Post by united4lyf on Oct 3, 2008 19:03:59 GMT
MANCHESTER UNITED 1
Gray (81)
WIGAN ATHLETIC 2
Hampson (50), Mahon (90)
United's Reserves were hit by a smash-and-grab raid from Wigan Athletic on Thursday evening, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suffered his first managerial defeat.
The Latics scored a last-minute winner through Craig Mahon's smart finish, when it had seemed certain that United would take the points after David Gray had cancelled out Matt Hampson's opener.
On a frustrating evening, United can take positives from the performance of Manucho, as his first competitive start for the Reds was littered with neat touches, clever link-up work and, in one late example, tremendously powerful forward play.
In a brisk opening, both sides struck the woodwork inside the first 15 minutes. Sam Hewson embarked on a neat, slaloming run on the edge of the Latics' area after 10 minutes, but saw his powerful left-footer deflected up onto the crossbar. Five minutes later, Tomasz Cwyka smashed a 30-yarder against the inside of Gary Woods' post.
A see-saw match swung back the other way shortly afterwards when a neat passing move ended with Magnus Eikrem's shot being blocked by goalkeeper Neil Postlethwaite. Young Polish striker Tomasz Kupisz then slammed a snap-shot into the side netting and Woods tipped over a powerful effort from Craig Mahon.
Wigan took the lead shortly after the second half began, as Kupisz sprinted down the left wing and slid back a cross for Hampson to calmly slot into the net.
Manucho came close to a leveller with 20 minutes remaining when he cut inside from the right flank, beat two defenders and hammered a low shot goalwards, only for Postlethwaite to beat the effort away.
The Reds did find a route back into the game, however, with 10 minutes remaining. The game's increasingly fractious nature saw another free-kick awarded on the right flank, Darron Gibson curled it in and Gray's free header squirmed between the legs of the goalkeeper.
Once again, Solskjaer's men had come from behind, and the equaliser was the cue for another late surge forward. United pressed for a winner, and Cameron Stewart saw his cross-shot thunder off the underside of the Wigan crossbar and against the post with two minutes remaining.
As United committed numbers forward, the back door was left open for Wigan to snatch a winner on the counter-attack, which they duly did in the 90th minute as Mahon cleverly smashed home from the edge of the area.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Reds, who had seemed certain to snatch another against-all-odds victory, only to find themselves on the wrong end of late drama for the first time.
United: Woods; Gray, Chester (Derbyshire 46), C Evans, Eckersley; Eikrem (Stewart 49), Gibson, Hewson (Bryan 84), Cleverley; Manucho, Macheda.
Subs not used: Devlin, Gill.
Gray (81)
WIGAN ATHLETIC 2
Hampson (50), Mahon (90)
United's Reserves were hit by a smash-and-grab raid from Wigan Athletic on Thursday evening, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suffered his first managerial defeat.
The Latics scored a last-minute winner through Craig Mahon's smart finish, when it had seemed certain that United would take the points after David Gray had cancelled out Matt Hampson's opener.
On a frustrating evening, United can take positives from the performance of Manucho, as his first competitive start for the Reds was littered with neat touches, clever link-up work and, in one late example, tremendously powerful forward play.
In a brisk opening, both sides struck the woodwork inside the first 15 minutes. Sam Hewson embarked on a neat, slaloming run on the edge of the Latics' area after 10 minutes, but saw his powerful left-footer deflected up onto the crossbar. Five minutes later, Tomasz Cwyka smashed a 30-yarder against the inside of Gary Woods' post.
A see-saw match swung back the other way shortly afterwards when a neat passing move ended with Magnus Eikrem's shot being blocked by goalkeeper Neil Postlethwaite. Young Polish striker Tomasz Kupisz then slammed a snap-shot into the side netting and Woods tipped over a powerful effort from Craig Mahon.
Wigan took the lead shortly after the second half began, as Kupisz sprinted down the left wing and slid back a cross for Hampson to calmly slot into the net.
Manucho came close to a leveller with 20 minutes remaining when he cut inside from the right flank, beat two defenders and hammered a low shot goalwards, only for Postlethwaite to beat the effort away.
The Reds did find a route back into the game, however, with 10 minutes remaining. The game's increasingly fractious nature saw another free-kick awarded on the right flank, Darron Gibson curled it in and Gray's free header squirmed between the legs of the goalkeeper.
Once again, Solskjaer's men had come from behind, and the equaliser was the cue for another late surge forward. United pressed for a winner, and Cameron Stewart saw his cross-shot thunder off the underside of the Wigan crossbar and against the post with two minutes remaining.
As United committed numbers forward, the back door was left open for Wigan to snatch a winner on the counter-attack, which they duly did in the 90th minute as Mahon cleverly smashed home from the edge of the area.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Reds, who had seemed certain to snatch another against-all-odds victory, only to find themselves on the wrong end of late drama for the first time.
United: Woods; Gray, Chester (Derbyshire 46), C Evans, Eckersley; Eikrem (Stewart 49), Gibson, Hewson (Bryan 84), Cleverley; Manucho, Macheda.
Subs not used: Devlin, Gill.
