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Saha fires Utd to League Cup final
(CNN)
Updated: 2006-01-27 10:55
Manchester United will face Wigan in next month's League Cup final after
Louis Saha struck his fifth goal in the competition to clinch a 2-1 win over
Blackburn.
Wayne Rooney-inspired United certainly deserved to earn a shot at securing
the first piece of silverware of the Malcolm Glazer era.
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Dutch marksman Van
Nistelrooy fires United in front at Old Trafford.
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The decisive goal came courtesy of Saha in the 51st minute after Steven Reid
had cancelled out Ruud van Nistelrooy's early strike for the home side.
It was a significantly more attractive encounter than the 1-1 draw between
the two sides in the first leg at Ewood Park, albeit one disfigured by an
apparent fracas in the tunnel at the end of the first half.
United's start could scarcely have been better, van Nistelrooy capitalising
on an error by Blackburn defender Michael Gray to claim his 19th goal of the
season in the eighth minute.
Even with Ryan Giggs forced off with what looked like hamstring trouble after
less than a quarter of an hour, United continued to control proceedings with a
considerable degree of comfort.
But the home side's composure was shattered by the equaliser Blackburn
managed to conjure from nothing in the 32nd minute.
United's back four failed to deal decisively with a cross from Gray from the
left and, after Kieran Richardson's attempted clearance clattered into Wes
Brown, Reid was left with a clear sight of goal.
The full-back's shot was directed almost straight at Edwin van der Sar but it
had sufficient pace to slither under the United goalkeeper's body.
Blackburn were back on level terms but United continued to hold the
initiative and it took a couple of superb stops from U.S. keeper Brad Friedel to
prevent van Nistelrooy from adding to his tally either side of the interval.
The first came from a spot-kick, awarded somewhat dubiously for what looked
like an involuntary hand-ball by the Blackburn defender Zurab Khizanishvili as
he closed down van Nistelrooy.
The second will be a contender for save of the season, the Blackburn keeper
flinging himself to his left to palm away a textbook downward header from the
Dutchman that seemed destined for the corner of the net.
Within two minutes however Friedel found himself picking the ball out of the
net after being beaten by Saha.
Good work by Darren Fletcher, who robbed Blackburn's midfield pivot Tugay 40
yards out, allowed Rooney to run into space on the right of the area and his
cutback cross was met by Saha with a volley that spun off the outside of his
left boot and into the side of the net to Friedel's right.
If it was intentional it was a goal to equal the quality of the goalkeeper's
save minutes earlier.
Friedel completed a hat-trick of superb saves from van Nistelrooy in the 68th
minute after Rooney sprung Blackburn's offside trap.
With the only goalkeeper to beat from just inside the area, United's top
scorer was thwarted by the reflexes, and the left arm, of the veteran
goalkeeper.
Four minutes of injury time ensured some tense moments for the 61,636-strong
crowd but Blackburn's forwards were never able to match the quality of their
goalkeeper.
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