So you were warned two weeks ago about cup fever and how it can strike. Now far be it from me to tell you “I told you so” but did you watch Manchester United orchestrate the most unlikely comeback from the dead last Sunday? What is the opposite of “far be it from me?” Never mind. With one minute to go, United were out of the cup, their dreams of a possible treble of trophies shattered, facing the embarrassment (not to mention the press) of losing in front of the Old Trafford faithful, (full being the operative part of the word at Old Trafford these days), and Liverpool were sailing into the last sixteen with their season totally rejuvenated. Don’t put the kettle on yet Mam. Within seconds, (who said a minute is a long time in politics?), Liverpool were out of the cup, their season reshattered, and the Red Devils were celebrating their spot in the aforementioned last sixteen.
Is this the way soccer is supposed to be? Joy and Heartbreak barely split by seconds in time. Oh Yeah! A quick analysis of the match supports my claim. United had twice as many corners, twice as many shots on goal, and at the end of the game, twice as many goals. It doesn’t always work out that way of course, and this is in essence what makes soccer so great, but if you watched the game, you’d know that United “tried” to win the game and Liverpool “tried” to hold onto their one goal lead. It might have been different at Anfield, but this wasn’t Anfield. You might say justice was served, unless you are a Liverpool supporter (or Paul Ince) in which case, you was robbed.
But the beautiful game once again shone through and once more fact proved stranger than fiction.. The story could not be relayed on any sports “highlights” program since just showing the goals would not draw the full picture. Much of the story occurred from the second to the second last minute during which time no goals were scored. Ah! Cup fever is indeed beautiful. Long live the FA cup and the giant upsets.
