro Pozuelo to lob Anders Lindegaard. The hosts equalised four minutes later, Javier Hernandez volleying in a cross from Alexander Buttner, but they could not find a second goal.
Ferdinand had to hobble off due to injury late on and his replacement, Fabio, was sent off for a high challenge on Jose Canas shortly after coming on.
Worse was to follow at the death, with Routledge lifting a cross into the box from the left and Bony powering home a near-post header to add a new chapter of disappointment to the tale of United’s unravelling season. West Ham United also fell in the third round on Sunday, crashing to an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at second-tier Nottingham Forest, but Chelsea and Liverpool both progressed against lower-league opponents.
Chelsea beat in-form Championship side Derby County 2-0, with Liverpool avenging their shock defeat by third-tier Oldham Athletic in last season’s competition with a 2-0 success at Anfield.
Sunderland overcame third-tier Carlisle United 2-1 at the Stadium of Light to take their place in round four.
Adam Johnson put Sunderland ahead with a fine 34th-minute free-kick and then supplied the cross from which Sean O’Hanlon put through his own goal after Matty Robson had levelled the scores. A 90th-minute strike from 20-year-old French midfielder El-Hadji Ba completed victory for Gus Poyet’s men.
Salvage job for Manchester United in League Cup semis
LONDON: Manchester United will turn to the League Cup to salvage their desperate domestic season when they visit Sunderland on Tuesday for the first leg of their semifinal. Having fallen 11 points off the pace in the Premier League, United saw another potential route towards silverware curtailed on Sunday when they were stunned 2-1 at home by Swansea City in the FA Cup third round. Although United remain in contention in the Champions League, the League Cup now represents their best hope of rescuing a trophy from a campaign that threatens to turn into an outright disaster. An extra incentive is the fact that derby rivals Manchester City are their most likely opponents in the final, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side due to host West Ham United in the first leg of the other semifinal on Wednesday. West Ham will look to put disappointment back.
FIXTURES: Tuesday: Sunderland v Manchester United; Wednesday: Manchester City v West Ham United
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