Match against Bolton Wanderers

[Andrea]

I watched the game today and I have to say the team didn't play very well but they got the three points to reach the top of the table.

Dimitar wasn't for sure the best man in the pitch bit he was the key man of the game, the one who scored at the very last minute.

He got a pass from Tevez and hit the ball with his head.

Needless to say, I enjoyed watching Dimitar and Carlos embracing each other after the goal.

This is from ESPNsoccernet

Berbatob, a hero for United

Dimitar Berbatov's last-minute header earned Manchester United a 1-0 win at Bolton and sent his side to the Premier League summit for the first time this season.
Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen looked like denying the Red Devils with a superb individual display.
But, after repelling three ferocious Cristiano Ronaldo free-kicks, Jaaskelainen was eventually beaten as Carlos Tevez wriggled free of the Trotters defence to cross for Berbatov, who powered home a six-yard header.
Berbatov's effort was enough to see United leapfrog Liverpool, who will now look to reclaim top spot by beating Everton at Anfield on Monday, and show why Sir Alex Ferguson Ferguson was willing to pay £30.75million for the Bulgarian.
At the other end, United also equalled Chelsea's record of 10 successive clean sheets.
Having claimed on Friday Jonny Evans and Tevez were major doubts, Ferguson must have been delighted to learn the pair had come through morning fitness tests and instantly named them in his starting line-up.
Not that either of them shone in a dismal opening 35 minutes for the champions.
Faced with a Bolton side content to sit back and see what their opponents could throw at them, United's response was disappointing.
Too many passes went astray, with Anderson and the normally reliable Michael Carrick among the chief culprits.
One Gary Neville pass to Darren Fletcher allowed the Scotland international to cut a cross back for Ronaldo, whose header bounced straight to Jaaskelainen. But other than that, United were bereft.
Bolton were not much better, although Gary Megson seems to have unearthed an interesting character in Congo-born Portugal international Ariza Makukula, who arrived on loan from Benfica on Friday.
Anyone willing to barge straight through Nemanja Vidic must be brave and his cheery smile as referee Andre Marriner produced the yellow card suggested the Serbian's hard-man reputation was not going to trouble him.
Indeed, later on Makukula caught Vidic with another high tackle that left the United man rubbing his side gingerly and by that time, the burly striker had seen Edwin van der Sar pluck one of his headers away from goal too.
Fabrice Muamba had a decent shot saved by the veteran Dutchman but it was not until the countdown to half-time had begun that United came to life.
The callowness of Chris Basham's youth lured him into a tackle on Berbatov that it was unwise to make. Quiet prior to that point, Ronaldo let fly with a vicious free-kick that Jaaskelainen did superbly to keep out.
In the flurry that followed, Anderson - who is still to score in 18 months with the Red Devils - let fly from 30 yards. Again, Jaaskelainen was in exactly the right position to make an excellent save.
United were expected to start the second period with an extra sense of purpose. Instead, with Makukula continuing to prove a handful, it was Bolton who set the pace.
Davies beat Van der Sar with a looping header after Jlloyd Samuel had provided the cross but the Bolton skipper turned in anguish as the ball dropped onto the roof of the net.
Finally the Red Devils roused themselves, with Ronaldo supplying the ammunition with a ferocious free-kick that Jaaskelainen bundled away and was thankful to Makukula for the clearance that followed.
Two left-wing surges from Ronaldo followed but on both occasions, the end product was poor. The first pass to Berbatov reached the Bulgarian but the pace of it was so limited a posse of Bolton defenders were around the former Tottenham forward by the time he touched it.
The second, to Tevez, lacked accuracy and the home defence cleared the danger.
It was no surprise Ferguson introduced Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes 20 minutes from time and the old stagers soon combined for a corner routine that saw the former England man's bullet strike fly wide off Gary Cahill.
If Ronaldo profited from an element of fortune last season, nothing is falling for him this year.
A third free-kick was too powerful for Jaaskelainen to hold but yet again, the rebound fell Bolton's way.
It seemed United would have to settle for a draw.
But, as Ferguson's teams have proved so often down the years, they can salvage any situation. And Berbatov appears to be a very quick learner.
Fergie delighted to take top spot
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he was just about to take Carlos Tevez off when the South American supplied Dimitar Berbatov for Manchester United's last-minute winner at Bolton today.
"It is a new tactic,'' he joked. "Get someone stripped on the touchline and see what happens.
"I was ready to take Carlos off and then he makes a goal. Danny Welbeck is a big lad and I just felt he might get us a goal from a cross. I am always prepared to gamble.''
In the end, Ferguson didn't need to as Berbatov provided another substantial repayment on his club record £30.75million transfer fee.
United have now won five successive games since they returned from the Club World Cup, four of them by a single goal. At the same time, they have closed a seven point gap on Liverpool and now lead Rafael Benitez's men by one themselves having, until Monday, played the same amount of games.
"Being top is not decisive at this stage but it is always nice because it is the best place to be,'' said Ferguson. "We have been playing catch-up in terms of fixtures for a while now. We still have another game in hand against Fulham on February 14.
"Only after that will we have a good idea of where we stand between Liverpool, Chelsea and ourselves.''
The United boss will now make changes for Tuesday's Carling Cup semi-final with Derby, when United will start a goal adrift of their Championship opponents.
They then tackle Tottenham in the FA Cup on Saturday before resuming their league challenge at West Brom on January 27 and Everton on February 2, by which time Ferguson is hopeful Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown will be available.
Not that United have been faring badly without the England duo as they have now equalled Chelsea's Premier League record of 10 consecutive clean sheets, with Jonny Evans, like Tevez a major doubt beforehand, playing a starring role.
"I was delighted to have Jonny fit,'' said Ferguson. "He has been fantastic for us and did a great job again and Nemanja Vidic's performances have been magnificent.''
Understandably, Bolton boss Gary Megson was an unhappy man, berating his three centre-halves; Gary Cahill, Andy O'Brien and new arrival Sebastien Puygrenier for not dealing more decisively with Tevez in the build-up to Berbatov's winner.
"Our part in that goal was particularly poor,'' said Megson. "I put three centre-halves in there at the end because we were out on our feet. It looked as though we would get something but it hasn't happened.''
Megson was full of praise for another new arrival Ariza Makukula who, just a day after arriving on loan from Benfica, turned in an industrious shift and provided Vidic in particular with major problems.
But it was a succession of saves from Jussi Jaaskelainen that looked like denying United until Berbatov made the breakthrough.
"I don't know if this result was ominous for the rest of the league but if anyone finishes above United, they will win it,'' said Megson.
"They usually come good in the second half of the season but if you look at what Chelsea have done, they will be equally delighted. That is what good teams do.''

[AleG]

From the 60th minute I saw desperation from the team. Like 5 chances in a row for them, but nothing concrete. The best chances came from Cristiano's free kicks. I notices that Dimitar is starting to rub with those bad practices of falling to quickly to be awarded a free kick.

Next, to complete Andreas post (and future reference) what other reports had to say about Dimitar:

From the Independent: “Berbatov had been more infuriatingly languid than ever, Carlos Tevez was never close to a goal”.

From the Times Online: “HE MOVES quietly through most matches, a drifter more than a hustler. The opponent who swaps shirts with him might not even have to wash the garment when he gets home. Like his approach to everything else he does on the pitch, Dimitar Berbatov measures each drop of perspiration before spending it. And of all the players in the game, he is the one you must judge by quality, not quantity. Yesterday’s contribution was classical Berbatov. He had spent most of the game on the edge of the action but there were enough good touches and perceptive passes to remind us of his worth. And there were enough raised eyebrows and hand signals of irritation to remind his colleagues that he expected more of them. He is more general than foot soldier, and just as the game seemed certain to end scoreless, he turned up in the right place to deliver the 90th-minute winner… United had had chances before this moment, but this was Berbatov’s first opportunity, and the game was decided. Two minutes later, the final whistle sounded and you understood why Gary Neville and Nemanja Vidic went to the centre-forward and gave him the kind of hug you reserve for the hero.” Grade for Dimitar 7, for Tévez 6.

From News of the World: “Berbatov doesn’t hit passes, he persuades them. He doesn’t control, he cushions. He doesn’t turn, he pirouettes. But he can over-elaborate. And he can exude a lazy haughtiness. And before his dramatic late intervention, he did both of those. ”

From Manchester Evening News: “But as Ferguson's teams have proved so often down the years, they can salvage any situation. And Berbatov appears to be a very quick learner… Berbatov: One of those days when he was always a fraction away from something great coming off but never gave up and it paid off 6… Tevez: The partnership with Berbatov didn’t really spark until that final-second link-up saw persistence pay off 6.”

From Daily Mail: “Dimitar Berbatov beat the clock for the second time in six months to the gratitude of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson last night… Yesterday, Berbatov left matters just as tight… And there was Berbatov unmarked for the only time in the game. The Bulgarian lunged forwards and directed an unstoppable header into the net. It was his ninth United goal, but only his fifth in the Premier League. Undoubtedly, it was his most precious to date.”

From ManUtd.com: “Dimitar Berbatov – United’s matchwinner netted his third goal in four league games with a fine diving header. Sir Alex predicted earlier in the week that we were about to see the best of Berba – I think we already are… Carlos Tevez – Like Evans, passed a late fitness test and worked hard throughout. Made a vital contribution in the final seconds after supplying a pin-point cross for Berba to head home.”

From Goal.com: “Berbatov: 7.0- The Bulgarian did nothing all match until he popped up to find the winner at the death… Tevez: 6.5- Passed a late fitness test to feature in the starting XI but forgot his shooting boots at home but did set up Berbatov’s winning goal.

From the Daily Express: Berbatov 5, Tevez 6.

From The Guardian: “The Bulgarian was ordinary and anonymous for almost the whole game, yet in the last minute he popped up perfectly positioned to score the winner… unrewarding attacking that seems to suggest the absent Wayne Rooney, rather than Berbatov, is the real focus of Sir Alex Ferguson's front line.”

[lantalem tesfa]

i like it you are right .they didnt play well.there is missunderstanding between them.berba try to play .but we didnt see much from himbut his goal is best.i

[Krassi]

Thanks, Andrea. I agree, it was not one of the pretty games we are used to watch Man U play - luck of concentration on passing in the first half. At the end, the score matters the most. I agree with Sir Alex on the "magnificent defense" comment. That was the main difference while Dimitar was playing for Tottenham (their defense was very weak, which led Dimitar to frustration). There is much more that Berba can do and I expect him to show it ;-)