Bolton 2-2 Manchester United: Daily Mirror match report
Published 23:00 26/09/10 By David Anderson
Considering he had just come off the bench to save Manchester United with his third goal in two games, Michael Owen was hardly a picture of joy.
With his deft header, which was his 200th club goal in England, he had proved that United have at least one English striker who is on form.
But Owen’s overriding feeling as he reflected on what has been his best week at Old Trafford for many a month, was one of disappointment.
Despite the plaudits for United showing character in twice battling back at the inhospitable Reebok to maintain their unbeaten start, Owen knew this was two points dropped rather than one gained.
OK, United may have leapfrogged Arsenal into second and closed the gap on Chelsea to three points, but it was still an opportunity missed after they failed to capitalise fully on their two rivals losing 24 hours earlier.
Owen said: “It’s a tough place to come, but we created enough chances and dominated most of the game so we’re disappointed just to get a point today.
“I prefer my goal to be a milestone than not be and scoring goals has always been part of my career, but it is tinged with a bit of disappointment at not getting three points.
“The mood in the dressing room is one of frustration. We wanted to get the three points and with the way the results went at the weekend, it was an opportunity to work and close that gap at the top, but it wasn’t to be.
“We were helped by a few nice results for us and when you don’t capitalise on it fully, then it leaves a disappointment. There’s next week now we’ve got to focus on. It’s a long season and we’ve only just started. We’re disappointed, but we will bounce back.”
For all his evident frustration, Owen should take comfort from what has been a great four days for him personally. He delivered a timely reminder to Sir Alex Ferguson that he is a great alternative should he decide he needs to take the off-colour Wayne Rooney out of the firing line.
He followed up his double at Scunthorpe with a real poacher’s effort against Bolton within three minutes of coming on and only Dimitar Berbatov has scored more goals for United this season.
Yet it would have been unjust on Bolton if they had finished empty-handed and they deserved at least a point from this pulsating encounter.
Owen Coyle has made Bolton more expansive and this made for an open and entertaining match as both sides got the ball down and played.
It was not a day for defences and Patrice Evra was caught out of position on six minutes when the excellent Martin Petrov sent over a corner from the left for Zat Knight to touch the ball home with the Frenchman not marking the far post correctly.
It was end to end stuff and Jussi Jaaskelainen saved Ryan Giggs’ shot from Darren Fletcher’s pull-back before Sam Ricketts ran half the length of the pitch to hit a shot, which was well held by Edwin van der Sar.
Nani maintained his impressive recent form when he equalised for United on 23 minutes with a fine solo effort.
Owen Coyle was not pleased with his defence as they parted like the Red Sea for Moses in the shape of Nani to advance unchallenged into the area, where he fired home.
Both sides had more chances to score and Johan Elmander, who finally looks a player under Coyle, barged his way through before hitting a shot which was deflected wide and then Nemanja Vidic headed wide from Giggs’ corner.
Rooney’s latest frustrating afternoon came to an end on 61 minutes when Fergie hauled him off, supposedly because of an ankle injury, although he did not look in too much trouble when he came off.
Within seconds, Rooney’s replacement Federico Macheda, linked well with Berbatov and the Bulgarian’s powerful shot was parried by Jaaskelainen.
Petrov restored Bolton’s lead on 67 minutes when Chung-Yong Lee crossed to Elmander who laid the ball out to the Bulgarian on the left and he cut inside Ji-Sung Park before smashing the ball home right-footed off Fletcher.
For all of Elmander’s hard work, he should have sealed the win on 73 minutes when he beat Vidic all ends up before blazing over in the game’s deciding moment.
A minute later, Nani played in a free-kick from the left and Owen brilliantly glanced home his header off the inside of the far post.
Both sides could have snatched it and Nani and Elmander flashed efforts across the goal.
A draw was just about right and the reaction of both managers at the final whistle spoke volumes about who was happier. Coyle walked on to the pitch to applaud the home fans and soak up their adulation, while Fergie disappeared down the tunnel without even a word for MUTV.
