Ominous clouds follow United

The Manchester United players were way below the imperious standard they set very recently. And it was not even Fulham, or the officials, who provoked United’s players to take their eye off the ball. Scholes and Rooney, and a couple more besides, managed to get wound up all by themselves. By Amy Lawrence.

The wounded animal is flailing. The much-anticipated Manchester United backlash ended up with the champions clawed by opponents they lashed a couple of weeks ago, and reduced to nine men as Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were dismissed for acts of folly.

So peppery was the mood enveloping United, as their players harangued and their manager complained, somewhat inevitably, about the cards brandished by referee Phil Dowd, it was important to be clear about one thing.

United were way below the imperious standard they set very recently. And it was not even Fulham, or the officials, who provoked United’s players to take their eye off the ball. Scholes and Rooney, and a couple more besides, managed to get wound up all by themselves.

The same kind of neurotic impulses that forced Rafael Benitez to behave as if he was overheating not so long ago seem to have shifted to some of United’s protagonists.

Fulham were understandably short on sympathy for United’s troubles at the end of an utterly absorbing contest. Roy Hodgson said that the wounds inflicted by these particular opponents in the FA Cup were “raw”, so it was incredibly soothing for his team to exact a measure of revenge that does so much for their self-esteem. “The players deserve this,” said the Fulham manager. “And it is nice to reach that magical total of 40 points as well.”

Points. Gaps. It is all getting considerably more interesting at the top of the table, where the seven-point advantage (plus a game in hand) held by United has shrivelled. The champions certainly need to be more tuned up than this. There are some days when Scholes has his liability head on. A week after United’s nadir against Liverpool, this was not a good time for an experienced campaigner to be reckless. Frankly the signs were there from kick-off. It only took a matter of seconds for the little midfielder to chop angrily at Clint Dempsey’s legs in an area of no danger.

In the 16th minute, Scholes had another rush of blood and literally handed the lead to Fulham. Bobby Zamora, who has toiled with precious little confidence for much of the season, did the damage, taking two bites at a corner that was nodded on by the hulking Brede Hangeland. After the United goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, parried the first attempt, Scholes, with a move from the basketball court, dunked the ball away from the top corner with his hands.

It says it all that he was abashed, rather than enraged, when Dowd brought out his red card and pointed to the penalty spot. Sir Alex Ferguson’s chewing gum took a hammering as Danny Murphy, whose allegiance to Liverpool is hardly a secret, stepped up to calmly wallop his penalty past Van der Sar.

It was the reward Fulham’s enthusiastic start deserved, and the desire to make amends for losing 4-0 here at United’s hands rippled through Hodgson’s team.

Zamora, in particular, was transformed, a man possessed. In the first half he did a passable impression of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and United could not get close to him as he battered three shots that forced Van der Sar into emergency action, and a fourth that Patrice Evra blocked.

United sagged against the ropes. Dimitar Berbatov did little but skulk around the pitch and fall awkwardly on his ankle until he was replaced at half-time. Cristiano Ronaldo moaned and groaned and flung his arms about like a pantomime dame. One frustrated lunge at Murphy, had it connected, could have even increased the red-card count.

The decision to start without Rooney and Carlos Tevez, those street-fighting strikers who had wreaked such devastation all over Fulham’s defence last time out, was reversed at half-time. On came Rooney.

United began to force the issue. When Ronaldo put his mind to it he began to cause Fulham problems. A deflected shot just before the hour forced Mark Schwarzer into his first proper save. A couple of headers were even more threatening, before Fulham’s ’keeper pulled off a spectacular double save to deny Park Ji-sung and Rooney.

Tevez arrived with 20 minutes left and had a scuffed chance hoicked away by Hangeland. But Fulham hung on, and killed off any hopes of a late United comeback four minutes from time. Zoltan Gera stole the show with an artistic flick and volley. Then Rooney stole the headlines by daftly hurling the ball away in frustration, for which Dowd had no option than to serve up his second yellow card.

Ferguson was furious. “Did he throw the ball at the ref? No, the ball went to where the free-kick was taken. Did he throw it in anger? Yes, because he wanted the game hurried up. Ach, I mean, what can you say about that?”

United left the sunny Thames with ominous clouds following them all the way home.