Ten Hag (Fergie) Time
Plus two entries from the goalkeepers union!
Going into the weekend football fixtures, the football world heard the sad news of the passing of Sir Alex Ferguson’s wife. Lady Cathy Ferguson died aged 84. She and Sir Alex had married in 1966 and spent 57 years as husband and wife. When Sir Alex had retired as Manchester United manager he went on record as saying that words could not express how much his wife’s support and encouragement had meant to him throughout his career. His former club would endure a difficult afternoon against Brentford on Saturday before concluding the match in a manner that bore all the hallmarks of the fabled ‘Fergie time’.
After returning a trophy via the League Cup last season, the new Premier League campaign has proven a thorny one thus far for current United boss Erik Ten Hag. Consecutive home defeats against Brighton and Crystal Palace had followed hot on the heels of two visits to North London that yielded zero points. There was also an inglorious 3-2 Champions League loss at Old Trafford against Galatasaray. When they went 1-0 down to Brentford on Saturday, there was the very real prospect of recording a third successive home league loss for the first time in 44 years.
The origins of ‘Fergie time’ date back to the early years of the Premier League as Manchester United fought desperately for a title that had long eluded them. As their success grew under Sir Alex, it was a key platform of their incredible Treble season in 1998/99. The phrase has long since entered folklore and become indelibly associated with the Old Trafford club. When the board went up to signal several minutes injury time would be added against Brentford, there was faint hope for United fans. Their club is not where it wants, or even used, to be but as current midfielder Scott McTominay would say afterwards, “never give up, no matter what situation your life is in, never give up, never throw the towel in.”
The Scottish midfielder had only come on in the 87th minute.
90+3. The equaliser! McTominay firing home a snapshot inside the box.
90+7. A winner! McTominay heads home after being teed up by the much-maligned Harry Maguire.
Seemingly out of nowhere, United had two goals and a complete turnaround. The pundits can spend the international break evaluating whether this is the win that kick-starts the Old Trafford club’s season or merely another false dawn. The fans however can bookmark another pair of sensational late goals in the library of late moments at Old Trafford. Whilst it may not rank anywhere near their top five, in the here and now it was a few minutes to savour!
Yet, as if to prove the yin and yang of football, 24 hours earlier, Manchester United’s Women were experiencing the opposite emotion! They had seen the prospect of victory turn to dust with their own moment of late drama.
In a hard-fought encounter against their rivals Arsenal, they had come from behind to take the lead after 81 minutes. They continued to lead 2-1 as the game moved into stoppage time and their opponents were looking at their own unwanted record. After a disappointing end to the previous season and an underwhelming start to the new campaign, they were faced with the prospect of losing four consecutive Women’s Super League games for the first time in their history.
Enter Cloe Lacasse.
Here she is on 90+3, pictured surrounded by United defenders but having just unleashed a rocket shot from outside the box. A short time later, it had arrowed into the top corner for 2-2!
It gave Arsenal Women their first league point of the season and was hailed by their manager Jonas Eidevall as a big performance and result. After their early exit from the Women’s Champions League (despite a 90+6 equaliser against Paris FC Féminines temporarily saving them before the heartache of a penalty shoot-out exit), they are now hoping to build a run of positive results on domestic duty.
Elsewhere, it is a couple of entries for the goalkeepers’ union this week with some late, and very entertaining, carnage in Italy and France.
On a balmy Saturday evening in Genoa, AC Milan were in town seeking a victory that would put them top of Serie A after eight games of the new campaign. When Christian Pulisic scored with just three minutes to go, it looked like objective achieved. That the score-line would remain the same belies the chaotic finish to the game.
On 90+8, Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was sent off. How long, and with how much foreboding, did it take the Milan bench to realise they had used all their substitutes?! French striker Olivier Giroud would go in goal.
His thoughts: rely on his defence to protect him and play out the last few moments in a degree of comfort.
His reality:
Having to line up a defensive wall to try and stop a free-kick that would ultimately crash off the crossbar and then to charge out and make a stunning save at the feet of an on-rushing striker!
Incredibly, on 90+13, we had our second goalkeeper sent off as Genoa’s Josip Martinez, who had come up for an attacking corner, picked up a second yellow card for a late challenge as the ball was cleared!
However, this may not even be the most incredible goalkeeping story of the weekend. I will leave it up to you whether Genoa vs Milan or, in the French third tier, Avranches vs GOAL FC takes the prize for zaniest story of the weekend.
The home side were trailing 1-0 and looked doomed when their opponents were awarded a last minute penalty. The GOAL FC striker attempted a Panenka and pictured below is the moment Avranches goalkeeper Anthony Beuve gleefully caught the ball.
On 90+5, his night would get even better! The next image is the moment he is in the last chance saloon and about to meet a late free-kick that had been sent into the GOAL FC penalty area.
Beuve got to the ball first and sent a thumping header into the net. A goalkeeper saving a penalty and then going up to score the equaliser in injury time … sorry Olivier but, acknowledging your high profile antics in Serie A, I think this one caps an amazing weekend!