Sheff Utd 1 Man Utd 2: Dalot stunner saves the day as unimpressive Red Devils scrape victory over winless Blades
SIR BOBBY CHARLTON had a wonderful way of talking about the game he played so wonderfully well.
“In the sweep of its appeal, its ability to touch every corner of humanity, football is the only game that needed to be invented.”
So said the great man and when new came through of his passing every corner of the planet that has been touched by that game, collectively mourned the lost of one of its greatest exponents.
Mourned and appreciated. As he was here at Bramall Lane.
For a game that revolves around noise you couldn’t help but fall silent as the news came through.
An era, a person, a player that can never be replaced taken from us.
But when a planned minutes silence for the victims of conflict in the Middle-East was extended here to include Sir Bobby’s passing applause rang round every corner of the ground.
‘One Bobby Charlton’ chanted the away end.
The big screen in the ground displayed a picture of the young athlete crouched over a ball.
The wave of blond hair, betrayed his age for it would grow thinner through his career and become almost a trademark as he swept it to one side before working his magic.
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The other noticeable thing about that picture is the broad grin.
No need for moodiness or an attempt to intimidate.
Just a sheer joy at what he was doing.
At a time when the debate whirls about footballers playing too many games it is worth remembering this quote from him too.
“Some people tell me that we professional players are soccer slaves.
“Well if this is slavery give me a life sentence.”
He loved football and football loved him in a way reserved for a only a handful who can bestride rivalries and bring everyone together in a common sense of awe and appreciation.
The home of struggling Sheffield United was but a microcosm of football’s shared grief and appreciation.
Poignant as it came on the day when Manchester City paid tribute to one of their greatest a few hours earlier at The Etihad.
Francis Lee was bursting nets in the blue side of Manchester while Charlton did it in the red.
Lee scored the goal that sealed the 1967-68 title on the final day of the season at St.James Park.
Just 18 days later Charlton hit the net twice as United lifted the European Cup at Wembley, ten years after he was dragged from the wreckage of the Munich air disaster.
Charlton loved to play but he loved to watch too and he would have loved the winner here as well as Diogo Dalot drilled a shot from 25 yards into the top right-hand corner in the 77th minute
Quite what words he would find to describe this game before that moment however is another thing.
“I never found football a bother, really,” he once said. “It all came quite easily.”
If only the same can be said of the current team.
It has become a hard watch, a hard grind, something the clubs fans travel to witness now in hope rather than expectation.
A friend in the away end texted me before half-time ‘Atrocious. Went down after 35 for a beer, absolutely awful.’
But Erik ten Hags team has spirit as was demonstrated before the international break when Scott McTominay’s injury time double pulled victory from the jaws of defeat against Brentford.
McTominay was on the mark again here to give the Red Devils a 28th minute lead.
Chesting a high ball down he turned and hit a shot with the outside of his boot that was not the cleanest strike but found the far bottom corner.
However the same player’s outstretched hand would give The Blades a penalty just six minutes later convincingly converted by Oli McBurnie.
After that captain Bruno Fernandes scrapped the bar with a free kick as did Sofyan Amrabat with a long range effort in the second-half.
Then Dalot provided a moment at odds with what went before.
United matches can be very quickly forgotten nowadays, Sir Bobby most certainly will not.
‘One Bobby Charlton’ the faithful continued to chant as the full time whistle came ever closer.
Fernandes had carried out a wreath on behalf of the players and staff to lay down in the centre circle before kick off.
Another from the club earlier that day was the first tribute to be laid before the Holy Trinity statue that depicts Sir Bobby with George Best and Denis Law.
That promises to grow into a sea of flowers as it did when Best passed in November 2005.
Tuesday at Old Trafford and the visit of FC Copenhagen promises to be highly emotional occasion.
When a great club says goodbye to it’s greatest servant.
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