VANTASTIC ... Manchester United ace Robin van Persie slams home his late equaliser
Last Updated: 06th January 2013
ALEX FERGUSON saluted the brilliance of Robin van Persie after his dramatic late equaliser earned Manchester United an FA Cup replay.
The Dutchman controlled Ryan Giggs’ long pass in an instant and then slammed it home deep into injury-time after James Collins’ double had given West Ham hope of an upset.
United chief Ferguson said: “He’s at a mature age now. He’s brought that maturity to our front line and his performance after coming on was tremendous.”
Tom Cleverley put United in front before Collins’ headed brace took the Hammers ahead.
But the calm Ferguson never thought the game had got away from his side. He said: “When you’re 2-1 down with a couple of minutes left you just hope you get a break.
“But the manner of goal — the pass from Ryan Giggs and first touch from Robin van Persie and his finish — is absolutely world class, absolutely fantastic.”
Van Persie’s late equaliser spoiled what would have been an incredible homecoming for Joe Cole, who signed for West Ham from Liverpool at the end of the week.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce said: “It was a fantastic debut for Joe. He got a great reception from the fans and must have made him feel really, really good.
“Joe was a massive boost for me. We scored two great goals from James Collins from Joe’s delivery.
SAM ALLARDYCE rues Red Devils' resilience after Robin van Persie's last-gasp equaliser
“It wasn’t a risk playing him because he’s been fit all season. He’s hardly had a problem. He’s had one or two problems previously and in the past, but at the moment he’s not.
“Joe’s bursting for games, as many as he gets.”
Allardyce admitted he was disappointed to concede so late in the game.
He said: “You’re never satisfied and you’ve never beaten Manchester United until the final whistle.
“I’ve learnt that in the past. When Matt Jarvis broke down the left-hand side late on and put in a great ball for Mark Noble, who headed it down to Matt Taylor, I was going ‘Please put it in, please’.
“If that goes in Manchester United won’t come back.
“It was a brilliant goal they scored. Their first goal was good enough to me but the second goal — the ball from Ryan Giggs who smashed a half-volley over James Tomkins’ head from 60 yards — was an unbelievable finish.
“We had one cleared off the line, we had to be patient and tactically we were very good.
“But we’ve conceded two goals and I can’t really remember what Jussi Jaaskelainen has had to do.
“It was a great performance but in that dressing room it almost feels as though you’ve lost when you get done in the last minute. But that aside the whole team has played really well today. Even young Dan Potts coming back from Colchester is fantastic for me to see.
“We’re still in the hat but we’ve got a difficult January now. We need to get our injured players fit and, if we can find another one or two now that the window has reopened, well we’ll try that.”
Reflecting on his performance, Cole added: “It was a nice return.
“I didn’t like the fuss, I just wanted to get out there and play football.
“It was nice to get involved and get the minutes under my belt. It’s been a long time since I played properly.
“Three or four games and I’ll be back to my best.”
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4728449/Alex-Ferguson-salutes-hero-sub-Robin-van-Persie.html#ixzz2HCjeWTGT
