Scholes spares United's blushes

Sheffield Wednesday 1 Manchester United 1

Phil Shaw
Thursday 19 December 1996 00:02 GMT
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Paul Scholes, summoning raw power to cancel out a goal of rare panache by Sheffield Wednesday's Italian striker Benito Carbone, earned Manchester United a point a Hillsborough deluge last night.

However, it was another patchy performance by the champions, who risk losing touch with the Premiership's leading pack unless they recapture their form over the Christmas period. United, now nine points adrift of Liverpool, have won only twice in seven games since their 5-0 embarrassment at Newcastle last month. There was much to concern Alex Ferguson as he patrolled the touchline in the rain.

Perhaps the most worrying feature for United in their third successive away draw was that Eric Cantona again cut a peripheral, almost forlorn figure. The Old Trafford talisman scarcely influenced events at all, slicing his only scoring opportunity high into the Kop.

The contrast between Cantona and Carbone was revealing: David Pleat's October recruit from Internazionale often exposed United's pedestrian central defence with his darting movements and delicate touches.

United kept David Beckham on the bench until the closing stages, doubtless in an attempt to keep him fresh for the festive fixture pile-up. There were others who looked in need of a rest, including the normally indefatigable Denis Irwin, who endured a torrid evening.

Yet United should have scored as early as the fifth minute. Ryan Giggs, who put in an impressive effort on a pitch which cut up badly, was put clear by Ronny Johnsen, but in attempting to place the ball wide of Kevin Pressman he succeeded only in steering it beyond the far post.

While Pressman later made a stunning reflex save to touch over a Scholes header after Giggs had crossed superbly from the left, Peter Schmeichel was much the busier goalkeeper. Back at the scene of his humbling by Croatia's Davor Suker during Euro 96, he used his chest to keep out one booming long-range shot by Carbone.

The Dane was then fortunate that Guy Whittingham, set up by Graham Hyde, miscued with the goal at his mercy. As the home pressure mounted, Mark Pembridge wriggled away from Gary Pallister. Schmeichel beat aside his drive, though he was a spectator as Whittingham's follow-up shot through Pembridge's legs as it passed across the goalmouth.

Wednesday went ahead in the 57th minute. Orlando Trustfull, on for the injured Hyde, was allowed to run at the heart of the United defence before slipping a short pass to Carbone. Nonchalantly taking what many of the crowd considered a touch too many, he curled his shot round Schmeichel from 15 yards.

United drew level within four minutes with a goal that had its origins in a long clearance by Schmeichel. As Ole Gunnar Solskjaer contested the ball with Steve Nicol, it squirmed to Scholes. A swing of the left boot sent it past Pressman from 25 yards, but in United's position the outcome surely represented two points lost rather than one gained.

Sheffield Wednesday: (4-1-3-2) Pressman; Nolan, Walker, Stefanovic, Nicol; Atherton; Whittingham, Hyde (Trustfull, 44), Pembridge; Carbone (Blinker, 86), Booth (Hirst, 76). Substitutes not used: Oakes, Clark (gk).

Manchester United (4-1-3-2); Schmeichel; G Neville (Beckham, 72), May, Pallister, Irwin; Johnsen (P Neville, 83); Butt, Scholes, Giggs; Cantona, Solskjaer. Substitutes not used: McClair; Poborksy; Van der Gouw (gk).

Referee: P Danson (Leicester).

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