~Roma 2006/ 07~
Another great night for United in Europe occurred in April 2007. It remains the biggest winning margin by any team at the quarter final stage in the Champions League. Roma under the tutelage of Luciano Spalletti played very attractive football. He had a great impact on the club, he guided them to a top five place, with them having been at lowly fifteenth at one stage. At the end of this 2006/07 season his team finished second and won the Coppa Italia. In the first leg of the fixture on April the 4th United were beaten 2-1 on the night. It was an evening where there was trouble in the crowd and Paul Scholes was sent off (deservedly) early on for two customary late challenges. It left United down to ten for a good hour of the match. Roma took an early lead through Taddei’s deflected shot. United through Wayne Rooney brought the match back level, it was Rooney’s first goal in Europe for three years. Mirko Vucinic now of Juventus and a player United have been linked with struck to put Roma two ahead. The goal came from a rare error from Van der Sar where he failed to deal with Mancini’s shot properly, leaving the Montenegrin with an easy tap in. United in the end were quite lucky that the score stayed at 2-1 as a volley from Perrotta and shot from Totti were too close for comfort.
The return leg was played on the 10th of April 2007. The fixture in the league just before this was a 2-1 loss away to Portsmouth. Roma had played well in the first leg, Francesco Totti in particular. Fans weren’t feeling completely confident about the game. The team United fielded that night was- Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Heinze, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Rooney, Smith. Evra, Solskjaer and Richardson all came on as subs in the second half. United certainly came out of the blocks fast with Michael Carrick scoring a curler after just twelve minutes. Five minutes after Carrick’s opener Alan Smith scored. Another followed two minutes later, this time by Wayne Rooney. Rooney finished off a lovely move as United carved Roma wide open. Going in at half time United were winning 4-0 with Ronaldo adding a solo effort and a tap in at the far post. Michael Carrick on the hour mark hit another long ranger. Following his goal, Roma seemed to think they ought to get one too. De Rossi’s effort sailed passed Van der Sar. A rare goal or what can considered to be a collectors item by Patrice Evra, rounded off the night. United were just scintillating that evening, it was just like a dream. Every one of the goals scored in the match was spectacular, which doesn’t often happen- even rarer seeing as there were seven of them! Relentless and the quality of the football played was just so high, as was the pace the team played at. The Italian league is played at a much slower pace to the Premier League and it looked very clear that it was something Roma struggled with. Though he didn’t get on the score sheet Ryan Giggs was very much the orchestrator in the destruction of Roma, he directly assisted four of the seven goals. It was a standout night for Ronaldo and Carrick in particular but it was certainly an occasion that every single player was excellent.
This match was a sure sign that Manchester United were back, it was a big message to the other clubs in England and indeed Europe. The match was a highlight of a great, great season that seen United win back the league after a period of transition and a dominance of the London clubs, initially Arsenal but then it was all about Chelsea. This four year period without a league title put a-lot of pressure onto Ferguson and the players . The team played fantastic football this season, brilliant counter-attacking and very exciting to watch. Louis Saha, Ronaldo and Rooney combined well - their pace and other attributes a nightmare for teams to defend against. New signing Michael Carrick settled in well and had an excellent first season alongside a returning Paul Scholes. Scholes had, had an injury scare and his own form had taken a bit of a dip in seasons just before this one. It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s coming of age season. He was just incredible, he came out with a point to prove following the fall outs at the World Cup. Remembered well is the abuse he got in every away ground in England. His character came to the fore and he was utterly unplayable. The whole season of 2006/07 will always have a special place and as for Roma- what a game!
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