Our second draw in 4 days. Yet another match in which we were expected to win, although we knew it would be a challenge from the moment the team sheet was released. Upon the completion of the game, the most common reaction to the starting 11 was how much it resembled a Carling Cup side and not one that was challenging for the biggest prize in Europe.

Playing fantasy football manager games means one thing: you're always after the next hot player. That could be Manchester United midfielder Antonio Valencia. The Ecuador-born player has been part of ManU for half a season now and has already broken his previous EPL-record with 5 goals scored and 6 assisted.

A casual swing of his boot to release Antonio Valencia, a good cross to Wayne Rooney and the West Ham defence was breached. That incisive move was repeated early in the second half with what appeared...
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Wayne Rooney, who won the PFA Player of the Year and is most likely to win the Premier League goldenRead the Rest...

"VIDEO: Valencia, Chicharito and Berbatov Goals Against Chelsea" was originally published at The Republik of Mancunia.

Winger suffers from dangly foot Manchester United's Antonio Valencia is out for the season after a horror ankle break in last night's Champions League draw with Rangers. The Ecuadorian's left ankle was visibly hanging out of position after one of those innocuous collisions that causes so many serious leg breaks.

Premier League team news - Barclays Premier League - ESPN Soccernet Not much of consequence from either Liverpool or Citeh's matches in Europa Cup on Thursday as far as injuries go. Here are the bits of news that you should be focused on as you make the final adjustments to your rosters for the weekend: Out Frank Lampard - Still not recovered from his groin injury/surgery.

You don't look cool, Wayne, but you are a hell of a footballer
After a great mid-week of Champions League action, we are back to our bread and butter this weekend - the Premier League. Hope you guys took our advice last week and captained N'Zogbia and to those of you who were brave enough (or crazy enough) to include Landon Donovan in your teams despite his tough match against Chelsea as we did - congrats on the assist and Donovan's 2 bonus points.

Great goal by Rooney. Even better assist by Valencia, on the full volley. Nice build up by United here on the counter. Good stuff. This is the beautiful game in action.

Didier Drogba may have disappointed Chelsea fans and his hundreds of thousands of fantasy owners this weekend by failing to score at home in a 4-2 loss to Manchester City, but Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia keep combining to continue their incredibly hot winter form.
This time the duo combined to give United the 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the worthless, unimportant Carling Cup final.

The weekend's biggest match saw some great, some solid and some absent performances from both sides. I believe the 2-1 scoreline in favor of Manchester United was a good indication of how United dominated possession and created more clear cut chances than Liverpool. That said, Liverpool impressed me throughout the afternoon as they refused to gift United the space they crave in attack to crush opponents by 3 or 4 goals.

It's a well known fact within the game that many players believe that clubs will pay them whatever they demand for their services, or at least their own agents lead them to think that way. Granted,...
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"VIDEO: Park, Owen, Chicharito, Valencia, Evans and Nani Goals" was originally published at The Republik of Mancunia.

Full Match Highlights

Note the last couple of highlights posted below appear to have been filmed off of the television screen... Do your best to cope...

United 1 Airtricity 0 (Park Ji Sung)

United 2 Airtricity 0 (Michael Owen)

United 3 Airtricity 0 (Javier Hernandez)

United 4 Airtricity 0 (Antonio Valencia)

United 5 Airtricity 0 (Park Ji Sung)

United 6 Airtricity 0 (Jonny Evans )

United 6 Airtricity 1 (Dave Mulcahy)

United 7 Airtricity 1 (Luis Nani)

Getting knocked out of the Cup by Liverpool is never a pleasant experience, but the last time it happened the event was totally overshadowed by a sickening injury to fans' favourite, Alan Smith.

When blocking a freekick taken by John Arne Riise, he dislocated his ankle and broke his leg.

By coincidence, Smith was in the crowd on Tuesday night and witnessed first hand the injury Antonio Valencia suffered, which is obviously something he can relate to.

It was gut wrenching to see Antonio Valencia sustain that horrific injury on Tuesday night against Rangers, not just from a literal visual point of view, but because of the knowledge that the man...
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The vast majority of football fans don't take much notice of the Community Shield. Sure, as a spectacle, it is entertaining enough. But as a barometer for the season ahead, it is useless. Take the...
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So all of a sudden the task facing Manchester United in the group stages of the Champions League is not as straight forward as it looked a month ago is it? A first up scoreless draw with Glasgow...
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Fabio and his Foreignchester Friends are in Doha now for a training camp (What? In the bloody middle of the week?! you scream) and the answer is yes. Toño Valencia looks quite confused in that lift and this reminds us of a conversation we had with a futbolita from Ecuador a few weeks ago.

Everyone and their mother will captain Rooney this week
Double gameweeks, injuries, snow, and an open transfer window. January in the Premier League couldn't be more exciting. Let's get to this weekend's preview:
I. Manchester City @ Everton: Both teams are in form, with City winning four in a row since Mancini took over for Mark Hughes.

Antonio Valencia has made a great start to his United career after joining us from Wigan in the summer.

He was voted by our fans as our best performing player in November and December on the club's official website.

Valencia has today revealed he didn't expect to get so much playing time this early on in to his United career and sees this as just the start.

A casual swing of his boot to release Antonio Valencia, a good cross to Wayne Rooney and the West Ham defence was breached. That incisive move was repeated early in the second half with what appeared...
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In the 27th cup final of Sir Alex Ferguson's career, he picked up his 34th trophy since taking over at Old Trafford. Most managers will not even win half as much silverware in their lifetime.

And here we have a 68-year-old legend who celebrates every trophy as if it were his first and last.

Sir Alex Ferguson must not be enjoying his Chinese New Year.

He saw two very different Manchester United sides in a matter of days at the San Siro and Goodison Park. I can picture him throwing mahjong chips and pineapple tarts at his players, who blew a golden "hong bao" opportunity to leapfrog Chelsea at the Premier League summit.

Seven years since he left Manchester United, the club's most famous number seven returns to Old Trafford. David Beckham will deservedly be given a rapturous reception for his service to a club that he could have stayed for life had he not married a Spice Girl.

"Golden Balls" and his AC Milan side enter the second leg with renewed hope in overcoming their one-goal deficit as Wayne Rooney struggles to be fit in time for the Wednesday evening kick-off.

Manchester United have announced their third major sponsorship deal in a week with Africa's largest mobile telephone operator, MTN Group Ltd. This is the club's third lucrative agreement in the space of a week. Following on from high-profile partnerships with Telekom Malaysia and Turkish Airlines, Manchester United have added a seven-figure contract with African telecoms giant MTN that will see

Manchester United had a new Portuguese star to acclaim as Nani emerged the late match winner against Tottenham Hotspur with a moment of brilliance to send the Red Devils top of the Barclays Premier...
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"VIDEO: Valencia's First Season At United" was originally published at The Republik of Mancunia.

Manchester United super striker Wayne Rooney continued to collect awards when he was named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year on Tuesday night to add to his Football Writer' Footballer of the Year...
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A season that in all truth did not begin with the usual high expectations for Manchester United due to a number of well known, on and off field events comes to a conclusion at Old Trafford on Sunday...
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A 22 man Manchester United squad flies out to Chicago on Monday to kick off the pre season tour of North America with new signing Javier Hernandez joining the team in Houston later in the month. The...
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In the first installment of Have At It, Premiership Talk columnists Brian Lofrumento and Zain Alvi debate the title credentials of Manchester United's midfield. After a heartbreaking second place finish last Premier League season, Sir Alex Ferguson and the Red Devils are looking to take the trophy back from Chelsea, and with more familiar faces around Old Trafford than new ones there is speculation that United is yet to improve.

Playing fantasy football manager games means one thing: you're always after the next hot player. That could be Manchester United midfielder Antonio Valencia. The Ecuador-born player has been part of ManU for half a season now and has already broken his previous EPL-record with 5 goals scored and 6 assisted.

Manchester United drew first blood in the race for silverware as they defeated Chelsea 3-1 in yesterday's curtain raiser. Fans generally shrug off the Community Shield as just another pre-season friendly but it's worth noting that the last three winners of the trophy have gone on to take top honours come May.

Chelsea 1-3 Manchester United

Many deem the Community Shield the opening game of the season. Though it is the first trophy contested before the start of the season, it's hard to label a match which sides are allowed to make more than three substitutions anything other than a friendly.

This inclination of our beloved Chelsea Football Club is not quite there. Yet.

We're climbing. But we're not at the top of the hill i.e. peak form, fitness at this stage of the game. The FA Community Shield was a prime example of just that.

The Shield came with pomp.

Salomon Kalou looked good for Chelsea, but besides a few glimpses of attacking intent from the rest of the squad, it was Manchester United's day yesterday in their 3 1 Community Shield win over the Champions. The game was ... Continue reading →

Manchester United got their season off to a flier with a dominating win over newly promoted Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

The home fans were treated to a masterful performance from midfield maestro Paul Scholes as he rolled back the years to give the Magpies a footballing lesson.

Picture of Antonio Valencia's broken leg (not for the faint hearted):

Absolutely gutted. Dull game and on top of that an horrific injury to one of our best lad last season is just heartbreaking.

Wish you a speedy recovery, Antonio.

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BBC Sport - Football - Antonio Valencia suffers suspected broken ankle Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson fears Antonio Valencia suffered a broken ankle in his side's 0-0 Champions League draw with Rangers. The Ecuadorian was stretchered off after going down under an innocuous-looking tackle from Gers' defender Kirk Broadfoot in the 62nd minute.