THE INDEPENDENT - KEANE IS WORTH THE WAIT IN GOALS
Given a choice, Manchester United's supporters would probably put their favourite chant as "There's Only One Keano", yet for more than a year it has been a case of only one short. Not any more for Roy Keane.
After scoring his 49th goal in November 2003, the 33-year-old United captain has been fidgeting in the fretful 40s ever since; until yesterday, when he finally completed his half-century. The end result was the net he had thought he might never find again, and the net result was three points that push United nearer to distant Chelsea. At least for a day.
Birmingham City, still not completely out of the relegation mire, hit the bar when Walter Pandiani unleashed a ferocious first-half volley, but ultimately, like Arsenal on Tuesday, they were eclipsed by the force of United's second-half display. This time, however, Sir Alex Ferguson's side did not need to dig into their reserves of resilience, and even Wayne Rooney managed a controversy-free afternoon.
Needless to say he was not anonymous either, and his goal 12 minutes from the end made the result safe, United's 15th Premiership game without a defeat. As Ferguson says, it would be championship form in a normal season, but Chelsea are making it abnormal.
"That was the Roy Keane of 10 years ago," Ferguson said. "He is an incredible man. In 50, 500 years from now he will still be one of the greatest players ever at this club. It was a good result given the mammoth game on Tuesday night, but we needed something to open them up and Roy produced it. It was a fantastic goal."
THE SUNDAY TIMES -KEANO INSPIRES UNITED STROLL
They will commence work on laying a new pitch at Old Trafford tomorrow, on the orders of Sir Alex Ferguson. If disquiet with the playing surface has been one long-running saga for Manchester United, Roy Keane’s quest for a 50th goal in a United shirt is another. There was finally a denouement yesterday, with the captain making a barn-storming, age-defying burst through the centre of a hitherto resolute Birmingham side to set up a victory which United believe could yet prove significant in the title race.
Keane had been stuck on 49 goals since scoring against Portsmouth on November 1, 2003, and though his shots had pummelled several posts and crossbars since, the half-century remained beyond him.
But 10 minutes into the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo drew Jamie Clapham and half of Birmingham’s midfield towards him before sending them the wrong way with a back heel. Keane seized the ball and with John O’Shea’s run drawing Mehdi Nafti out of position, a road into the box opened up. Driving his old limbs down it, Keane launched the ball into Maik Taylor’s net from 12 yards out.
United were grateful for their captain’s intervention. After their heroics at Highbury, they struggled for inspiration. Birmingham’s pressing game made it hard for United to establish any rhythm, and their attacking players, especially the clever Robbie Blake, were dangerous on the counter-attack. United went down the tunnel prepared for a half-time hairdrying, Ferguson’s dressing room blast reminding his players that they had been "too pedantic" with their passing and "needed some urgency to get the crowd going". Keane also addressed the team at half-time, but 10 minutes later, made his most telling statement.
At half-time, United were lucky to be level, when for the second time in five weeks the subject of video replays became a hot topic of debate at this stadium. Thirteen minutes before the interval, Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown challenged for the same ball in the penalty area, Ferdinand heading it in the air as Brown ploughed into him. It dropped to Walter Pandiani, whose volley thudded down off the crossbar and bounced on the line. Replays showed Dermot Gallagher was correct to ignore Pandiani’s appeals, but there is no doubt he would have benefited from a glance at a replay before making his decision.
THE OBSERVER - KEANE'S HALF CENTURY CALMS JANGLING NERVES
Roy Keane's first competitive goal in 15 months and Wayne Rooney's third in eight days brought United a victory in which they scarcely had to slip into second gear. As an example to back Sir Alex Ferguson's claim that United are currently playing the best football in the Premiership, it may have been an unconvincing display, but at least the result puts the pressure - such as it is - back on Chelsea for this afternoon's meeting with Manchester's other club.
The obvious and understandable mutual respect between Ferguson and his Birmingham counterpart, Steve Bruce, seemed to extend itself to their players in the early exchanges, the game lacking any real tempo or momentum, as the sides felt each other out. United, inevitably, enjoyed the bulk of possession, but there was enough work-rate and organisation on Birmingham's part to negate that.
That status quo might have altered considerably had Rooney been more fortunate with the first real chance of the contest, after 22 minutes. He towered above Kenny Cunningham to meet Rio Ferdinand's long ball and send a looping header goalwards, forcing Maik Taylor into a fingertip save, which turned the ball onto the post.
Rooney had looked strangely out of sorts until that point. Instead, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who looked the most likely candidate to take, or make, a goal. After seven minutes, his 25-yard free-kick was tipped over one-handed by Taylor, then the Portuguese winger controlled a loose clearance on the edge of the Blues' area and volleyed wide first time.
Just after the quarter-hour, Ronaldo's pass found Gabriel Heinze on the left wing and the defender's cross presented Louis Saha with two opportunities to get in a shot, neither of which he could accept. Finally, Rooney ended 20 sub-par minutes by neatly exchanging passes with Ryan Giggs but wasting a promising position by crossing into Taylor's hands, as United struggled to find the same dynamic streak that had won the day so impressively, and dramatically, at Highbury in midweek.
Indeed, Birmingham were not without the odd chance themselves, most spectacularly in the 33rd minute, when Ferdinand's misplaced defensive header fell for Walter Pandiani whose terrific snap volley beat Roy Carroll but not the woodwork, rebounding to safety from the underside of the crossbar. Mehdi Nafti's 35-yard shot had earlier whistled well wide, while Julian Gray's goalbound volley was intercepted by Ferdinand.
Man of the match: Cristiano Ronaldo He is still struggling to reach this sort of level on a consistent basis, but Ronaldo is getting there. There is no doubt that Sir Alex Ferguson is correct to get excited about the potential shown by the teenager. He laid on the first goal, and his persistence created the second. On top of his game, he may well be undefendable.
THE TELEGRAPH - SPECTRE OF GLAZER CATS PALL OVER OLD TRAFFORD
Despite a victory that helped Manchester United slightly close what is still a yawning gap at the top of the Premiership, officials and supporters were in sombre mood at the dark cloud hanging over their club. And it is not the threat posed to their title hopes by runaway leaders Chelsea but the news that sports magnate Malcolm Glazer is finally in position to launch a hostile takeover.
United and their fans had hoped they had seen off the American but now it seems that he has the £800 million he needs to buy the club through the funding by bankers JP Morgan. He could put in a formal bid by next month, shattering news for the world's biggest football team.
Before the game, the Shareholders United group handed out cards begging fans to back their anti-Glazer stance. They featured pictures of manager Sir Alex Ferguson and two of their all-time favourite players, Eric Cantona and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, under the heading: 'These three great men have taken a stand will you stand with them?' Cantona said: "If Glazer were to come here, we would lose everything", while Ferguson urged United fans to join the campaign. He said: "We don't want the club to be in anyone else's hands. Groups like Shareholders United can only be good for the game and I'd like fans to get involved".
For much of the game, United's players seemed unwilling even to get involved on the field. They had promised not to waste the benefits of their stirring victory at Arsenal in midweek but it was not one they looked likely to deliver on until Roy Keane came to the rescue.
Keane, a leader at Highbury both on the pitch and in the tunnel, continually drove his team forward and when he finally became exasperated with their finishing skills, set them on the way with his 50th goal for the club 10 minutes into the second half. It had been a 15 months wait since his 49th, against Portsmouth in November 2003.
Keane then seemed to fancy himself as a scorer, charging down a clearance and almost beating goalkeeper Maik Taylor. Birmingham should have learned from that but minutes later, 12 minutes from time, defender Kenny Cunningham attempted another back pass which was intercepted by Cristiano Ronaldo and though Taylor knocked his effort away, it allowed Wayne Rooney a simple chip in.
After demonstrating a swearing vocabulary worthy of Gordon Ramsay in midweek, Rooney has apparently been enrolled in anger management classes, even if his reported spending spree of £18,000 in an hour on Thursday suggested he might be better off joining fiancée Colleen McLoughlin in retail therapy.