Sunday, April 6, 2008
Manchester United were pushed all the way by Middlesbrough in a lively 2-2 Premier League draw at the Riverside Stadium on Sunday as a final point rescued by Wayne Rooney's late equalizer.United looked to be coasting thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's early opener - the innovative winger's 37th goal of an quite amazing season.
Middlesbrough's 12 million pounds ($24 million) club witness signing Afonso Alves finally came good to break his duck with cool finishes either side of half-time to intimidate table-topping United with a extraordinary defeat. The well-deserved draw was enough to drive United three points clear at the top of the table as they close in on their 10th Premier League crown.
Alves, who had failed to score in his first eight Boro appearances, brought an end to such a superfluous statistic 10 minutes before half-time to drag the hosts level. Gary O'Neil's probing ball forward was flicked on by Jeremie Aliadiere, and even with the attentions of Michael Carrick, Alves lifted the ball over the advancing Edwin van der Sar from the edge of the area as United conceded in the Premier League for the first time in eight-and-a-quarter hours.
In a nonstop ending, Rooney and Boro substitute Tuncay Sanli went close, but a late winner for either side would have been hideously inequitable as both had played their division in a excellent way.
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