Premier League: United snatch victory in dramatic Manchester derby

Monday, September 21, 2009

Manchester United triumphed yesterday over local rivals Manchester City, with Michael Owen scoring the late injury time winner in a goal-packed match.

Wayne Rooney opened the match with a quick goal for United after 2 minutes, but Gareth Barry equalised after a quarter hour, leaving it 1–1 at half time.

In the second half Darren Fletcher scored two headers, but Craig Bellamy brought City back from behind each time. With Bellamy’s second goal coming late in the 90th minute, the teams looked set for a 3–3 draw.

City boss Mark Hughes claimed they were “robbed” after the referee allowed almost seven minutes of injury time. The fourth official signalled four minutes stoppage time, and Owen’s dramatic goal came in the sixth minute. Speaking after the match Hughes said, “We need an explanation because I don’t know why the referee has added that amount of time on … I was questioning the amount of time added on even before the game finished.”

United manager Alex Ferguson said it was probably “the best derby game of all time”, and singled out Owen for particular praise, describing him as “world class”. Owen had been brought on in a late substitution, and it was his first goal at Old Trafford, following his transfer from Newcastle United over the summer.

It was also a big occasion for City forward Carlos Tévez, playing for the first time against his former team. Tévez is the first player to move from United to City in a decade, setting a British transfer record of £47 million in the process.

The defeat ends City’s unbeaten start to the season, leaving them in fourth place in the Premier League with 12 points. United are second in the table with 15 points, trailing Chelsea.