The striker was subbed with three minutes to go, and the standing ovation was a token of how the fans have finally warmed to a player who initially showed little work rate and desire to influence the game in the same fashion he had done at Tottenham Hotspur.
Being devoid of grit and determination has never been tolerated among the Stretford End faithful, and the Bulgarian was on thin ice, particularly as his ethic was compared with the dogged mentality of Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, the latter whom Ferguson decided to sell to give Berbatov a more prominent role within the side.
But this season the striker has emerged as a vital part of the Premier League title challenge. And it was the Bulgarian who rescued United from squandering another two-goal advantage.
Roy Hodgson’s intent was to stifle United’s midfield, in a similar fashion to that of Rangers during their visit to Old Trafford on Tuesday evening. But Ferguson’s side started brightly and nullified a packed engine room by using their quality in wide areas.
After an initial ten-minute spell in which the visitors sustained heavy pressure from a United attack that was still reeling from being starved of goalscoring opportunities in midweek, Liverpool enjoyed comfortable spells in possession.
The home side used the greasy surface to create the best chance of the half. A slick interchange between Wayne Rooney and Berbatov eventually fed Nani, but the winger cut inside instead of shooting and having been given a second opportunity, the Portugal international screwed his effort wide.
The spirit of the tie appeared to reflect the amicable terms held between both managers. The fixture did not have the same build up as last term. The war of words involving Liverpool’s previous boss Rafael Benitez and Ferguson contributed to the intensity of the encounter. An affable Hodgson was a factor in keeping hostilities to a minimum and as a result, the game lacked the heated challenges of old.
What Ferguson and Hodgson have shared over the past few weeks is a problematic striker. For the hosts, Rooney’s extra-curricular allegations resulted in him being omitted from the side that drew with Everton last Saturday, and although the United manager insisted he made the correct choice in leaving out his number-one forward, the presence of Rooney was missed.
The England international was uncharacteristically subdued in the first half, although he received little of the ball, Rooney’s general linkup play wasn’t at its best and that was partly down to the rugged defending of Martin Skrtel, who ensured he clung onto his opposite number at every possible occasion.
For Hodgson, his headache has been the form of Fernando Torres. The Spaniard was as equally restrained in the opening 45, and despite the Liverpool manager insisting his fitness is still not at its peak, the striker’s lack of work-rate and energy made life easy for Nermanja Vidic, who typically has a torrid time in this fixture.
The opening half lacked clear-cut chances, and Liverpool had particular difficulty in feeding the ball to Torres, who equally had problems in finding opportunities due to the lack of support.
United took the lead three minutes before half-time through a Berbatov header. A Ryan Giggs corner was swept in and Torres wasn’t the correct side of the Bulgarian and subsequently allowed the striker to expertly place the ball into the corner past a sprawling.
The Berbanator | Bulgarian’s stunning hat-trick destroys Liverpool’s fight back
The hosts started the second half with a similar attacking verve and Berbatov had the opportunity to put his side two in front five minutes after resuming as he latched on to a deflected Darren Fletcher strike, but Reina read the situation and managed to get to the ball a split-second quicker than the Bulgarian.
Liverpool have proved in their opening games they are still heavily reliant on the drive of their captain Steven Gerrard. The dynamic midfielder struggled to make an impact on the game and his surrounding team-mates, the majority of whom are new signings, also failed to make sufficient inroads against United’s slick passing through the middle.
Berbatov added a second on 58 minutes and the Bulgarian’s first touch and subsequent finish showed why Ferguson decided to part with so much money for his services. Following another pinpoint cross from Nani, Berbatov appeared to control the ball with his knee and finish with his back to goal in one fluid movement. Reina could only watch as the ball sailed in off the bar and gave an early contender for goal of the season.
Four minutes later, Johnny Evans handed the visitors a lifeline after bringing down Torres in the area. Referee Howard Webb showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot and booking the Northern Ireland international. Gerrard sent Edwin van der Sar, who had been an observer up until that point, and brought his side back into the contest.
Liverpool needed their captain to get them back on level terms and United could have counted themselves fortunate John O’Shea only saw yellow for hauling down Torres just outside the box when he was last man. Fletcher was at fault for spitting from the wall in the resultant free-kick, and Gerrard slipped the ball through the gap to even the tie.
But six minutes from time Berbatov completed his hat-trick by exhibiting a final display of aerial prowess as he met O’Shea’s cross with a towering leap over Jamie Carragher and his header left Reina with little chance. And the Bulgarian finally secured his place in the hearts of the Old Trafford faithful.
Source From: Goal.com
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