As the tournament's defending champions, Manchester United automatically qualified for the Champions League group stage as top seeds. What the Reds didn't welcome, however, was being 2–0 down at half-time, with Darren Bent and Luka Modrić having taken advantage of two showings of poor defending by United. The second half was fairly forgettable, with few points of note. Viber; [57] The replay between Derby and Forest was played on 4 February, and ended with Derby winning 3–2 to set up a third cup clash between Derby and United in the space of two months. [59], Immediately after the match against Derby, the Sixth Round draw handed United an away tie with Swansea City or Fulham. Dimitar Berbatov was unable to fully recover from his virus, but was named on the bench for United, while Wayne Rooney was rewarded for his semi-final brace with a place in the starting line-up, meaning that the trio of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez all started the match. United performed poorly throughout, with the exception of the first ten minutes and Sir Alex Ferguson admitted after the game that Barcelona had been the better side in the final. The score remained at 1–0 until ten minutes after half-time, when Berbatov finally put the ball in the back of the net after pouncing on a mistake by Thomas Augustinussen. United then went 2–0 up on the stroke of half-time, Giggs delivering another right-sided corner, this time for Cristiano Ronaldo to nod in. A usually tricky game for the Reds ended with a comfortable 2–0 away win, thanks to goals either side of half-time. The match finished at 1–1, a result that United will look on as two points dropped, but deserved for not having killed the game off earlier. The Welshman's goal lifted him into 10th in the club's all-time list of goalscorers. Robinho blazed well wide from a good position for City, while Tevez hit the post from a matter of inches late on. The Blackburn players believed that the goal should not have been allowed to stand, as Nemanja Vidić impeded goalkeeper Jason Brown from getting to the ball, but referee Steve Bennett allowed it to stand. Carrick attempted to stay on his feet, but when United were unable to gain an advantage, referee Mark Halsey pointed to the penalty spot; Ronaldo converted the resulting penalty kick to open the scoring. Paul Scholes was injured in the 15th minute and was replaced by Ryan Giggs, who immediately played in Wayne Rooney for the first goal of the game. Replay of this fantastic football game. United started the game at the Estádio do Dragão in impressive fashion and scored an away goal of their own after just six minutes when a powerful strike from just short of 40 yards from Cristiano Ronaldo flew past goalkeeper Helton and into the top corner. Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney entered the game during the second half, but when United finally got their equaliser, it was neither the Bulgarian nor the Englishman who scored it. Inter came out stronger in the second half, and looked much more of a threat through Esteban Cambiasso, but United continued to search for that elusive away goal to take back to Old Trafford, and almost got it through Park Ji-sung, whose outstretched legs just missed Ronaldo's low pass across the face of goal. With one eye on the Champions League round of 16 tie against Internazionale the following Tuesday, Alex Ferguson rested Edwin van der Sar and Nemanja Vidić, and played Tomasz Kuszczak and Jonny Evans in their stead. The scoreline remained the same for the next half-hour, and although it looked like Morten Gamst Pedersen may have been pulled back by Rafael in the penalty area late in the game, the referee deemed it not to be a foul and United held on for the win. Van der Sar was back in goal, having missed the previous two games (the League game against Blackburn and the League Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur). United won the coin toss and selected the penalties to be taken at the end where their fans were situated, and also took the first penalty. The home side then scored two goals in quick succession, Ronaldo shooting through Carson's legs for the first before Berbatov stabbed home his first League goal for United following a cross from substitute Nani. The match was slow and had few shots on target from either side, although United ran out 2–0 winners, with both goals coming in the first half. But Rooney and Giggs combined with a neat one-two and the former smashed an equalizer past Valdes. The scoring continued after the break, Ronaldo heading home Ryan Giggs' right-sided corner kick three minutes into the second half. Fletcher then made it 4–1 in the 78th, before Rooney doubled his personal tally in the 79th. [56], The Fifth Round draw was held on 25 January 2009, and United were drawn against either Derby County or Nottingham Forest. Giggs then tricked his way through the Inter defence on the edge of the area, only to be denied by Iván Córdoba's lunging block, before Wayne Rooney – thrown on as an 83rd-minute substitute – was denied by the legs of Júlio César. [78], The final match in the group was played on 10 December 2008, with a depleted United side facing Aalborg at Old Trafford. [21] This was followed up by a narrow 1–0 win over Portsmouth on 25 August. [65], The Fourth Round draw paired United with Queens Park Rangers, with the match to be played at Old Trafford on 11 November 2008. [45], On 5 April, after an international break, United defeated Aston Villa 3–2 at home. Despite having several players out through injury, Alex Ferguson was able to name a fairly strong starting XI, including a fit-again Rio Ferdinand, starting his first match since the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup Final in December. Força Barça. Mondial des clubs 90min : Le Barça de Pep Guardiola version 2008-2009. On 27 May, United lost to Barcelona 2–0 in the final following goals from Samuel Eto'o after 10 minutes (the Catalans' first attempt on goal) and Lionel Messi 20 minutes from time. La saison 2008-2009 du FC Barcelone est la 110e depuis la fondation du club. This was the first time since 2005 that United had lost two consecutive league games. With 15 minutes to go, Darren Fletcher was sent-off by referee Roberto Rosetti for bringing down Cesc Fàbregas in the penalty area, despite replays showing that Fletcher made contact with the ball first. A Paul Scholes handball in the 90th minute resulted in his second yellow card of the game, meaning that he would miss the Red Devils' opening UEFA Champions League match against Villarreal. There were few chances in the second half, the major incident being the sending-off of Joan Capdevila for raising his studs when going into a challenge on Ronaldo. Within two minutes, Modrić had doubled Spurs' lead, scoring close in after Aaron Lennon's cross had beaten Ferdinand. Unhappy at being a goal down, Ferguson turned to his big guns, Rooney and Ronaldo, just after the hour mark, and the latter hit a free kick just past the post in the closing stages. Shortly before half-time, an effort from Cristiano Ronaldo was tipped onto the crossbar by the fingertips of López, leaving the woodwork rattling. Revive el partido completo FC Barcelona vs. Manchester United de Final de la Champions League de 2008-2009 celebrado en Stadio Olimpico (Roma) en Footballia The two were pronounced fit an hour before kick-off, but, despite defence being the hot topic before the game, it was the United attack that did most of the talking during the first half. [81], The first leg of the tie was played on 24 February 2009, with the major talking point being the fitness of United defenders Jonny Evans and John O'Shea. United got a goal back twelve minutes after the restart, via a controversial penalty. 7:45pm, Tuesday 29th April 2008. Le feuilleton Pogba part dans tous les sens ! [73], The final was played at Wembley Stadium on 1 March. ... 28/04/2008 Live United bullish about Barcelona test. [5], The game was played at a good tempo and both teams had several chances to score. Park then settled the game with a decisive strike low into the bottom corner. Alex Ferguson handed debuts to both Rodrigo Possebon and Rafael during the game. It took until the 73rd minute for QPR to have their first attempt on goal, but it amounted to nothing and, minutes later, Danny Welbeck was brought down in the box by Peter Ramage. With United looking to avoid a third-straight Premier League defeat for the first time in four years, Ronaldo scored an equaliser on 80 minutes to set up a frantic finale to the match. The match soon swung back the other way, but it took until the 35th minute for United to get on the scoresheet; Ryan Giggs sent over a cross, and Carlos Tevez beat Aaron Mokoena to the ball to head home. Historique des rencontres. [62] United drew Everton in the semi-finals to be played at Wembley Stadium on 19 April.[63]. United continued to press in the first 20 minutes and began to dominate the game, although Porto came back into the match as the first half progressed. However, his clean sheet record finally came to an end after just 9 minutes as Peter Løvenkrands opened the scoring for Newcastle. 27/05/2009 Live Ferdinand ready to step into greatness. The Reds' onslaught had stunned Tottenham and to add insult to injury, ex-Spurs player Berbatov scored United's fifth eight minutes after Rooney's second. The last two decent chances of the game fell to United; first to Ronaldo, who headed just wide from Nani's left-wing cross, and then to Jonny Evans, who headed against the foot of the post after Ronaldo crossed in from the right. [8], The team then left for South Africa to play in the 2008 Vodacom Challenge. Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on BT Sport: "I have to say Lionel Messi is top quality and he was the difference of course. United started well, with Wayne Rooney forcing Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia into a save within the first two minutes. Berbatov almost won the game for United in the final moments, but his shot on the turn went fractionally past the post and the match finished at 1–1. The second half started brightly, and Dimitar Berbatov scored what proved to be the winner just before the hour mark after Taylor mis-hit a back-pass. Park had slotted the ball into an empty net after playing a one-two with Cristiano Ronaldo, but Ronaldo was judged to have been ahead of the last defender when Park played the ball through. [14] Upon their return from Africa, the Manchester United team was involved in Ole Gunnar Solskjær's testimonial on 2 August 2008. The score reached 3–0 just after the half-hour mark, as Carlos Tevez nodded home from close range after Derby's defence failed to deal with a cross from Rafael. Both sides remained scoreless after 89 minutes, with Bolton keeper Jussi Jääskeläinen making several terrific saves and Van der Sar challenged by a Fabrice Muamba long-range shot. The Official site of the Barça Foundation. [76], The return game against Celtic was played two weeks later on 5 November. Both sides started the match in an attacking mindset, with United posing the slightly greater threat, and it was they who opened the scoring in the 22nd minute through Dimitar Berbatov; the Bulgarian exchanged passes with Michael Carrick before firing across Scott Carson into the far corner of the West Brom goal. Tevez's hat-trick came in the 54th minute, as he rounded off a brilliant team goal, orchestrated by Ryan Giggs and Anderson. The flagship Barça school. Obafemi Martins should have put Newcastle 2–0 up, but he slid his shot wide and was made to pay as Wayne Rooney slotted home midway through the first half, which ended 1–1. Hugo Rodallega opened the scoring for Wigan in the 28th minute when he hit a shot past Edwin van der Sar at the near post. The first goal did end up going United's way, however, as Giggs picked out Nemanja Vidić from a corner kick for the Serbian to head into the back of the net. But Ronaldo wasted the opportunity by side-footing wide from the spot. [60] The replay between Swansea and Fulham was played on 24 February, with Fulham coming back from a goal down to win 2–1 and set United up with a trip to Craven Cottage on 7 March. Share Video. United settled into their characteristic passing rhythm, but the two sides went into half-time still at 0–0. Their reward for their dominance came shortly before the half-hour; the ball was worked across the face of the penalty area to Nani, who cut back inside and curled a shot past Stephen Bywater for the opening goal. [16] This match was followed by two more friendlies; first, a 2–0 win over Peterborough United, managed by Sir Alex's son and former United player Darren, on 4 August at London Road Stadium, and then a 0–0 draw against Italian giants Juventus at Old Trafford on 6 August.[17]. [3] In December 2008, the club became the first English side to win the FIFA Club World Cup when they beat LDU Quito 1–0 in the final. Manchester United entered the FA Cup at the Third Round stage, and were paired with Southampton at the draw on 30 November 2008. As usual, Alex Ferguson rested many of his bigger names, opting for a mixture of youth and experience for the game. Carlos Tevez scored his penalty to give United a 2–0 lead, followed by a successful penalty from Vedran Ćorluka for Spurs. Shortly after the break, Vidić was involved in an altercation with LDU midfielder Claudio Bieler; Bieler first committed a foul on Vidić, but while the two were grounded, Vidić lashed out at Bieler with an elbow. United got off to a strong start with Carlos Tevez scoring in the third minute, but an own goal by Wes Brown in the 27th minute and a goal by Liverpool winger Ryan Babel in the 77th sealed United's fate. During the second half, Carrick looked to have won another penalty for United when he was knocked to the ground by Joleon Lescott, but Halsey turned away the Red Devils' appeals. Teaching Barça values to boys and girls. However, Tottenham were not out of the game and Aaron Lennon brought another good save from Foster just a few minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo was harshly booked for diving in the penalty area. The Red Devils retained the 2008 FA Community Shield 3–1 on penalties against 2007–08 FA Cup winners Portsmouth after the match finished 0–0 after 90 minutes on 10 August. 5.5k. The fixture was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dons winning the European Cup Winners' Cup, for which Ferguson himself was the manager. The Argentine then placed the ball past Aalborg's goalkeeper, Karim Zaza, with the outside of his right foot to score the quickest Champions League goal of the season to date. Cristiano Ronaldo scored an early first-half goal to give United the lead, only for John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor to put Villa 2–1 in front. A late injury time winner by debutant Federico Macheda won the match for United and took them back to the top of the League after Liverpool had briefly led, having beaten Fulham 1–0 the day before. United started the match brightly and took the lead on 23 minutes when Park Ji-sung was brought down in the penalty area by Pepe Reina and referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot, where Cristiano Ronaldo converted the penalty kick to Reina's right. [4] Two months later, on 1 March 2009, the club added the 2008–09 League Cup to their trophy cabinet with a 4–1 penalty shootout win over Tottenham Hotspur after a goalless 120 minutes in the final. Ten minutes later, Wayne Rooney equalised in a less debatable fashion, hitting in a shot at Gomes' near post after Dimitar Berbatov and Rafael had combined well. Cristiano Ronaldo then slotted his penalty home, past Heurelho Gomes before David Bentley sent his penalty wide of the goal. Zoran Tošić and Ritchie De Laet arrived respectively from Partizan and Stoke City in early January. Their misery was compounded with almost the last kick of the half as Carson failed to hang on to a Ryan Giggs free kick, dropping the ball at the feet of Carlos Tevez, who lashed it home with his left foot. Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty as Manchester United held Barcelona in a cagey Champions League semi-final, first leg at the Nou Camp. United fell at the semi-final stage of the FA Cup for the first time under Alex Ferguson as they lost on penalties to Everton following a 0–0 draw. This made them the first team to win three consecutive English top flight titles on two occasions, having also done so between 1999 and 2001. After winning a third consecutive Premier League title for the second time to equal Liverpool's record of 18 league titles, the team aimed to become the first team to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990. An awful back pass fifteen minutes into the match gave Wayne Rooney the chance to equalise for United, which he duly did, but the poor performance from United continued, with Porto putting United under regular pressure. The match went from bad to worse for the hosts just before the break when Patrice Evra tripped Steven Gerrard in the penalty area and Gerrard scored the resulting spot kick. mis à jour le 11 avril 2021 à 11h36 [61] United ran out comfortable 4–0 winners in the Six Round Proper at Fulham. Et justement, selon les informations du Manchester Evening News, Manchester United a inscrit son nom dans sa … [55], The Fourth Round was played at Old Trafford on 24 January 2009. Manchester United's semi-final first leg was at home to Arsenal. However, they were beaten 2–0 by Barcelona in the final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May 2009. Nelsen himself almost gave Blackburn the lead shortly after the break, but his effort came back off the post, and the follow-up strike from El Hadji Diouf was saved by Kuszczak. Not long afterwards, Rooney doubled the Reds' lead and secured the win with an unstoppable shot after being played in by a Ronaldo back-heel. 02:14 label.published 4 months ago Força Barça. [13] Coincidentally, this was a "dress rehearsal" for the Community Shield on 10 August. Barça Foundation. However, United nerves were settled early as Nemanja Vidić headed in a Ryan Giggs corner after just four minutes. Finally, in the first minute of injury time at the end of the game, Hideo Hashimoto scored another consolation goal to make the score 5–3. Manchester United vs Barcelona. The Reds had a well-worked Park Ji-sung goal disallowed for an incorrect offside later in the second half. Their semi-final against Arsenal meant that there was a guarantee of an English team in the Champions League Final for the fifth straight year. At 2-0 it was game over. Força Barça. The Red Devils then continued to dominate the match, introducing Rodrigo Possebon, Darron Gibson and Wayne Rooney halfway through the half. United retook the corner and scored through Berbatov's flick-on to Vidić who headed it in. Le Barça s'est imposé 0-1 face à un Manchester United accrocheur. [28], A trip to Goodison Park to play Everton followed on 25 October, with Alex Ferguson preferring to stick with Rooney and Berbatov up front, leaving Tevez on the bench. United started better with both Darron Gibson and Rio Ferdinand going close to opening the scoring, before Spurs got back into the match, forcing Foster into the first real save of the game. Manchester United Van der Sar was forced into a save from a 30-yard free kick by Arteta on the hour mark, but the shot never looked to be seriously troubling the goalkeeper. This goal looked to have given United an important win but Mariano González scored in the 89th minute to give Porto two away goals and a 2–2 draw. Both teams attacked in the first half, but forced few saves from either goalkeeper for the opening 30 minutes. After an uncharacteristically tame first half from United's perspective, they started the second better, with Carlos Tevez replacing Nani during the interval. He then took the ball round a sliding Carlton Cole and cut into the box, before curling a shot through a narrow gap and past Robert Green's outstretched left hand for the first goal of the game. [30], United went into their 1 November match at home to Premier League newcomers Hull City two points behind their visitors in the league table, a position they would not have expected to find themselves in at the start of the season. Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a penalty in the dying minutes of the game after he was tripped by Lucas Neill, and then he smashed a free kick into the chest of Scott Parker, but there were no further goals and United returned to the top of the table. Blackburn pulled a goal back shortly after half-time through Benni McCarthy, only for Tevez to double his personal tally from the penalty spot after he had been brought down by André Ooijer in the box in the 50th minute. Teaching Barça values to boys and girls. United hit on the break a number of times, Ronaldo hitting a shot from over 30 yards that cannoned off the crossbar, and substitute Ryan Giggs, making his 800th appearance for United (and his first since becoming PFA Player of the Year) had a goal ruled out for offside. The 2008–09 season was Manchester United's 17th season in the Premier League, and their 34th consecutive season in the top division of English football. It did not matter if United lost, as they had already been crowned champions of England just less than a week earlier. vs Barcelona. Then, as Chelsea's players arranged themselves, presuming the ball to be out of play, Giggs crossed to Ronaldo who headed the ball home. Towards the end of the game, Michael Carrick accidentally caught Manuel Almunia with his boot as the Spanish goalkeeper bravely dropped on a loose ball, resulting in Almunia requiring several minutes of treatment. Bobby Zamora came close to ending United's run of clean sheets in the closing stages, but his shot went narrowly wide and United held on to win 3–0. Share. Paul Scholes and Park Ji-sung replaced Ryan Giggs and Darron Gibson at half time, and United equalised seven minutes later, Wayne Rooney toe-poking the ball through Zaza's legs from just inside the penalty area. [88], Like the semi-final, the final was played at the International Stadium in Yokohama. The draw for the League Cup's Third Round paired Manchester United with Middlesbrough. Not satisfied with a draw, United continued to press and Carrick's late shot through traffic put the Red Devils within one point of sealing the Premier League title, being now six points clear of second-placed Liverpool with two games to go, although the Merseysiders had a better goal difference and both teams now having the same number of matches left. Resume video. [47], Liverpool's 4–4 draw with Arsenal on 22 April returned the Merseysiders to the top of the table, but only on goal difference, with United having two games in hand on their rivals. The Bulgarian's initial header was saved by Gomes but he followed it up and poked the ball in with his boot. Gabriel Milito needlessly threw his hands up to block a Ronaldo header in the box in only the second minute. [50], It was derby day next up for United as Manchester City made the short trip to Old Trafford. In 2008–09, FC Barcelona started a new era with a new manager, former captain and Barcelona B coach Pep Guardiola, who led the team to the first treble in Spanish football history and first one to win sextuple in the club football history. The United breakthrough came 15 minutes into the second half, when referee Rob Styles awarded the home side a penalty, despite Jlloyd Samuel's challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo appearing to have been a fair one; Ronaldo converted the penalty himself. Old Trafford - Manchester. Força Barça. Darron Gibson's 20-yard shot was enough to give United victory in a 1–0 win. A second goal came six minutes later, John O'Shea slotting home after being given plenty of time by a poorly-executed offside trap. The Red Devils were soon on the attack and Dimitar Berbatov could have got his name on the scoresheet after just six minutes, but he missed the target after Cristiano Ronaldo had charged down goalkeeper Karim Zaza's clearance. The draw was held on 28 August 2008 and United were drawn with two familiar sides, Villarreal (whom they had drawn in 2005–06) and Celtic (2006–07), and a new face in Danish side Aalborg BK. Bolton took the game to United early on in the first half, but the tide began to slowly shift back into United's favour; only the heroics of Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen kept the visitors in the game going into half-time, although Fabrice Muamba did shoot wide from eight yards out just before the whistle. Wayne Rooney declared himself fit after having picked up a knock against Aalborg BK in midweek, and was the orchestrator of most of United's attacks, including the one that led to the opening goal. Park Ji-sung nearly scored the opening goal on the hour mark, but his 30-yard effort rattled the woodwork. ... Best Match Ever: Barça - Manchester United (2-0) 2008/2009. With this in mind, the Red Devils started well, and opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Paul Scholes; Michael Carrick picked out Scholes just outside the area with a pinpoint corner, and the veteran midfielder volleyed the ball goalwards. The first half was largely dominated by United, who saw strikes from Park Ji-sung and Carlos Tevez stopped by goalkeeper Tim Howard, while Cristiano Ronaldo hit the inside of the post with Howard beaten. C'est une saison marquée par l'arrivée d'un nouvel entraîneur, However, extra time also ended 0–0 and the game went to penalties – for only the second time in League Cup Final history.[5]. UEFA Champions League Semi-Final. Old TraffordAttendance: Attendance75,061. United, as group winners could have faced teams such as Real Madrid and Juventus, as both finished second in their respective groups,[80] but were ultimately paired with Inter Milan, managed by former Chelsea manager José Mourinho. The second goal effectively killed the game and United finished comfortable 2–0 winners, taking them three points ahead of Liverpool. Shortly after the interval, United were awarded a free kick, from which David McGoldrick was adjudged to have handled the ball in the wall. [74], United got their first win of the Champions League season on 30 September 2008, when they visited Aalborg BK. Barça Foundation. A very important comeback, shadowing United's 5–3 turnaround against the same team in 2001, put them three points ahead of Liverpool with five games left. Rooney stabbed the ball into the net after 63 minutes from a Patrice Evra cross and a Ronaldo backheel, while Berbatov completed the rout in the 86th minute from a cross from a Ronaldo free kick. Old Trafford Attendance: Attendance 75,061. The draw for the quarter- and semi-finals took place on 20 March 2009 and paired United with Porto in the quarter-final, with the home leg first. Nevertheless, in conjunction with Celtic's 2–0 win over Villarreal, the result meant that United finished on top of Group E, and also extended the club's unbeaten run in the Champions League to 19 games, equalling the previous record, set by Bayern Munich and Ajax. They used up the third of their substitutions midway through the half, so they were unable to replace Jonny Evans when he picked up an injury later on; that injury subsequently looked to be a contributory factor when Evans felled Paul Green in the penalty area, allowing Giles Barnes to pull a goal back for the Rams from the spot. Beating Porto began to look problematic from as early as the fourth minute of the first leg at Old Trafford when Cristian Rodríguez scored for the visitors. Manchester United 3 - 0 Partizan View events: More info: Sun: 10/11/19: PRL: Manchester United 3 - 1 Brighton & Hov… View events: More info: Sun: 24/11/19: PRL: Sheffield United 17 : 30: Manchester United More info: Thu Because of Possebon's injury, a total of nine minutes of injury time were played, and, in the fifth of the nine, Nani added a third goal for United, securing their passage into the Fourth Round of the competition. 27/05/2009 Live ... 27/05/2009 Live United and Barça promise 'fantastic' final. The disparity in the teams' numbers meant that another United goal was practically inevitable, and it came in the 79th minute via Ryan Giggs. On the stroke of half-time, Carlos Tevez got United's second, hitting the post on the way, after Berbatov had brilliantly controlled Darren Fletcher's long ball before setting-up Tevez just outside the box. Advertising. Berbatov put the result beyond doubt in the 79th minute when he acrobatically volleyed Ronaldo's right wing cross into the goal. Rooney created some space down the left wing and crossed the ball in to find Ronaldo's diving header. United's three summer arrivals were Brazilian twins Rafael and Fábio, who joined from Brazilian club Fluminense for an undisclosed fee, and striker Dimitar Berbatov, who became the first Bulgarian to sign for Manchester United when he arrived from Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the summer transfer window. Cristian Săpunaru forced a good save from Edwin van der Sar and Bruno Alves headed wide from a free kick before Nemanja Vidić missed a glorious chance just before half time, managing to shoot over from four yards out following a corner. [29], On 29 October, United hosted West Ham United. The resulting penalty was slotted home by Robin van Persie, but Arsenal – needing four more goals to make the final – could not find momentum from the goal and the match ended 3–1, with a 4–1 aggregate win for United, who became the first team since Juventus in 1997 to reach the Champions League final the season after winning the tournament, and the first team to reach consecutive finals since Valencia in 2001. Wayne Rooney was booked later for inciting the fans, and he was immediately substituted. Carlos Tevez hit the post with a late strike, but the score remained at 2–0 at full-time, pushing United up the table to sixth place.