Five star United

	18 January 2006
	Manchester United 5-0 Burton Albion
	The Premiership giants romp to a five-nil win against the plucky Conference outfit.

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Burton Albion's FA Cup dream was shattered by a Guiseppe Rossi inspired Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Billed as the ultimate David versus Goliath clash, United finally restored order after the original tie ended in a 0-0 draw.

Sir Alex Ferguson resisted calls to field his strongest side, making just one change to the side which drew at Burton, meaning Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Ruud van Nistelrooy had to settle for a place on the bench.

The bumper crowd - a mere 50,000 more than Burton's average attendance - were denied the chance to see the wizardry of suspended pair Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, who watched from the stands.

But the mercurial Rossi did his best to make up for their absence, displaying numerous tricks and flicks during an eye-catching display which noted him as a player for the future.

It could have been all so different had John Shaw managed to get a better connection on his header after just four minutes, but Burton's dream vanished after just seven minutes.

The 10,000 travelling fans playfully baited their illustrious hosts with chants of 'Who are ya?' moments after the teams kicked-off, but United soon reminded the non-league side of the enormous gulf between Conference and Premiership.

Gerard Pique sent Kieran Richardson racing down the line. The midfielder, who scored twice on his England debut against the USA, had time to deliver a inviting cross between Burton keeper Saul Deeney and the defence to Louis Saha who provided the telling finish.

Deeney, unmovable during a heroic display ten days before at the Pirelli Stadium, was soon picking the ball out of the net for a second time, this time on 23 minutes.

After a Burton raid ended in United winning possession, the hosts charged forward resulting in Rossi nodding in Mikael Silvestre's pinpoint cross, again from the left.

The visitors gamely responded, roared on by their huge support, but for all Keith Gilroy's running and the industry of talismanic captain Darren Stride, the United back-four were unruffled.

It could have been worse for Burton a minute before half-time when Saha raced clear after a wonderful turn and chipped pass by the impressive Rossi. But the Frenchman, getting in rather a tangle, dilly-dallied on the ball and allowed Jake Sedgemore to make the vital interception.

Richardson showed his team-mate how to do it in the 52nd minute and again, Rossi played a vital role in the build-up.

The 18 year old delivered an exquisite pass, flicked though on the volley while mid-air, which sent Richardson galloping clear. Reaching the edge of the box, the midfielder unleashed an unstoppable shot past the helpless Deeney.

Sir Alex, perhaps keen to close the door on his game opponents, brought on Neville, Giggs and Ferdinand with a little over half an hour remaining.

United piled forward in search of more goals and Saha should have added a fourth but, in a carbon copy of his earlier chance, dwelt too long and allowed Andy Corbett to make a last-ditch challenge.

But the United fans did not have to wait for another goal, substitute Giggs shooting across Deeney with his right foot after a delightful one-two with Rossi.

Burton, to their credit, battled on in search of a goal that few would have denied them. One opening fell to Shaun Harrad but he lashed a shot high and wide.

It seemed appropriate that Rossi, undeniably man of the match, had the last word. Lurking on the edge of the box in the final minute, the young Italian controlled a loose ball before dispatching a clinical half-volley into the top corner.

Manchester United: Howard, Bardsley, Pique, Brown (Neville 62), Silvestre, Solskjaer, Fletcher (Giggs 62), O'Shea (Ferdinand 62), Richardson, Rossi, Saha. Unused subs: Van der Sar, van Nistelrooy.

Burton Albion: Deeney, Sedgemore, Tinson, Austin, Corbett, Hall (Webster 74), Stride, Ducros, Gilroy (Henshaw 87), Shaw (Anderson 27), Harrad. Unused subs: Taylor, Todd.

Attendance: 53,564

Referee: Howard Webb

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