Van Nistelrooy urges United to rise above ‘crazy’ defeat
After being left on the bench by Alex Ferguson, Van Nistelrooy could only watch in horror as United committed defensive suicide and allowed Blackburn to gain maximum revenge for their Carling Cup semi-final defeat by the Red Devils.
Van Nistelrooy was introduced at the interval and responded with a brace which ultimately proved insufficient to trigger a United comeback, but still saw him move four clear of Thierry Henry in the battle for the Premiership’s golden boot award.
The prolific Dutchman now has 18 league goals to his name, and 21 in all competitions, taking him on to an incredible 147 career goals for United. But the impressive statistics are little consolation for the 29-year-old, who is struggling to come to terms with how such a one-sided contest could have ended up with such an illogical scoreline.
“I have never played in a game like that,” he groaned. “Blackburn did not get one chance in the first-half, yet they scored three goals. The last goal of their four was a good one, but the rest were just presents. I cannot believe we lost. It is just crazy really.”
While the £12m arrivals of Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic were supposed to reinforce United’s defence, the Red Devils appear to be having a few teething troubles as the new boys adjust to life in the Premiership. Not even as staunch a defender of his players as Ferguson could find any excuse for the chronic lack of communication between Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar which gifted Blackburn their crucial second.
It was the start of a bad night for Ferdinand, who was sent off for the first time in his career when he followed up an initial booking by skidding into Robbie Savage with his foot raised.
Ferdinand claimed afterwards he never touched the Blackburn man, even though he was subsequently stretchered off.
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