This is why I hate Manchester United

Manchester United did not deserve to win today. They were severely outplayed by an inspired Sunderland squad for almost 90 solid minutes. But Patrice Evra’s shot, which deflected off Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand for an own goal, proved why Manchester United is Manchester United. Sometimes they don’t deserve the win, but they win anyway.

Darren Bent put Sunderland ahead in the 7th minute with a low line drive that extended just past the fingertips of Man U’s Ben Foster. Sunderland played smart, possessive football throughout the first half while Man U squandered several chances and carelessly turned the ball over. Especially angered at trailing 1-0, Wayne Rooney was relatively un-effective for the duration of the match. Man U trailed at the start of the second half but began to generate better opportunities.

Then, in the 51st minute, Dimitar Berbatov sent a beautiful ball past Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon to open the scoring for Man U. Berbatov expertly bicycled John O’Shea’s cross with an acrobatic jump and twist.

Most thought that this would open up the floodgates for Manchester United’s goal scorers, but Sunderland swiftly recovered. It kept up its workhorse style of play with crisp, smart passes and well-placed balls. In the 58th minute, Andy Reid sent a nifty pass to Kenwyne Jones who collided mid-air with Foster, who got the worst of the collision. But Jones head reached the ball first and sent it bouncing into the goal, putting the Mackems up 2-1.

Sunderland played valiant defense for the last half hour as Manchester United began to increase their attack. It cleared out countless Man U crosses and prevented Man U from producing any legitimate chances. It appeared that the underdogs would escape the barrage unharmed until the 93rd minute when Patrice Evra sent a shot into the box. The shot ricocheted off Anton Ferdinand, brother of Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand who did not play today, and into the back of the net, salvaging a point for the Red Devils.

Although the score didn’t reflect it, Sunderland played winning football. Darren Bent and Lee Cattermole played the field superbly, creating several offensive opportunities while Sunderland’s defense as a whole stifled Manchester United.

Despite the hear-breaking loss, Sunderland has several opportunities to better their record in the coming weeks. They face a tough match against Liverpool on the 17th and then travel to Birmingham to face Birmingham City.

Manchester United hosts Bolton on the 17th. Despite a mid-week Champions League match against CSKA Moscow on the 21st and the continued absence of stars Edwin van der Sar and Rio Ferdinand, one can only assume that Manchester United will continue to play choppy, disorganized football and continue to win.