THE INDEPENDENT - RONALDO REVELS IN UNITED'S WARMER WINTER
Defiantly loyal as Portsmouth's supporters remain, the Pompey Chimes are taking on a doleful air. Only West Bromwich Albion's debagging at Craven Cottage yesterday afternoon gave the locals any reason to believe there was the slightest chance of escaping relegation after three seasons back among the big boys.
For the first two of those campaigns, Manchester United left Fratton Park with tails between legs after unexpected beatings, but there was a frisky air about them yesterday as victory was tied up by half-time to reduce the gap behind Chelsea to a mere 12 points.
It took a brave late flurry to bring the Hampshire side some self-respect and only their eighth goal in 13 home games. Unfortunately for both these sides, Portsmouth's next fixture is at Stamford Bridge, where they will arrive on the back of seven successive away defeats.
At least the appalling quality of the pitch there will not be a shock. Portsmouth's is not much better, which meant all the more credit to United for the way they played in the first half.
True to their best traditions, Sir Alex Ferguson's side bristled with attacking intent and were well worth the three-goal advantage at half-time. Ryan Giggs, restored to the starting XI, sprang forward from the centre of midfield while Wayne Rooney was back in his proper position supporting Ruud Van Nistelrooy, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Park Ji-Sung working the flanks to good effect.
THE OBSERVER - RONALDO STRIKES AT THE DOUBLE TO BURY POMPEY
Twice in successive seasons at Fratton Park, Harry Redknapp's teams have imposed their effort and exuberance on Manchester United with telling effect. Two years ago Steve Stone's goal cemented a springtime rally which lifted Portsmouth clear of the bottom three. Last season David Unsworth's penalty and an Aiyegbeni strike did the trick.
This time, Redknapp's latest creation were very much second best. United cut them to pieces with their masterly first-half display, which yielded three goals and enabled them to coast through the rest of the match. Portsmouth never gave up and deserved their consolation, but they are clearly in big trouble. There was a poignant return to the Portsmouth attack for Lomana Lua Lua, whose 18-month-old son died while he was away with the Democratic Republic of Congo at the African Nations Cup in Egypt.
The teams wore black armbands at his request. United had Rio Ferdinand back after a one-match suspension and restored Wayne Rooney to the starting line-up for Louis Saha, who had scored in his last four matches. Ryan Giggs also returned, in a central midfield role with Ji-Sung Park wide left. United quickly struck a high tempo, Pompey goalkeeper Dean Kiely having to leave his line smartly as Rooney chased a deflected header.
A confident United swept into the lead, thanks to great work by Giggs, whose acceleration and close control carved open the Portsmouth defence. He played a one-two with Ruud van Nistelrooy, rounded Kiely, struck the crossbar with his shot from an angle, then watched as the Dutchman knocked in the rebound. Lua Lua turned inside and fired a decent effort across Edwin van der Sar and beyond the far upright before, out of nothing, United scored their second when Cristiano Ronaldo, 30 yards out, crashed a left-foot shot over Kiely and under the crossbar.
The goalkeeper barely moved, beaten by sheer speed and possibly swerve. They went three up on the stroke of half time after Van Nistelrooy fed Rooney. He instantly altered the shape of the attack by spreading the ball wide for Ronaldo to dart in from an angle and beat Kiely again. Sir Alex Ferguson could afford the luxury of taking off Van der Sar and Giggs for the second half and bringing on Tim Howard, for his first Premiership appearance this season, and Alan Smith.
THE SUNDAY TIMES - RONALDO DOUBLE WRECKS POMPEY
The gulf between top and bottom of the Premiership becomes more alarming by the month. With their eighth away victory United outclassed Portsmouth, inflicting their eighth home defeat of the campaign.
Whatever the talent that Portsmouth try to buy, whatever Houdini qualities Harry Redknapp believes he’s left with, Portsmouth appear to be sinking. You cannot simply buy the equivalent of two teams in one season and expect to integrate them into a force remotely capable of competing with United, let alone Chelsea, who are their next opponents.
In a cup-tie atmosphere generated by the Pompey fans because after the January sales they already know that every game counts towards survival, United were the masters. They had Ryan Giggs employed in a deep but creative midfield role, yet more surprisingly they had Ruud van Nistelrooy, wearing the captain’s armband, and from the first whistle giving off the effervescence of a man intending to lead through responsibility.
In the 18th minute they combined for a goal that, even by United standards, was par excellence. Giggs began it, bursting through the centre, his balance exquisite, his touch, control and awareness on full alert. He ran deep into the forest of blue shirts, released the ball to Van Nistelrooy and kept on running. When the Dutchman side-footed the ball straight back in front of Giggs, the Welshman had the pace to swerve around the onrushing goalkeeper Dean Kiely.
Giggs also had something extra, the ability while almost off-balance to chip the ball against the crossbar from a treacherous angle, and when it rebounded Van Nistelrooy headed it into the empty net. This demonstrated that even when he is prepared to work back and give the team direction from the deep, the leading goalscorer in the Premiership cannot help himself — goal number 22 for the season.
Portsmouth were buoyant in absorbing the blow of this beautiful counter-attack. Possibly their endeavour was personified in two men, Andres D’Alessandro, the Argentine playmaker operating from the left of midfield, and Lomana LuaLua, just back from the African Cup of Nations. Indeed LuaLua, instinctive as ever, had one extraordinary moment when he slipped away from Rio Ferdinand and with a sudden right-foot shot attempted to score from the left edge of the penalty area, but the ball bounced just wide.
However, United out to avoid a third consecutive defeat at Fratton Park, went through the gears to score two more before the interval.
Their second emanated once more from the selflessness being displayed by Van Nistelrooy. He won the ball in the air and released Cristiano Ronaldo to his right. Ronaldo advanced and then, with his left foot, delivered an audacious shot from 35 yards. Kiely was taken by surprise, what other reason could he give for being beaten by the power of the shot directly over his head.
And then, on the stroke of half-time, Wayne Rooney reminded us that he too has quality and that, despite appearances, he really was at this party. A deft touch, full of Rooney’s ability to see a movement and release the ball in one instant, invited Ronaldo to come in from the right and his low shot from 15 yards entered the net via a deflection off Andy O’Brien.
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH - RONALDO'S BRILLIANCE PROVES THE DIFFERENCE
The jury may still be out on Cristiano Ronaldo's overall effectiveness, but there is no disputing his ability to entertain - unless one happens to be on the wrong end of his swaggering brilliance. A difficult season for him off the pitch took another turn for the better on it yesterday when he followed up a brace of goals against Fulham with another pair to seal victory here before half-time.
No-one knows better than Sir Alex Ferguson how to nurture young players, and after the death of Ronaldo's father and allegations of rape against him the United manager recently gave the young Portuguese a three-week break from the game. It would seem to have done him a power of good.
There were times when he flattered to deceive yesterday, but he was always a handful for the Portsmouth defence. It is that ability to produce something out of nothing that sets players like Ronaldo apart, and that skill was never more obvious than in the 38th minute when he scored with a screaming, swerving left-footer from 25 yards. His cocky celebrations afterwards were not exactly out of the Bobby Charlton school of modesty, but understandable in the circumstances.