Man Utd 4 - 1 Schalke 04 (agg 6 - 1)
By Phil McNulty Chief football writer at Old Trafford |
Manchester United completed the formalities of victory against Schalke 04 to reach Wembley and set up another Champions League final confrontation with Barcelona.
United, holding a two-goal lead from the first leg of the semi-final in Germany, were never in danger of surrendering their advantage at Old Trafford and ran out comfortable winners - presenting the possibility of revenge for their defeat at the hands of Barca boss Pep Guardiola and his side in the 2009 final in Rome.
Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that he suffered a sleepless night pondering a team selection that showed eight changes from the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, with Wayne Rooney not even on the bench, but his decision was vindicated by an emphatic victory margin that allowed United to ease into their third final in four years.
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Ferguson happy gambled paid off
Antonio Valencia and Darron Gibson scored twice in five minutes in the first half as the Premier League side faced only token resistance from their Bundesliga opponents, who shocked holders Inter Milan in the quarter-final.
And, even though Jose Manuel Jurado pulled a goal back for the visitors before the interval, it was never more than a minor interruption to a night of Old Trafford celebration.
Brazilian midfielder Anderson underlined United's domination of Schalke by scoring twice late on as a weakened line-up still proved all too much for the Champions League's surprise package this season.
Now Ferguson must turn his attention to claiming United's record 19th domestic title - but also devising a plan to ensure the torture his team suffered on what he called Barcelona's passing "carousel" is not repeated at Wembley on 28 May.
Ferguson insists he has always known what went wrong on that balmy Rome night two years ago, now he has the perfect chance to prove his theory at the scene of United's first win in Europe's elite tournament against Benfica in 1968.
Barcelona's first win in the competition also came at Wembley against Sampdoria in 1992 and Guardiola will be hoping the Catalan giants can replicate the Lionel Messi-inspired stranglehold that they exerted over United when they last met.
It was a special night for Gibson, who was recently forced to abandon his venture on to Twitter after only 97 minutes following a torrent of criticism, vitriol he answered in some style as Ferguson's men took charge early on.
He was the creator with an inviting pass that set Valencia free on the angle of the penalty area. The winger then showed great composure to beat the advancing Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and lift what had been a subdued atmosphere inside Old Trafford, the lack of tension reflected in the mood of the crowd.
Gibson turned from creator to goalscorer five minutes later to double United's lead on the night and end any serious doubts about them reaching Wembley.
It was nightmare moment for Neuer, peerless in keeping United at bay almost single-handedly eight days ago. Gibson's shot carried power but was directed straight at the keeper, who somehow allowed the strike to fumble through his grasp and into the net.
 Anderson scored two goals for United against a poor Schalke |
Schalke at least responded with a measure of spirit and pulled a goal back after 35 minutes when Jurado took advantage of space and time inside the area to fire high past United keeper Edwin van der Sar at the Stretford End.
It was the signal for the outbreak of ugly scenes among the visiting supporters, who clashed with stewards high behind one goal, with flares set alight and bottles thrown, but fortunately order was swifly restored.
The Red Devils had mixed moments of defensive uncertainty with attacking threat, assisted by an uncharacteristically uncertain performance from Germany's much-coveted keeper Neuer, who was out of sorts virtually from the start.
He redeemed himself with a fine stretching save from Anderson early in the second half, but the midfield man won their next personal battle as United sealed the victory and ensured the party could start inside Old Trafford.
Neuer was again at fault as Anderson scored at the second attempt after his first shot had been blocked by defender Atsuto Uchida - and he was on target again four minutes later as United emphasised their vast supremacy over the two legs.
Dimitar Berbatov, who had performed impressively at United's lone striker, gave Anderson the simplest of tasks to roll the ball into an empty net from an inviting cross with Neuer stranded.
Ferguson was even able to introduce Darren Fletcher after a spell on the sidelines through illness, replacing Paul Scholes, who was on a yellow card, to ensure the veteran midfield man was not ruled out of the final.
And, as United cruised easily towards the final whistle, Ferguson was finally able to set his sights on bringing Europe's biggest club prize to Old Trafford for the fourth time.
Live text and stats
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Champions League
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man Utd | 4-1 | Schalke 04 | FT |
| (HT 2-1)(agg 6-1) | |||
|
| ||
Hide team line-ups and match stats
Man Utd
- 01 Van der Sar
- 12 Smalling
- 21 Rafael (Evra 60)
- 22 O'Shea
- 23 Evans
- 08 Andersonyellow card
- 17 Nani
- 18 Scholesyellow card (Fletcher 73)
- 25 Valencia
- 28 Gibsonyellow card
- 09 Berbatov (Owen 77)
Substitutes
- 29 Kuszczak,
- 03 Evra,
- 15 Vidic,
- 11 Giggs,
- 24 Fletcher,
- 07 Owen,
- 14 Hernandez
Schalke 04
- 01 Neuer
- 03 Escuderoyellow card
- 04 Howedes (Huntelaar 69)
- 14 Papadopoulos
- 21 Metzelder
- 22 Uchida
- 11 Baumjohann (Goncalves Edu 46)
- 18 Jurado
- 31 Draxler
- 07 Raul
- 17 Farfan (Matip 75)
Substitutes
- 33 Schober,
- 02 Sarpei,
- 32 Matip,
- 13 Schmitz,
- 09 Goncalves Edu,
- 16 Ali Karimi,
- 25 Huntelaar
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- Final Result
- Full Time
- 90:00+3:01The referee signals the end of the game.
- 90:00+2:47Centre by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Edwin Van der Sar makes a save.
- 90:00+1:44Effort from deep inside the area by Patrice Evra misses to the right of the goal.
- 90:00+1:10Corner taken by Antonio Valencia.
- 90:00+0:55Michael Owen takes a shot. Save made by Manuel Neuer.
- 90:00+0:08Patrice Evra crosses the ball, clearance by Sergio Escudero.
- 89:11Effort from outside the penalty box by Goncalves Edu goes wide right of the goal.
- 87:34Gonzalez Raul decides to take a short corner.
- 86:58Corner taken by Gonzalez Raul.
- 86:37Julian Draxler takes a shot. Blocked by Chris Smalling.
- 85:42Unfair challenge on Goncalves Edu by Patrice Evra results in a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Goncalves Edu.
- 85:26The referee blows for offside against Luis Nani. Free kick taken by Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
- 84:21Free kick awarded for a foul by Goncalves Edu on Michael Owen. Direct free kick taken by Patrice Evra.
- 83:54Gonzalez Raul takes a inswinging corner to the near post, Edwin Van der Sar makes a save.
- 82:51Outswinging corner taken by Atsuto Uchida from the right by-line played to the near post, Oliveira Anderson makes a clearance.
- 82:47Atsuto Uchida delivers the ball, Jonathan Evans makes a clearance.
- 81:31The assistant referee signals for offside against Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Edwin Van der Sar takes the free kick.
- 81:21Goncalves Edu takes a shot. Edwin Van der Sar makes a save.
- 80:47The ball is delivered by Antonio Valencia.
- 79:15Corner taken right-footed by Jose Manuel Jurado, free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Chris Smalling by Kyriakos Papadopoulos. Direct free kick taken by Edwin Van der Sar.
- 78:46Goncalves Edu takes a shot. Blocked by Jonathan Evans.
- 78:05Michael Owen is caught offside. Jose Manuel Jurado takes the free kick.
- 77:26Jonathan Evans challenges Goncalves Edu unfairly and gives away a free kick. Julian Draxler takes the direct free kick.
- 77:09The referee blows for offside against Michael Owen. Christoph Metzelder takes the direct free kick.
- 76:33 SubstitutionMichael Owen joins the action as a substitute, replacing Dimitar Berbatov.
- 76:22Long distance effort from Goncalves Edu misses to the left of the goal.
- 75:32Dimitar Berbatov provided the assist for the goal.
- 75:32 GOAL - Oliveira AndersonMan Utd 4 - 1 Schalke 04Oliveira Anderson finds the back of the net with a goal from close range low into the middle of the goal. Man Utd 4 (6)-(1) 1 Schalke 04.
- 74:18 SubstitutionJoel Matip is brought on as a substitute for Jefferson Farfan.
- 72:20 Substitution(Man Utd) makes a substitution, with Darren Fletcher coming on for Paul Scholes.
- 71:25Luis Nani provided the assist for the goal.
- 71:25 GOAL - Oliveira AndersonMan Utd 3 - 1 Schalke 04A goal is scored by Oliveira Anderson from inside the area to the bottom left corner of the goal. Man Utd 3 (5)-(1) 1 Schalke 04.
- 70:50Free kick awarded for a foul by Oliveira Anderson on Gonzalez Raul. Free kick taken by Gonzalez Raul.
- 70:18The official flags Chris Smalling offside. Manuel Neuer takes the free kick.
- 69:53Luis Nani decides to take the corner short.
- 68:53Short corner taken by Antonio Valencia from the right by-line.
- 68:53 SubstitutionKlaas-Jan Huntelaar comes on in place of Benedikt Howedes.
- 66:57Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Luis Nani by Goncalves Edu. Direct free kick taken by Edwin Van der Sar.
- 63:37Outswinging corner taken by Jefferson Farfan.
- 63:29The ball is swung over by Goncalves Edu, Chris Smalling gets a block in.
- 62:28Gonzalez Raul is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Edwin Van der Sar takes the direct free kick.
- 60:32Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Jonathan Evans by Goncalves Edu. Oliveira Anderson takes the free kick.
- 60:16Oliveira Anderson takes a shot. Manuel Neuer makes a save.
- 58:51Direct free kick taken by Oliveira Anderson.
- 58:51 Substitution(Man Utd) makes a substitution, with Patrice Evra coming on for Rafael Da Silva.
- 58:51Julian Draxler challenges Rafael Da Silva unfairly and gives away a free kick.
- 57:14Direct free kick taken by Paul Scholes.
- 57:14 BookingThe referee shows Sergio Escudero a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.
- 57:10Free kick awarded for a foul by Sergio Escudero on Paul Scholes.
- 55:07Inswinging corner taken by Oliveira Anderson from the right by-line, Sergio Escudero fouled by Dimitar Berbatov, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Manuel Neuer.
- 54:56Outswinging corner taken by Antonio Valencia from the right by-line.
- 54:44Oliveira Anderson takes a shot. Save by Manuel Neuer.
- 53:54The referee blows for offside against Luis Nani. Free kick taken by Manuel Neuer.
- 53:27Antonio Valencia takes a outswinging corner.
- 53:22The ball is swung over by John O'Shea, Sergio Escudero makes a clearance.
- 52:29Goncalves Edu challenges Rafael Da Silva unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Edwin Van der Sar.
- 51:30Antonio Valencia is ruled offside. Manuel Neuer restarts play with the free kick.
- 51:13Antonio Valencia decides to take the corner short.
- 50:50Gonzalez Raul decides to take the corner short.
- 50:28Short corner worked by Jefferson Farfan.
- 50:16Jefferson Farfan takes a shot. Jonathan Evans gets a block in.
- 47:14Unfair challenge on Goncalves Edu by Jonathan Evans results in a free kick. Strike on goal comes in from Jefferson Farfan from the free kick, blocked by Paul Scholes.
- 46:36The ball is sent over by Jefferson Farfan, clearance by Chris Smalling.
- 45:01The referee gets the second half started.
- 45:01 SubstitutionGoncalves Edu is brought on as a substitute for Alexander Baumjohann.
- Half Time
- 45:00+2:03The ref blows to signal half-time.
- 44:18Free kick awarded for a foul by Rafael Da Silva on Jose Manuel Jurado. Free kick crossed left-footed by Gonzalez Raul, clearance by Dimitar Berbatov.
- 41:20Direct free kick taken by Jose Manuel Jurado.
- 41:20 BookingThe referee shows Oliveira Anderson a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.
- 41:18Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Alexander Baumjohann by Oliveira Anderson.
- 39:43Antonio Valencia delivers the ball, clearance by Atsuto Uchida.
- 38:19Corner taken right-footed by Jose Manuel Jurado from the left by-line to the near post, Oliveira Anderson makes a clearance.
- 37:26Shot comes in from Jefferson Farfan from the free kick, blocked by Antonio Valencia.
- 37:26 BookingPaul Scholes booked for unsporting behaviour.
- 36:02 BookingDarron Gibson shown a yellow card.
- 35:59Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Sergio Escudero by Darron Gibson.
- 34:59Antonio Valencia takes a shot. Blocked by Benedikt Howedes.
- 34:03 GOAL - Jose Manuel JuradoMan Utd 2 - 1 Schalke 04A goal is scored by Jose Manuel Jurado from the edge of the area to the top left corner of the goal. Man Utd 2 (4)-(1) 1 Schalke 04.
- 32:43Inswinging corner taken by Luis Nani from the left by-line played to the near post, save by Manuel Neuer.
- 30:54Assist on the goal came from Antonio Valencia.
- 30:54 GOAL - Darron GibsonMan Utd 2 - 0 Schalke 04Goal scored by Darron Gibson from the edge of the area to the bottom right corner of the goal. Man Utd 2 (4)-(0) 0 Schalke 04.
- 29:34John O'Shea challenges Alexander Baumjohann unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Atsuto Uchida.
- 28:21Jose Manuel Jurado produces a right-footed shot from the edge of the area and misses to the left of the goal.
- 27:28The ball is delivered by Atsuto Uchida, Chris Smalling makes a clearance.
- 26:21Gonzalez Raul takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar.
- 25:25Assist by Darron Gibson.
- 25:25 GOAL - Antonio ValenciaMan Utd 1 - 0 Schalke 04Antonio Valencia finds the back of the net with a goal from inside the area to the bottom left corner of the goal. Man Utd 1 (3)-(0) 0 Schalke 04.
- 24:39Inswinging corner taken by Luis Nani from the left by-line played to the near post, Header from deep inside the area by Chris Smalling goes harmlessly over the crossbar.
- 22:51Kyriakos Papadopoulos gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Rafael Da Silva. Free kick taken by Rafael Da Silva.
- 22:08Alexander Baumjohann challenges Jonathan Evans unfairly and gives away a free kick. Darron Gibson takes the free kick.
- 21:10Luis Nani takes the inswinging corner, Manuel Neuer makes a save.
- 20:25Julian Draxler challenges Antonio Valencia unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick crossed right-footed by Luis Nani from right wing.
- 17:39The ball is delivered by Oliveira Anderson, Manuel Neuer makes a comfortable save.
- Correction - 15:05Inswinging corner taken by Luis Nani from the left by-line played to the near post, Antonio Valencia gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Manuel Neuer. Manuel Neuer takes the free kick.
- 15:05Inswinging corner taken by Luis Nani from the left by-line played to the near post, free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Manuel Neuer by Chris Smalling. Manuel Neuer takes the free kick.
- 14:40Oliveira Anderson fouled by Kyriakos Papadopoulos, the ref awards a free kick. Paul Scholes restarts play with the free kick.
- 14:11Atsuto Uchida concedes a free kick for a foul on Luis Nani. Free kick taken by Paul Scholes.
- 13:26Short corner taken by Jefferson Farfan from the left by-line.
- 13:20Jose Manuel Jurado crosses the ball, Rafael Da Silva makes a clearance.
- 12:28The ball is delivered by Dimitar Berbatov, save by Manuel Neuer.
- 9:51The referee blows for offside. Direct free kick taken by Benedikt Howedes.
- 9:31Free kick awarded for a foul by Dimitar Berbatov on Benedikt Howedes. Direct free kick taken by Atsuto Uchida.
- 8:41The ball is crossed by Rafael Da Silva, save by Manuel Neuer.
- 7:43Free kick awarded for a foul by Alexander Baumjohann on Rafael Da Silva. Rafael Da Silva takes the free kick.
- 7:13Jefferson Farfan produces a right-footed shot from outside the penalty box and misses wide left of the target.
- 5:15Dimitar Berbatov is caught offside. Benedikt Howedes takes the free kick.
- 4:46Corner taken short by Antonio Valencia.
- 4:42Centre by Luis Nani, clearance made by Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
- 3:28Unfair challenge on Paul Scholes by Julian Draxler results in a free kick. Chris Smalling takes the direct free kick.
- 2:30Sergio Escudero produces a cross, clearance made by Chris Smalling.
- 1:52Dimitar Berbatov concedes a free kick for a foul on Jose Manuel Jurado. Benedikt Howedes takes the direct free kick.
- 1:16Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Antonio Valencia played to the near post.
- 0:54Kyriakos Papadopoulos challenges Luis Nani unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Paul Scholes.
- 0:00The match begins.
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