Dom Forth Presents...

Michael Owen always wanted to win the Derby. For critics who felt the striker and racehorse owner dreamed only of Epsom, here was the ultimate in stinging, stylish ripostes. Football remains Owen’s obsession. Always a thoroughbred poacher of goals, Owen’s usefulness to Manchester United and England was thrillingly displayed here. Super-sub, super finish.

Cometh the 96th minute, cometh the man. As Mark Hughes screamed for the final whistle, as the Stretford End pleaded “attack, attack, attack’’ and Wayne Rooney hoisted another Garryowen into City’s box, Owen timed his run like a Nashwan or Mill Reef, galloping onto Ryan Giggs’ immaculate pass. Controlling the ball with outside of his right foot, Owen expertly threaded his shot past Shay Given. Welcome to Manchester.

Welcome to Mayhem. A fan ran on to the pitch, taking a whack from Craig Bellamy before being tackled by the stewards. Hughes fumed at the referee, Martin Atkinson, and the fourth official, Alan Wiley. Gary Neville celebrated with typical lack of diplomacy near the enraged away support. Carlos Tévez’s shoulders finally dropped. On the day that the Stretford End noisily revoked Tévez’s hero status, Owen was voted in as their newest idol. That famous No 7 shirt suited him...

Owen was taken to United hearts for embodying their DNA: a refusal to surrender. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side had dominated for much of this absorbing game yet City, resilience personified and inspired by the outstanding trio of Given, Nigel de Jong and Bellamy, kept fighting back, kept equalising. As the team who live closest to United, City should really know about their neighbours’ most celebrated quality. United never give up. From Nou Camp ’99 to Old Trafford ’09, injury time is their time.

Hughes moaned about Owen’s coup de grâce arriving after the four minutes had elapsed, but the additional time is always a “minimum’’.

Atkinson, whose intelligent application of the advantage rule added immeasurably to the game’s flow, had every right to extend the period to allow for City’s lengthy celebration after Bellamy made it 3-3 in the 90th minute.

For all the clock-watching frenzy, the bitter truth for Hughes is that United deserved victory. After a summer of scepticism about how they would cope without Cristiano Ronaldo, the champions have responded with the attacking brilliance of Rooney, the ageless grace and guile of Giggs, the hungry running of Patrice Evra and some authoritative midfield displays from Darren Fletcher. And Owen’s threat from the bench.

Questions persist about United’s lack of central creativity, about Rio Ferdinand’s mobility and Ben Foster’s occasional expensive lapses of judgement. All legitimate concerns. Yet United, traditionally slow out of the blocks, have still passed their major tests of the season, defeating Arsenal, Spurs and now City. “Cristiano who?’’ headlines would be premature, wrong and insulting. Ferguson’s players have simply reminded the world of the class that remained. Tévez has certainly not been missed. Every touch drew boos from the home hordes. City supporters, at their impudent, ironic best, chanted “Fergie, Fergie sign him up’’. Back came the taunt of “Fergie, Fergie ------ him off’’, a reference to how the manager reacted to Tévez’s financial demands.

To much merriment in the red corners, Tévez inadvertently set in motion the train of events leading to United’s opener. When Tévez conceded a throw-in, John O’Shea and Dimitar Berbatov worked the ball towards Rooney, who was denied by Micah Richards’s sliding challenge. Another throw-in, this time from Giggs, invited Evra to set up Rooney, whose shot sped past Given.

United were in control, City struggling to find a foothold. Wayne Bridge, England’s reserve left-back, gave the ball away so often it was almost comical. Heaven knows what Franco Baldini, Fabio Capello’s assistant, made of it. Pray that Ashley Cole stays fit? Promote Kieran Gibbs? Bridge was awful.

Similarly, Baldini can hardly have been impressed by Foster’s keeping in the 16th minute. Joleon Lescott’s modest forward pass should have been cleared, not dwelt on by Foster. Tévez pounced, rolling the ball inside to Gareth Barry, whose left foot duly punished Foster. As United’s keeper looked to the skies in frustration, the cameras rather cruelly panned to Edwin van der Sar in the stands. One bad error still cannot mask Foster’s promise.

Certain themes continued: De Jong winning the ball, Bridge losing it, Tévez shedding his few remaining friends here by clattering Ferdinand and City fans breathing defiance and humour. As the interval refreshments loomed, the visitors chorused “time for your sandwiches’’. United’s corporate classes almost choked on their prawns when Kolo Touré charged upfield in that runaway bullock way of his and set up Tévez, who was denied by the post. The Stretford End’s worst nightmare was averted.

As the Argentine walked towards the tunnel, the abuse intensified and an object was thrown at him. It missed Tévez, catching the City substitute Javier Garrido instead. The Premier League had appointed the right people to oversee this tense occasion: Atkinson and Wiley are both policemen.

The thin blue line was breached again moments into a second period that was long on time and emotion. Freed by Evra’s back-heel, Giggs wove his way into the box and lifted the ball across for Fletcher, jumping higher than Barry, to head in.

As United celebrated again, Hughes looked for the resolve in his side to shine through again. Barry now stood tall, exploiting some rare loose control by Evra to send Tévez scampering into the final third. Soon the ball was with Bellamy on the left. Soon United’s defence melted as a force. Again. Ji-sung Park and John O’Shea should have ganged up on Bellamy, at the very least shown him the line. The Welshman darted between them, arrowing towards the box before letting fly, the ball racing in past Foster. Glorious goal.

Smarting at a scoreboard showing City to be level, United stormed towards a baying Stretford End. Alert and athletic, Given kept defying them. If two saves from Berbatov headers were impressive, Given’s tip-over of a Giggs piledriver was truly magnificent. Giggs came calling again, delivering a free-kick that Fletcher nodded home with 10 minutes remaining.

Hughes’s gutsy side fought back. Again. Wright-Phillips was thwarted by Foster. Martin Petrov flashed a shot across goal. Alarmingly for Ferguson, his defence folded again, the culprit this time being Ferdinand, who inexplicably tried to scoop a pass forward. The ball was easily picked off by Petrov, who instantly sent Bellamy down the left, the Welshman racing away from Ferdinand and angling his shot past Foster.

But then came the hammer blows to City’s pride, first from Owen and then Ferguson, with his comment that this result might quieten their “noisy neighbours’’. Ferguson needn’t have bothered. For all City’s promise under Hughes, United showed they remain the big noise in Manchester. Thanks to Owen. He who laughs last, laughs loudest.

By Henry Winter at Old Trafford
Published: 10:26PM BST 20 Sep 2009
Daily Telegraph, UK