Can you beat that!
When Wayne Rooney hit the ball on the half volley from just inside the halfway line, it took my mind back to a former Spurs player, Nayim, doing a similar thing in the 1995 Cup Winners Cup Final for Zaragoza against Arsenal.
That was the winning goal coming deep in extra time, and although Rooney's strike was in the first half, the euphoric reactions from his teammates and coaching staff alike were akin to the wild celebrations of the Spaniards some 19 years ago.
A great strike indeed, as Manchester United brought freshness and variety to Upton Park. In total control especially in midfield (a rare occurrence this season), the Red Devils could also count on the calmness and composure of Michael Carrick filling in at central defence.
A few articles ago, this column suggested a similar position for Carrick in the England team for Brazil 2014.
Carrick may not be the speediest, nor win any "most likely to get stuck in" awards, but his sense of positioning and reading of the game makes him perfectly suited for the role of a sweeper.
At Stamford Bridge, the game between Chelsea and Arsenal was over as a contest in the first ten minutes. Forget the case of mistaken identity, it was all over when Chelsea sliced open the Arsenal midfield for two quick goals.
The sending-off by Andre Marriner was curious to say the least. So confident in singling out Kieran Gibbs for handball (plot twist: it wasn't him), there was no hint of hesitation in brandishing a red card despite Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's (the real culprit) attempts to reason.
They should be more careful, these footballers - trying to reason with a referee? Who do players think they are? The gall of it all.
It was the 1,000th game for Arsene Wenger, and I salute his loyalty to football development and playing philosophy, but to look at the team against Chelsea is to realise the fatal flaw in Wenger's match-day setup - the lack of balance in midfield was diabolical.
Contrast that to Jose Mourinho starting with David Luiz and Nemanja Matic in central midfield, and it was easy to see how Arsenal would be overpowered down the middle.
Why Mathieu Flamini, an individual who should be an automatic choice in midfield slugfests, started on the bench is a mystery; perhaps Wenger thought he could take the game to Chelsea, and for the first 3 minutes it certainly seemed that way.
Oliver Giroud had a glorious opportunity to give Arsenal an early led, but his weak shot across Petr Cech's body was comfortably pushed aside.
No "weak foot" excuses this time, he simply failed to strike the ball well enough with only the keeper to beat.
"It could have been so different" would be an unfortunately apt description of Wenger's last six seasons as manager, the players letting him down on big occasions being one constant thorn in his side.
The one player Wenger has never truly replaced is Patrick Vieira, and the return of Mathieu Flamini addressed that issue to a certain extent earlier this season, but to trust Mikel Arteta to be an enforcer is just beyond reason.
Arteta has featured in the deep lying midfield role once too often - the 5-1 defeat against Liverpool being another example showing how Arteta is simply incapable of performing the role of holding midfielder all by himself.
Horses for courses? Just ask Mourinho.
Defence? Who needs 'em!
It was fun and games in Cardiff City as Liverpool, the great entertainers despite not starting main clown Kolo Toure, managed to let in three goals and still pull off a victory.
The truly world class Luis Suarez once again shows why he is the best striker in the world.
Player of the season by a mile (and most certainly in the conversation for the Best Player in Europe award), Suarez certainly deserves a gong sooner rather than later.
And whoever thought Mousa Dembele is better suited to a playmaker's role for Tottenham Hotspur better think again. Described as "strong on the ball", the number eight position requires guile and agility.
Dembele is too slow physically (his bulky frame being a hindrance in that role) and too slow of thought when asked to pull the strings alongside Nabil Bentaleb against Southampton.
It was supposed to be a master stroke from former manager Andre Villas Boas, converting Dembele from a second striker into a hotshot playmaker. However, Tim Sherwood has to realise he can use Dembele as a target man in the absence of Emmanuel Adebayor.
Dembele can hold it up with his back to goal, shrug off a couple of challenges and deliver a venomous shot, but will never have the vision to dominate in central midfield.
Time and again, we have seen Dembele struggle in an area where lithe-ness of thought and foot is vital. Spurs labour when Dembele plays in midfield and Gylfi Sigurdsson made a world of difference when he came on.
The legend of Christian Eriksen is growing, despite being shunted onto the wings. This man has such intelligence on the ball and awareness of space without it.
He is a great player already showing that Spurs need to build the team around him. It would seem that he indeed is the attacking midfielder to take Tottenham Hotspur forward.
And now for El Clasico, and boy, did Real Madrid and Barcelona serve up a classic.
It certainly was a classic in every sense of the word! All the ingredients were present - goals galore, dodgy refereeing, disgusting play acting and the perennial red card for Sergio Ramos.
Oh, and the football was impressive too.
We have often spoken about the "extra man" that Cesc Fabregas makes in attack and in midfield. And in this Clasico, he made the difference, allowing Barcelona to overload in defence, midfield and attack. His movement kept Real's Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric occupied hence allowing Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets to dictate.
Real Madrid had the forceful running of Angel di Maria making a difference, but Ronaldo and Gareth Bale could only play peripheral parts in what was ultimately the Leo Messi show.
Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick, with two brilliantly taken penalties and a flowing move with Neymar that allowed him to slot home past Diego Lopez while surrounded by three Madrid defenders.
Andres Iniesta's rasping goal was the culmination of a vintage Barcelona build-up move, and it was encouraging to see Barcelona dig deep once going 2-1 down, with all momentum pointing to a comprehensive Real Madrid win.
Karim Benzema, despite two well taken goals, should have had a hat-trick at least and will be disappointed with his finishing at times.
The legend of Messi grows despite some extra weight around the hips. And Neymar will have to adapt without Messi at the World Cup. Neymar showed ability on the ball and willingness to make runs as Messi always found him. Will there be a Brazilian in midfield who will spot the runs and make those penetrative passes?
I can only think of one, Kaka. – March 25, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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