Cristiano Will Always Be CR7: Down with Blue, Up with Roo

Well well well...for those who predicted dire straits for the Reds this season, last Wednesday's dramatic victory at Old Trafford over the "other side" of Manchester must have been a kick in the gut. With our defensive woes (injuries to the max), loss of Ronny, and the anti-Glazer movement in full-swing, the pundits were almost sure that City would finally end its 33-year trophyless drought. A banner hangs in the upper deck at Old Trafford which marks the years that City has been gloryless. New City boss Roberto Mancini vowed before this tie that his team would tear down the banner! Well, as you can see...

...it's still there

Why? The Reds won 4-3 on aggregate to send the Blues home in the Carling Cup. Now, United will play for the cup (which it holds currently) against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium.
The match was a thriller, with oldtimer Paul Scholes starting off the scoring, followed by Michael Carrick. This put United up by one on aggregate and bound for Wembley. But a circus caravan overturned on the M16 and a band of trolls got loose. One scored for City in the 76th minute, which left the agg tied at 3.
The thought of extra time and penalty kicks made me sick to my stomach and just as I was about to write off a win (idiotic for a true Reds fan), the Roo headed home a corner by the future Sir Ryan Giggs and the crowd went wild.
There's nothing like a derby, and the windup to this one was most acrimonious. With the Troll/Neville dispute, Rio getting a ban for violent conduct (he played anyway and now has a four-match suspension), and the Manchester police asking for calm, the match was almost over-shadowed.
My only tsk tsk would go to the idiots in Red who threw missiles (coins and plastic bottles) at Craig Bellamy. This isn't proper fan behavior (although it WAS Craig who pummeled a Reds fan, who was being held by three men, earlier in the year). The Welshman has a huge temper and was baiting the fans all night. But, you don't have to throw things at him. His punishment is he has to play for City...and that's enough!

I have a few choice pics from the match...enjoy!