Dimitar Berbatov missed several chances at the Stadium of Light and has become the fans' scapegoat. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Reuters
In the circumstances, it was a Manchester United performance of class and achievement. Sir Alex Ferguson's players were quick to the ball, their passing was crisp and it was not until the final whistle that their body language betrayed them.
For a few seconds they just stood around, unsure perhaps how to react or whether it was appropriate to look pleased with themselves. Slowly, they started to move among one another, shaking hands, nodding in appreciation of each other's work but very little was said and it was all tinged with unmistakeable sadness.
They had just become only the third Premier League side to beat Sunderland on their own ground this season but the celebrations were restrained to say the least. No bearhugs, no piggy-backs, no let's-all-have-a-disco. Nobody even punched the air. Footballers usually like to get a bit silly when they have won away from home. But here was Rio Ferdinand with his hands on his hips. Paul Scholes looked like he had just lost the biggest match of his life. Dimitar Berbatov, on an afternoon of personal humiliation, headed straight down the tunnel. The others followed slowly; a brief clap to the away fans from just outside the centre circle but noticeably no closer and then they were gone.
Nani's 27th-minute goal had ensured the season must go to its final day before Chelsea can prise the championship trophy away from Old Trafford. Or, to put it another way, United had managed to prolong the agony for another week. Football can be a strange game and maybe Wigan Athletic can pull off something extraordinary at Stamford Bridge next Sunday but, then again, the chances are they probably won't. Wigan have taken only 11 points out of a possible 54 on their travels this season. They drew at Stamford Bridge two seasons ago with a last-minute goal from Emile Heskey, but Ferguson summed it up succinctly when he said: "Listen, we are clutching at straws a little bit."
And so, barring one last feat of escapology that would exceed anything David Blaine has done, the championship trophy will be leaving Old Trafford after three years. United have lost seven times in the league and there is a blame culture in football that means individuals will always be identified for special criticism. In this case, Berbatov has become the popular scapegoat and it is undeniable that he has endured a difficult year, particularly towards the business end of the season, but the reasons are more diverse than just one player's erratic form.
United can cite a luckless run of injuries (17 players have missed a month or more), the regression of players such as Michael Carrick and Ferdinand, and the way the team have missed Cristiano Ronaldo and, to a lesser extent, Carlos Tevez – two players who have scored over 50 goals between them this season for Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively.
Selling Ronaldo was always going to hurt the team, not just because of his goals but also because of the sapping effect his presence can have on opponents. That wow factor has gone this season, even if Nani and Antonio Valencia have been two of the better performers. Berbatov, the club's most expensive player, has flickered only sporadically and, on a personal level, this game was another ordeal.
"We were careless with our finishing," Ferguson grizzled, and everyone knew whom he meant after the Bulgarian's second-half misses. "Dimitar could have scored four."
But Berbatov is not the only player who has failed to excel. You look through United's squad to identify which players can legitimately be described as having brilliant seasons and the only ones who stand out are Rooney, Darren Fletcher and Patrice Evra. Too many have scored six or seven, but not eight or nine, out of 10. Last season, when the Professional Footballers' Association announced the shortlist for player-of-the-year, five of the six names came from Old Trafford. This year, Rooney was the club's only representative.
United are now relying on beating Stoke next weekend while hoping Chelsea, with only five points dropped at home all season, fail to beat Wigan. "You never know," Ferguson said.
"Football is a crazy game. I wouldn't insult Wigan in any shape or form because they are a really good football team and they will have a go." But in all honesty he didn't really look like he meant it.
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