Manchester United are out of the FA Cup.
It’s hard to get worked up about this even when the defeat came at the hands of old nemesis, Liverpool. United clearly weren’t up to the task and Reina had the easiest of matches. It was depressing to see United resort to punting the ball upfield in order to bypass the Liverpool-dominated midfield. If Ferguson needed any additional incentive to put a midfield-dominating player on the shopping list this summer, this match will have provided it.
The most notable moment about the entire encounter from United’s point of view was towards the end of the match when Alan Smith suffered a serious injury as he charged down a shot by Riise. You know it’s particularly bad when a player as tough as Smith puts his hands to his face.
The League Cup now represents United’s only realistic chance of silverware this season. It may lack the prestige of other competitions but it should at least provide Rooney an opportunity to win the first winner’s medal of his career. He would definitely deserve it.
