Carling Cup Fourth Round: Barnsley 0-2 Manchester United

No regrets. That should have been the key statement swirling around the Barnsley players heads as they went out on the pitch for last night's clash with Manchester United but you feel after the final whistle went on a brilliant footballing spectacle, regret is what most inside Oakwell will have.

The Reds created more chances against supposedly the best club side in the world than they have probably in any match all season. Yes United made wholesale changes but they still included first teamers such as Ben Foster, Wes Brown, Jonny Evans, Gary Neville, Anderson and Michael Owen. Apart from the first 10 minutes, when The Reds showed Fergie's side far too much respect, they could have caused an upset, and caused it comfortably.

In some ways the slow start may be what cost Barnsley as they fell behind just six minutes in. The returning Rob Kozluk- who had probably his best game since the Chelsea FA Cup tie two seasons ago- got in front of Owen to concede a corner but terrible marking by Julian Gray allowed Danny Wellbeck to head in Anderson's delivery.

The Brazilian swung the corner in and Gray who was supposed to be marking Wellbeck simply refused to jump, Wellbeck did and comfortably nodded past Luke Steele.

Wellbeck nearly scored in again four minutes later but Steele was off his line superbly to block but then Barnsley took control and penned United deep into their own half.

The Reds had three golden chances from corners in the space of about two minutes. All from Adam Hammill deliveries, Daniel Bogdanovic hit the outside of the post whilst Stephen Foster ingloriously sent two free headers over the top.

Barnsley's very own Anderson then left Fabio Da Silva for dead and he slid a lovely ball across the six yard box which was just begging to be converted. Neither Hugo Colace or Jon Macken could reach it though and another chance went begging.

Early in the second half superb play by Bogdanovic presented a clear chance for Anderson but Oakwell saw why the gifted midfielder has notched just four goals in 69 appearances for Barnsley as with time and space he dragged his shot horribly wide of Ben Foster's goal.

Unfortunately in football prolifigacy has a habit of coming back to bite you and more often than not you cannot waste chances against Manchester United without being punished. So it proved just under the hour when Owen, who had barely even seen the ball showed Barnsley's misfiring players how its done to effectively wrap up the tie.

Anderson slipped the ball through to the England striker's feet, and he nutmegged Darren Moore before slipping past Foster before clinically curling the ball beyond the reach of Steele. A class goal from a striker who showed he still has "it".

The Reds to their credit continued to create chances but as the night wore on it became evident it just wasn't going to happen despite United going down to ten men after an awful challenge from Neville. The former England full-back lunged into a knee high challenge on Hammill (probably frustrated at the fact that Hammill had tormented him all night) and was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Foy- the only decision Foy gave us all night!

That allowed The Reds and Hammill in particular to find space down United's right hand side. Hammill's cross was headed wide by Iain Hume before Foster produced a great fingertip save from Bogdanovic's crisp effort.

The night was summed up from the corner when from just six yards out Anderson De Silva headed wide with the goal gaping. Jacob Butterfield then forced Foster into another good stop with four minutes remaining but by then any hopes of a shock had gone.

Ironically last night Barnsley created more chances than in the famous victories over Liverpool and Chelsea put together but lost. As the focus switches back to league matters lets hope all our chances were not created last night!

Player Ratings:

Luke Steele: Produced two smart stops early doors but had a much quieter night than he probably anticipated. 7

Rob Kozluk: Seems to perform in the big games and did so again last night. Easily his best performance in a long time. 8

Stephen Foster: Had two glorious chances to score and was terrific at the back but for one moment when he let Owen get away. And players like Michael Owen don't miss chances like that. 7

Darren Moore: Nutmegged by Owen for the second goal but was an absolute rock apart. Won everything in the air and totally nullified Federico Macheda. 8

Julian Gray: Still not sure why he is deployed as a full back. Showed his potential going forward but gave Wellbeck an easy goal by not competing for the corner. 6

Adam Hammill: We got the Hammill of old last night (lets hope its not just saved for the big games) Absolutely destroyed multiple time Premier League winner Neville, forcing him to nearly take Hammill's knee cap off. 9

Hugo Colace: Better than in recent weeks but tired as the game wore on. Kept Anderson reasonably quiet. 7

Emil Hallfredsson: Easily his best game since his return from injury. Tackles were excellent and he strode forward at every opportunity. The best midfielder on the pitch from either side. 9

Anderson De Silva: Wasted a great chance to score but you could see he enjoyed playing against players with skill levels to match his own. Certainly didn't look out of place and worked Fabio Da Silva all night. 8

Jon Macken: His link up play was again very good and he helped create a host of chances in the first half. Never looked like grabbing a goal himself though. 7

Daniel Bogdanovic: The closest to scoring as he hit the post and forced Foster into a smart save. Caused problems all night but he just couldn't add to his three Carling Cup goals this season. 7.5

Substitutes:

Iain Hume (for Macken 65) Agonisingly close with a header within minutes of coming on. His pace was a welcome addition to the forward line. 7

Jamal Campbell-Ryce (for Anderson 71) Very little impact once again. Gave the ball away whilst running in circles when in possession. His future is looking more uncertain by the day. 4

Jacob Butterfield (for Colace 77) Absolutely crying out to be started. Denied a goal by a great stop from Foster. 7

Unused Substitutes:

David Preece, Bobby Hassell, O'Neil Thompson, Martin Devaney.

BarnsleyBoy's Men of the Match: Emil Hallfredsson & Adam Hammill: Totally controlled the midfield

MANCHESTER UNITED: Foster, Neville (Sent Off 63), Brown, Owen (De Laet 65), Anderson, Welbeck (Tosic 53), Fabio, Rafael, Evans, Obertan, Macheda.

Subs: O'Shea, C. Evans, Amos, King, James.

Most Impressed by Man United's: Michael Owen: May not have seen much of the ball but showed the class he has when clinically finishing his only chance.

Ref Watch: Chris Foy: Typical Premier League referee who gave them everything. Summed up his performance when Anderson was booked for a challenge on the keeper but when Zoran Tosic did the same to Steele, it wasn't even a free kick! 3

Carling Cup Fourth Round Results: Tuesday 27^th October 2009-10-28

BARNSLEY 0-2 Manchester United

Blackburn 5-2 Peterborough

Portsmouth 4-0 Stoke

Sunderland 0-0 Aston Villa

Tottenham 2-0 Everton

Next Up:

On The Road:

Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Fifteen: Peterborough v Barnsley Saturday 31^st October 2009 Kick-Off 3pm

Tickets:

ADULTS - £22.00 (Standing £17.00)
SENIOR CITIZENS (OVER 60) - £14.00 (Standing £14.00)
STUDENTS - £14.00 (Standing £14.00)
JUVENILES (UNDER 16) - £10.00 (Standing £10.00)

At Oakwell:

Coca-Cola Championship Matchday Sixteen: Barnsley v Sheffield United Monday 9^th November 2009 Kick-Off 7:45pm

Tickets are priced at:

East Stand and West Stand Upper Tiers
Adults £21.00
OAP/Juvenile £12.00
Juveniles (U12) £6.00

Family Area
Adults £21.00
OAP £12.00
Juvenile £12.00
Juveniles (U12) £6.00

East Stand Lower and West Stand Lower
Adults £20.00
OAP/Juveniles £11.00
Juveniles (U12) £5.00

CK Beckett Stand (Pontefract Road End)
Adults £19.00
OAP/Juveniles £11.00
Juveniles (U12) £5.00

All Disabled Areas £19.00
Helpers FREE OF CHARGE

Men of the Match: Adam Hammill and Emil Hallfredsson