Middlesbrough 2 - 2 Manchester United @ the Riverside Stadium 6th April 2008

In what can be noted as the "worst performance of the season"

The United team, practically let their fans down!

In what was billed to be a done and dusted league challenge, with United being 5points ahead, many would have thought United would have won this game.

True, the overconfidence was getting to the team once again, but after the beating of Roma in Rome, how can this United side lose?

I missed the opening 10minutes of the match but I did get to catch the goal by Ronaldo who was assisted by Michael Carrick.

From then on, Boro practically took the game to United and they attacked with full force. Not bothering about their defence, they played like they had nothing to lose. In which United, had everything to lose if they lost this game.

That tactic for Boro paid off as they found that the United defence (who was missing Nemanja Vidic) crumbled with the partnering of Ferdinand and O'Shea. At times, it looked as if non of them were bothered in defending as the Boro strikers found ways to break the "solid" defence United had all season.

Minutes after minutes of pressuring, Boro squandered chances like crazy. With luck on United's side and Boro's as well, both teams failed to score with perfect chances being presented to them.

As the game became tensed, so did the weather as it looked as if it rained and snowed during the match. This cold weather conditions were soon blasted away with the heat from the Boro supporters as Alfonso Alves (their new signing) scored! The scores were leveled at half time and it looked as if United was going to wake up and maybe blast a few more into the back of the net of the Boro goal.

Unfortunately it didn't happen as chances were missed. Middlesbrough reminded United that trying to win the title ain't all that easy as they scored again through Alves and United was definitely on Red Alert.

The defence was shakey as ever and Ferdinand picked up an injury. Fearing the worst, he was replaced by Gerard Pique and the defence was reshuffled. Pique put on a absolutely wonderful performance as he tightened the defence once again that allowed the other players to push forward and attack.

Luckily, the United equalizer came through Wayne Rooney. It was all cheerful once more and the United attack, attacked the Boro goal to find the winning goal. But, alas... it wasn't to be as Boro defended and United missed more chances. The game ended in a draw which leaves United only 3 points ahead of Chelsea.