Manchester United 4 Derby County 2 (United win 4-3 on aggregate):GOOD NEWS for Manchester United sometimes arrives before the last minute. Three first-half goals took the drama out of this contest, and two late replies were not enough to provide Nigel Clough with a first win since stepping into the Derby dugout and deny the home side a third English League Cup final in eight years.
Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Derby’s first-leg performance in the programme and described this fixture as an immense night for both clubs, though he still named several reserves.
He obviously trusted United Lite to do better this time, and he was not mistaken, even if he would have been perturbed by the double error from Darron Gibson in the opening minutes that allowed Kris Commons to remind everyone how dangerous his left foot can be.
United needed no reminding, as Commons had scored the goal that separated the teams, though Ben Foster did not play in the first leg and the goalkeeper was relieved to see a 25-yard effort fly narrowly wide of his right post.
United struggled to impress for the first 15 minutes, yet when they did strike it was definitely worth the wait. Nani has rarely come up with the spectacular this season, indeed fans have been complaining he has started to go backwards after early promise. So he settled the argument conclusively with a 30-yard screamer that left Roy Carroll clutching at air.
Arguably the Derby defence should have got tighter to him when he picked up the ball on halfway, and while finding space in the Premier League is not usually a simple matter of stepping round Gary Teale either, Nani still deserves credit for trusting his instincts when a shot suggested itself. He just went for it, and Carroll was stranded as soon as the ball left his boot.
A second United goal just eight minutes later suggested defence may be the area Clough needs to look at most urgently, especially as Derby were still streaming out to catch John O’Shea offside as he was turning to beat Carroll.
O’Shea was clearly onside as he collected Danny Welbeck’s pass, and being left on his own to compose himself for a shot only made his job easier.
There was more of a suspicion of offside when Carlos Tevez made it three just past the half-hour, though having been judged level there was never any danger of the striker missing with a header from Rafael’s cross.
Elegant and energetic, Rafael almost scored himself just before the interval, firing into the side netting after a return pass from Ryan Giggs. The Brazilian teenager seemed to strain something in the process, however, and had to make way for Darren Fletcher before the first half was complete.
United continued to dominate in the second half despite Derby’s introduction of Robbie Savage. Carroll’s fingertips kept out a Ryan Giggs free kick, Tevez had a goal ruled out for a borderline offside and Welbeck could well have scored but for a trip that went unnoticed.
It was not all United: Commons went close when he met Rob Hulse’s cross at the near post, only for the ball to trickle agonisingly across the goalmouth.
All the same, it was a surprise to see Cristiano Ronaldo enter the fray for the last half-hour. One would have thought, with the game as good as won, he might have been allowed the night off to rest up for Tottenham in the FA Cup on Saturday. The Portuguese went to play centre-forward with Welbeck replacing Giggs on the wing, and the decision appeared even odder when Gary Neville made way after 67 minutes to allow 18-year-old James Chester to make his debut.
But what had seemed straightforward at half-time became complicated when substitute Giles Barnes came on to score twice for Derby, both from set-pieces. The first was from the penalty spot, after Jonny Evans fouled Paul Green, and the second, in stoppage-time, a delicious free-kick from just outside the area.
In between, however, United had sealed victory with a penalty of their own, awarded for Carroll’s foul on Tevez and converted by Ronaldo.
Guardian Service
MAN UTD: Foster, Rafael Da Silva (Fletcher 42), Neville (Chester 67), Evans, O'Shea, Nani, Gibson, Anderson, Giggs (Ronaldo 58), Welbeck, Tevez. Subs not used: Kuszczak, Tosic, Scholes, Possebon. Booked: Rafael Da Silva, Fletcher.
DERBY: Carroll, Connolly, Albrechtsen, Todd (Barazite 62), Stewart, Teale, Addison, Green, Davies (Savage 46), Commons (Barnes 68), Hulse. Subs not used: Bywater, Villa, Nyatanga, Hines. Booked: Addison, Green, Carroll.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral).
