EPL Legends Return to former Squads in FA Cup 3rd Round

Double Post: England bleeds the colors of Manchester. Red and Blue

**I didn't realize this didn't post the other day when I emailed it, so sorry for the inconvenience.

This is a double post for a few reasons, first of all because posting two separate post at once is pointless. Also because they happened on the same day and that it is a few days late. But at the same time, I'm going to actually split up this post into two, because I don't want to pass up these headline opportunities, rather than giving it one main title.

Manchester United knock Liverpool off their perch:


Manchester United took the last necessary point out of their match against Blackpool yesterday, sealing their 19th EPL title. United already had a 6 point lead on chelsea with the blues having only two games left, the total points they could get was 6. Rooney scored the EPL winning penalty after Chicharito was taken down in the box. The game ended 1-1 but it was enough to clinch the title. The Red Devils are now the most successful club in English History. Liverpool still remain the most successful English team in European history but United are slowly chipping away at that as well. They are in the Champions League final on May 28th, whereas Liverpool seem to enjoy the Europa League. United didn't lift the trophy just yet, it will most likely be after the final game this weekend.

Manchester City crack open the trophy cabinet:

That's right, after 34 years without a single piece of silverware, Man City decided to play like a team with millions of dollars behind. They beat stoke 1-0. Tevez did lift the trophy, but there is news stating he might be leaving the club this season. His claims are that it isn't about the money rather it being that the distance he is from his family isn't making England an enjoyable stay for the Argentine. Although it is uncertain where he would go. Whether Tevez does leave or not, the 2011 FA Cup is staying with Man City.

-JoeyB

FA Cup/EPL Title Race

Stoke City and Bolton met today for the second semi final of the FA Cup. Stoke scored three goals in the first 30 minutes. They were dominating the match and this only continued into the second half, where Jonathan Walters got a double. Stoke city completely shut out Bolton with the final result being 5-0. It will be interesting to see how Stoke does in the final against Manchester City. Manchester is eager to a new trophy and they are the big guns in this final, but they cannot under estimate Stoke, of it will be a replay of the Carling Cup final, Arsenal v Birmingham City. Arsenal was looking to update their trophy cabinet after six years, but fell 1-2. Manchester City and Stoke meet at Wembley on May 14th.

Etherington celebrates scoring Stoke's first goal. Photograph: Neil Tingle/Sportsphoto

The FA Cup, El Clasico, Copa Del Rey, Premier League, La Liga and Champions League

Dear Readers,

TWil and I, sincerely apologize for our lack of posting. We have both been very busy, but we are going to focus on TFIU a lot more, especially with a lot of seasons coming to a close. We have some great ideas for the blog including a new category of posting. We also have a surprise coming for you guys, but I’m going to stay silent until we get it going. Once again, I’d like to apologize and thank you for continuing to read The Flag Is Up. As a thank you, I have written a monster post, updating you on the FA Cup, El Clasico, Copa Del Rey, Premier League, La Liga and Champions League. Enjoy.

Another Survived Nightmare: Manchester United v Southampton

United found themselves down against Southampton today during the F.A. Cup 4th Round. This is the second time this week that United were losing at half time, the first one against Blackpool, where they were down by two, but came back to win the game 3-2. United found themselves in a bit of déjà vu in this match. The game started of pretty slow and United started off pretty sloppy. In this match they found themselves down by one as the man with the golden boots, Richard Chaplow drilled one into the back of the net in the 45th minute.

FA Cup 4th round Saturday review

Crawley Town crawl on, ugly Chelsea return, and Leyton Orient ring calls as the true pride of East London in an action-packed FA Cup matchday.

FA Cup: Man Utd Move On

**Video Fixed**
**Mind the bias post**

Manchester United had a dream start against Liverpool as Berbatov was fouled in the box after just 1 minute. Some say Berbatov went down rather easily, but it is safe to say that mostly any sticker would have gone down in that situation because there did seem to be some contact. Referee Howard Webb pointed to the spot and the hearts of those who never walk alone had stopped. Legendary United winger Ryan Giggs stepped to the spot. Webb blew the whistle and Giggs smashed the ball to the right. Anfield’s goalie, Pepe Reyna chose the right side, but couldn’t even get a finger on the ball, as a result from the power that was used to strike it.


Man United 1-0 Liverpool The FA Cup 3rd Round - 09/01/11

About 30 Minutes after that, Rafael passed the ball to teammate, Michael Carrick, who was then tackled by Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard. Although, this was not an ordinary tackle. Stevie G went it with both legs, studs facing Carrick’s ankle. After, Webb pulled Gerrard to the side, to have a quick chat, while everyone anticipated the yellow card. Webb reached into his pocket and pulled out a red. When I say Webb pull him to the side, I did contemplate the fact that the challenge was a red card, but I quickly doubted myself thinking it wasn’t that bad, but after seeing the replay, it was obvious that the refs had been right.

There was little action after that, besides every single United player dangling Liverpool. Evans had a header that he received from a corner that hit the post. Other than that, the match was pretty even, based on goal attempts, but skill wise, United were far superior, they just couldn’t shut down on their opportunities. Fernando Torres played an awful game, show very little enthusiasm during the game. And no, I am not just saying that because it’s Liverpool, as a matter of fact, I think Torres is great player, but he really didn’t have that spark against United. Reyna was actually very good in goalie, having about four consecutive saves in a few instances. Kuszczak on the other hand, was pretty lucky to have maintained the clean sheet, not because he didn’t play well, but because there were a few instances where the ball caught him off guard. There was a shot from Maxi Rodreguez, where Kuszczak kneeled down as he caught it. This is a sign of a loss of balance, so he was lucky to keep his grasp on it. Other than that, he had a couple nice saves, throughout the game, and you couldn’t have asked for a better result from him. United didn’t necessarily have a nice composure as a team, but they got the job done.

Photo Courtesy: Caught Offside

Comment!
-JoeyB

FA Cup: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

One of the ultimate rivalries will be starting in just a matter of hours, Manchester United vs. Liverpool. This will be for the FA Cup’s third round. Besides one game in the Carling Cup, United haven’t lost a game this season. Liverpool on the other hand have. Their latest loss was their last Premier League game against Blackburn, which ended 3-1. The last time Liverpool and Manchester United met, Berbatov had a stunning hat trick and Stevie G had two for Anfield. Liverpool have managed to play pretty well against the big clubs this season, but it’s the smaller clubs that are causing them trouble. They have picked up their game recently, jumping from relegation spot 19 up to 12. Earlier this season, Liverpool beat last year’s champs, Chelsea, as Fernando Torres scored two to end his goal drought. You could say that Chelsea isn’t in the best position in the table either, but at the time, they looked to be one of the top four clubs in the EPL. And tying it up against United after being behind two goal takes some skill as well, but it wasn’t enough to match Barclay’s current top goal scorer, Berbatov. I’ll be rooting for United, but I am also hoping for an exciting game, much like their last encounter.

Who do you guys want to win, Liverpool or Manchester United?

-JoeyB

The FA Cup

The FA has released a video commemorating the start of the third round of this season's FA cup on Saturday. This has always been among my favorite competitions in the world, primarily because of the possibilities. It is feasible for essentially ANY team to win the title. This season, well over 700 clubs entered the tournament. Realistically, it is extremely unlikely that any team outside of the first couple of divisions would have much of a chance. But just the thought that a team even from the Championship could win it really keeps me hooked. It may be ironic that I say these things, even while rooting for a "big four" club in Chelsea. But I will almost always root for the lower team if they're not playing my lads, and these can be some of the most fun games in the world. So as we await the return of the EPL until next week, it's time to get pumped for some great English footy in the FA cup.]

video courtesy: the FA