United galvanised by departure of Keane
MANCHESTER UNITED used the furore over Roy Keane’s shock departure from Old Trafford to refocus their season yesterday. Seeming to draw strength from the affair, United swept Charlton aside almost effortlessly at The Valley and made sure their possibly crucial victory over runaway Premiership leaders Chelsea a fortnight earlier did not go to waste.
With everyone waiting to see what effect Keane’s reportedly acrimonious split with the club would have on the team, United produced one of their most impressive performances of the campaign to date. Charlton could not cope at times with the speed and cleverness of the visitors’ passing and movement, and the only surprise was that it took United until the last 20 minutes to clinch the win.
Ironically, it was Alan Smith, the former striker who has been converted into Keane’s midfield replacement, who began the scoring with his first goal for the club since he claimed one of the four they put past Charlton without reply here in May. Then Ruud van Nistelrooy, wearing the captain’s armband, completed the rout with a scintillating brace after Darren Ambrose had scored a spectacular equaliser.
Van Nistelrooy’s two goals provided other echoes of the Keane affair. For it was allegedly the news from Sir Alex Ferguson that when Keane recovered from his foot injury, the Holland international, and not he, would be captain that helped cause the fissure between those former friends and allies.
Diplomatically, perhaps, Van Nistelrooy positively gushed with praise for Keane after yesterday’s game. “ It was a big shock and a sad day,” he said of the former club captain’s sudden departure. “ We needed time to deal with it, but it was impossible in such a short time. We had to focus on the game, and we were all motivated to do well and get a good victory.
“ Roy will always be remembered as the greatest player to play for the club. His leadership will always be within us. I’ve worked with him for 4½ years and he’s the best player I’ve ever played with. It’s just a shame it stops now.”
Ferguson also chose to send Keane on his way with emollient words. “ It was a very amicable meeting,” he said in defiance of all the reports of a flaming row between the two men. “ Roy is one of the best players in the history of the club and we wished each other well. It’s been a difficult week, but it’s in the nature of our club that we have to go through them.”
The United fans were still going through their repertoire of chants in praise of their beloved Keano when Wayne Rooney’s chipped pass gave Van Nistelrooy the freedom of the Charlton penalty area. Drawing goalkeeper Stephan Andersen from his line the Dutchman slid the ball past him, only to find Hermann Hreidarsson clearing heroically.
Rooney also wasted a good chance before helping to create Smith’s goal in the 36th minute. When he broke clear down the left and crossed the ball low, but behind three teammates, the opening seemed about to close. Darren Fletcher rescued the ball on the right, however, and cut it back for Smith to find the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.
A one- goal lead at half- time was a poor return on the quality of football United had provided, but Rooney looked certain to give the scoreline a more realistic look when he waltzed through the middle of the Charlton defence early in the second half. To general disbelief, though, he dragged a left- foot shot wide.
Ambrose punished him after 65 minutes by curling Darren Bent’s lay- off out of the reach of the towering Edwin van der Sar from outside the penalty area. It was Charlton’s first serious sniff of a goal since Bent, presented with a defenceless target by Talal El Karkouri’s deflected freekick, had prodded the ball wide during the first half.
Never having beaten United in the Premiership, Charlton tried hard to build on the equaliser. Van Nistelrooy cut the legs from under them, though, with an absolute gem in the 70th minute. Rooney beat three men before flipping the ball across goal to Van Nistelrooy. He did no more than catch the cross on his chest, turn past Chris Powell in the same movement and volley into the net.
The United captain was booked for celebrating his classic strike too exuberantly with his team-mates and United fans, but it looked a harsh decision. Van Nistelrooy responded by tearing through the Charlton defence five minutes from the end and drilling home his second, clinching goal.