So Tevez starts, as he was always going to if he was fit, with Adebayor locked in the shed for goading. And Rio Ferdinand's back from his latest bout of groin-knack. And we've got a United midfield of Park, Anderson, Fletcher and Giggs. Is that particularly inspiring?
Some boos for Tevez as he runs out to warm up. Not your actual cauldron of hate as yet. Is it just me, or have the TV companies been ramping all this of stuff up unacceptably this season? It's not just the laughably badly-timed ESPN ads about goading and taunting. They've been doing it for years, playing up the tribalism and the feuds and selling subscriptions on the back of it. Richard Keys is desperate for Tevez to get it today. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone just clapped politely? Take that, Sky highlights montage.
Wayne Roonay and Carlos Tevez doing a bit of backslapping and manly hugging in the tunnel. Nice to see from the interchangeable scurriers.
Gary Naylor wants to put in a word for the right to goad and boo: "I like the reactions different players get when playing against former clubs - it's an instant plebscite on their personalities and decison-making. It's always heartwarming to hear the applause for a much-loved ex-player (Tevez at Upton Park for example) but there's something glorious about the unanimity of booing that greets a player who left for the money - Francis Jeffers' return to Goodison was enormous fun!"
Quite like that City midfield three: Ireland, De Jong, Barry. Two 19-year-olds on the bench though. and they do miss Adebayor - looks a really good first XI with him in there. The player's are out. Some booing for C-Tev.
Fred Lane wonders: "Roo & Tev - "interchangeable scurriers"?
On the pitch? In the boudoir?" That's just plain iffy. Wash your mind out with soap.
1 min: City kick off!! And right away Tevez almost charges down a clearance by Foster after he was sold a bit short by Vidic.
3 mins: GOAL FOR UNITED!! Rooney scores, and that's top class. Terrible defending from Richards as he fails to pick up Evra from a throw, he squares it to Rooney, who wades through two weak tackles and finishes. Lovely sharp stuff, but woeful defending from the ex-England utility man.
5 mins: Wow, what a start and United are hogging the ball. Richards looks distraught and really needs to calm down out there. Ferguson jumped up and did his sneaky shadow punch to the kidneys when that one went in.
6 mins: Anderson, Fletcher and Park are scuttling about like lunatics. Really big test for City this. The defence looks really shaky, as it might with three new men in.
9 mins: De Jong muscles Fletcher aside in midfield and tries to get things moving forward but it's all disjointed and the ball ends up bobbling out of play. They keep doing close-ups of Richards. He looks like he's steaming. He was chatting to Toure when the throw was taken. Wright-Phillips was also to blame for losing Evra. This could be a cracker you know.
11 mins: United are really pumped up in midfield. Anderson harries Barry who fouls him and allows Giggs to whip in a free kick that's too low and Toure heads clear. But disappointing with those Giggs, even after all these years.
12 mins: Nice crossfield pass almost gets Wright-Philips in, making a decent run. City look a bit shocked but lots of quality out there for them. They will be back in this game. Looking at the Rooney goal again, it was a lovely finish, great switch of feet.
14 mins: Anderson slips it to Berbatov in a deep position and he wumps a shot over the bar. Nice little run to get there, but Lescott let him go.
Gary Naylor's not happy: "Call me old-fashioned, but when Rooney's goal went in, Evra was standing behind Given a yard away from him in the six yard box. That's offside in my book." Only in 1986 though. Your book is due back at the library. 23 years ago.
16 mins: Rooney runs at Richards again and skips inside to cross but Bridge is well positioned to head clear. He at least looks very solid and very mobile out there so far.
16 mins: GOAL CITY SCORE!!! That is an absolute gift, but great closing down by Tevez. Foster tries to shepherd the ball back into his area, but it's not going to get there and Tevez robs him and squares to Barry. He sweeps it home. That is comedy goal-keeping but very sharp from City. It's all going off out there.
18 mins: Fergie Fergie sign him up, is the chant. In Blue. Just seen a replay. Foster does not come out of it well.
20 mins: United have a spell of attacking, nice inter-play between Giggs and Rooney, the ball eventually breaks to Anderson but his shot is hoofed miles over the bar. Lovely cool finish for the goal from Barry by the way. Foster, though, looks more suspect every time you see him. Yes, he made a great save against Arsenal, but he already owed them one. He just looks jittery and indecisive. Is there a cure for that?
23 mins: City still look a bit dodgy at the back. Lescott is hustled out of it by Fletcher and Rooney almost gets another shot in but some decent blocking shuts the door. Richards, to his credit, is still charging forward at every opportunity. Without any grace or skill, but with lots of power and crazed momentum. A break down the right ends up with W-Phillips floating over a cross and Tevez heading well over. But the game is quite open now.
26 mins: Rooney and Berbatov look quite good together up front by the way. Some nice little dinky passes in behind. All down that right hand side so far, where the lumbering Richards prowls.
27 mins: The pattern is: United keep the ball, United attack, City get in the way, City break quickly but don't quite get anywhere. And, ah ha, Tevez is booked for a clumsy lunge at Ferdinand. Jeers. He waves a contrite sorry.
29 mins: Say what you like about Tevez, he certainly doesn't hide. Not seen much of Bellamy or Ireland yet.
29 mins: Having said that, beautiful piece of quick feet skill by Ireland wins a free kick 35 yards out as Park is fooled. Go on. Have a go at Foster.
31 mins: Tevez does have a go but it hits the wall, the ball breaks to Park and it's another City free kick as Park fouls again. This one will be "whipped in" from the left wing.
32 mins: Bellamy's rubbish free kick is headed clear by Rooney, but it's a good spell for City, their best with the ball. And suddenly Ireland seems to be getting involved, his little bald head poppping up all over the place like a ping pong ball.
33 mins: Rooney robs Barry and tries a slightly embarrassing instant Cantona-style chip that flies miles wide. They never work. Really, they don't. Just blast it.
36 mins: Anderson is booked for a heavy slide-block tackle on Tevez. Borderline for a booking - looked like he was defending himself slightly.
And Simon Frank wanders: "What are the chances of Tevez scoring and doing something Adebayor-esque with his celebration? High I'd say. Maybe dance a tango with Fergie or something". I don't think he's the type is he? Surely he'll go no further than cupping his ear significantly.
38 mins: Giggs swings in a free-kick from what I suppose I must now call Giggs Country. Berbatov heads over the bar. Someone who was really good at heading would have buried that. As it was it flew miles high, propelled by his lank Alice-banded crown.
41 mins: There was a bit of a shin-high studs-up lunge from the lovely Bellamy in there on Anderson that the ref missed. Might have looked worse on the replay. This game is taking a breath now. Very even in midfield after the early red tide.
42 mins: Tevez still "making a nuisance of himself". He's world class at that. Closes Fletcher down and forces him to punt it out of play. Lovely nuisancing. Maybe harsh but does he do a lot else these days? I get the feeling he's become a bit obsessed with all the cheers he gets for his closing down, all that grafty showboating.
44 mins: Great surging run by Richards, wins a freee kick for which Vidic is booked. Kick swung in and foster punches miles clear. Much better.
45 mins: Tevez hits the post!! Toure intercepts Rooney's pass, the ball is played forward and a lovely dummy-flick-on from Ireland plays in Tevez with just Foster to beat. He hits the outside of the post from eight yards. Really, really should have scored. Old Trafford was silent for a second there. Good closing down from Vidic as he went to shoot.
45+2 mins: Free kick 30 yards out, Bellamy hits the wall and Lescott smashes the rebound over the bar from a good position.
45+3 mins: HALF TIME. Tevez walks off cuddling his good mate Evra. He had a great chance at the end there. And 1-1 looks about right. It's been a really good, open half, not exactly top quality yet, but very dramatic. You feel it might kick off properly in the second half.
On potential Tevez celebrations, Gary Naylor feels somehitng more classy is in order: "Should Tevez score, I'd like to see him run to the centre-spot and bow gracefully to all four sides of the ground. Just as much of a two-fingers as Adebayor's slide, but surely unlikely to attract the attention of the disciplinary panel."
I'm off for some kind of beverage from the disgusting but very fancy-looking machine. Back in ten.
Aidan Gibson must be watching a subtly different game: "This match has gotten so bad that David Pleat is now talking about the "modern player" and "hairdryers"". Get off Pleaty. He's a tactical genius.
Jamie Watson smells something foul afoot: "So, Vidic and Anderson in the book, Bellamy and Richards not. Do I need to revisit the rule book or does the ref?" Oh no. It's starting. Don't say it's starting.
And Pangeran Siahaan is trying out sarcasm: "Now can we all start to think City is a massive club?" Ah dear.
Richard Keys has just said "one apiece!" in an excited voice, the voice he would use if he was actually challenging you to a fight. Want a piece? You want a piece of the Keys?
Fergie looks cross. Bet they'll start like a train.
Oh crap. Someone has thrown a "missile" at Tevez, which hit Garrido. Hopefully not a real missile, just a sandwich or a fag lighter.
46 mins: United kick off. And win an early free-kick about 40 yards out, Barry barging Anderson over. Bit soft that. Giggs is over it.
48 mins: But it's Rooney who takes it and thumps it into the wall. That was never going anywhere near the goal. They haven't really solved the free-kicks issue post-Ronaldo. Someone needs to get the cardboard wall out and stay on after training.
49 mins: GOAL FOR UNITED!! Darren Fletcher gets above Gareth Barry rising like a young Nat Lofthouse to power a header into the bottom corner. Nice work from Evra by the toucline, lays it back to Giggs and his high cross gets Fletchered. I love a power-header like that. Nothing quite like it.
51 mins: More United, Evra's cross is headed out to Park who has a shot from inside the box but it's well wide. May have been a bit of a deflection off Barry on the header from the goal. But it was still a fine leap.
52 mins: Could have been another as Given saves really well with his feet from Giggs. Played in really well by Rooney, but his left foot dink is too weak.
52 mins: WOW CITY SCORE!!! Absolutely brilliant from Bellamy, who cuts inside on the left from Tevez's pass and hits an absolutely unstoppable shot into the far top corner. No saving that. Fantastic strike.
54 mins: Park finds acres of space in the centre and shoots just wide as Lescott belatedly closes him down. Bellamy, to be fair, has had a decent game today. He's very good defensively now, racing back to nick the ball a lot. But that goal was really something, the kind of goal you might score once, in a five a side goal, in your entire 30 year career of trying to play football. Right in the top corner.
56 mins: Giggs goes on an Early Giggs-trademark run to the byline, but ends it with an Early Giggs-trademark wasteful dink straight into the crowd. Both teams still really going at it out there.
59 minutes: Bellamy gets booked for doing some of that "great defensive work" ie hacking down Anderson. And Ian Copestake wants to take a minute to consider the men in yellow plastic vests: "Who would want to be a steward in this game. They seem to be at the sharp-end when it comes to crowd rebellions and are instantly forgotten for their pains.:" Yeah. But it's a bit like being a traffic warden isn't it? Who. Why. Why would you?
60 mins: United coming on strong now. Lots of pressure. Another corner here as Bridge slides in. The ball actually bounces in the middle of the six yard box and comes out to Rooney but his shot is blocked. And Marl Lawson, who has doen this before, is still mocking the poor old MBM man: "Come on Barney, your Facebook fan club has only 7 fans! This is only
due to a lack of advertising. Your fans need you, this is your
opportunity!" Get off it.
63 mins: Park is off and the so far underwhelming Valencia is on. Big chance for him to kick start his Old Trafford career. Mark hughes has just been whacked by the ball, not watching on the touchline. Haw. Ha. Snigger. And Gary Naylor believes it's a man's game: "When Bellamy shot for the equaliser, Ferdinand was turning his back, shying away from the ball. Isn't it his job to "put his body on the line". This shying away from being hit by the ball is creeping into the game even, hilariously, from defenders in a defensive wall."
65 mins: United continue to carry the game to City, who look pacy and spiky on the break. Chris Johnson points out: "I think Traffic Wardens do a great job. Why should people get away with parking selfishly?" I agree. And so do stewards. But it's just a question of whether you'd actually want to do it or not. It takes a certain... you know. Steeliness. And, blimey, what a save from Given, Berbatov has a free header four yards out as Kolo toure goes to sleep (perhaps literally) and Given palms it out with great reaction speed and some luck.
68 mins: Evra bursts forward again and wins a throw. His quick one is crossed in by Rooney and Toure hacks it over the bar. Could have gone anywhere that. And oh my what a save by Given again from Berbatov. Giggs does Ireland far too easily, delivers for Berbatov and his powerful header is again clawed out by Given. Great stuff.
70 mins: Giggs is bossing the game right now. City can't get close to him on the left. And, blimey it's another save by Given as Valencia crosses and Giggs volleys it down the middle, only for Given to palm it over. Rampant stuff, but can they score?
72 mins: More great work from the on-fire Giggs on the left, picks out Berbatov but his header is over the bar and to be fair the cross was just too high. David Wall asks: "How much longer do you think Richards has got at City unless he recovers something like his debut-season form? Hughes talked of having two top-class players for every position in David Conn's articles this weekend but they don't seem to have even one at right-back." Well, he's being beasted by a 46-year-old right now. And yes, Valencia came on for Park.
74 mins: Time to draw breath at last. Little Michael Owen is warming up. And Ed Bayling has the answer: "Why be a steward? Easy - get yourself and the kids in free every week! (And with any luck, you'll end up working the family enclosure where the biggest drama is the queue for pies at half time). On which note, thanks to my uncle for all the free tickets to see the mighty Shrewsbury Town back in the day...."
On shying away Mac Millings muses: "Mr. Naylor raises an interesting point, particularly as it seems that players are shying away more as the ball becomes lighter, making them double-soft. By the time FIFA mandates use of a beach ball, defenders will be fleeing in terror for the nearest bathroom as the near-balloon floats towards them."
76 mins: Giggs continues to come up with all United's best stuff. Where's Rooney gone? You feel they might, just might have missed their chance to score. City are having a little more of the ball now. They have dug in, to their credit.
And George Templeton asks: "If we want to send e-mails in for the live football weekly should we send them to you or is there another web address. And will you be on the live football weekly?" Er... You can sure. I don't know. And yes I will be. Anyone got anything interesting I can say?
78 mins: Owen is on for Berbatov. Big, big chance for him to endear himself.
80 mins: Another free-kick in a dnagerous place near the edge of the box on the left. Giggs to take it.
And here's Rob Hisnay on Fergie looking cross: "During the halftime break he was probably wondering why in the world he signed Berbotov for 30 million when he should have signed/kept Tevez for that amount. And then spending 17 million to get Valencia from Wigan, meanwhile Bayern Munich spent 22 million to get Robben from Real Madrid." Do you really think so? I never realised he was so reflective and self-critical.
81 mins: UNITED SCORE!!!! Giggs whips in the free-kick and once again Darren Fletcher rises like a golden eagle to head it into the back of the net. Terrible defending - he was unmarked, but perhaps a result of all the pressure United have had. Can City do it again here?
83 mins: Hughes sends on Petrov for De Jong. But it's still United who have the ball. And City really haven't done much either side of Bellamy's goal this half. Terrible marking for the last goal by the way.
86 mins: hughes looks a bit resigned on the touchline now. You have to say his bench is a bit light. Sure that can be sorted in January with a few quid from the nice men in the helicopters. Anderson has a shot from miles out but it zings over. And Dan Bear has a plea for peace, for some reason: "I know its the biggest event in the history of the world and all that but why can't these players born and bred in the same city just get along? Have a big smiley hug or something? Where has all the love gone man? Peace out." Indeed.
88 mins: But wait! Here comes Shaun W-P! Free in the inside left channel he shoots but hits the side netting off Foster's gloves. Then from the corner Richards can't react quickly enough unmarked two yards out and the ball flies over his muscle bound thigh. That was a right old chance for a more fox in the box type of player.
90 mins: CITY SCORE!!! AMAZING SCENES!! Ferdinand tries a preposterous scooped pass on half way line, which is intercepted by Bellamy who runs like Usain Bolt to the goal line and slips the ball past Foster. Who really might have done better too. But a lovely finish from wide and amazing pace this late in the game. Ferdinand holds his head, and rightly so.
90+2 mins: Four mins of over time here. United still press. What a game this has been. Carrick on for Anderson very late.
90+4 mins: Last chance maybe: Giggs' corner is punched clear by Given and Rooney shoots high. You've got to say, City have shown real spirit here and Bellamy has looked like a world-beater, a real trier and two amazing goals. If Rooney had played like this we'd be calling him the best player in the world.
90+5 mins: UNITED GET THE WINNER!!! WHAT A GAME!!! And it's Michael Owen in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Last-ditch kitchen sink free kick from United is headed out to Giggs, who threads a gem of a pass to the scurrying Owen, who slips it in. What drama. And Alex Ferguson leaps six feet in the air from a standing start.
90+6 mins: FULL TIME!!! That's it. One of the great derbies, certainly of recent years. Really dramatic stuff, some lovely goals and amazing drama at the end. City will be happy in one way: they showed great resolve and pushed it all the way. But still a real sickener.
That's all from me. Thanks for all your emails, particularly at the end when I'm afraid I couldn't paste them up due to all the crazed football going on.
