Derby Manage Rousing Carroll But Ronaldo Stays on Song

Manchester United, one of the most feared clubs in Europe, against Derby County, who are set to go down in history as the worst team to play in the Premier League, looked like a complete mismatch.

Yet in the end only Cristiano Ronaldo's 31st goal of the season 14 minutes from the end prevented United's championship hopes from suffering what would have been an unexpected and potentially calamitous setback.

Defeat was tough on a resilient Derby side whose only league victory of the season was in September, but they will at least be able to take some satisfaction in knowing that United will have had fewer harder matches this season.

Ben Foster was given his debut in a United shirt, three years after joining them in a £1m transfer from Stoke, having recovered from the cruciate knee ligament injury suffered last May that until now had prevented him from challenging Edwin van der Saar for the goalkeeping spot. One of Foster's predecessors in the United goal, Roy Carroll, must have been anticipating another busy match for Derby. The fact that he had conceded six at Chelsea in midweek did not stop the match program featuring him on its cover under the headline 'Carroll on song'. Fortunately for the home side, he was.

The Irishman was down brilliantly in the 12th minute to get a fingertip on a low, fizzing Ronaldo shot from 15 yards to push it on to the inside of a post. He denied the Portugal player again in the 34th minute, arching his back to push a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area round a post.

Driven on by the perpetual motion that is Robbie Savage, Derby's confidence began to grow as they survived wave after wave of United pressure and they twice gave Foster the unexpected opportunity in the space of a few seconds to show why he is so highly regarded.

The first came in the 38th minute when Mile Sterjovski volleyed Eddie Lewis's cross towards the far post, only for Foster to throw himself down low to his left to scramble it away. The cries of 'England's No 1' were still coming out of the mouths of the United fans when he had to be in action again seconds later to push a shot away from Kenny Miller as the Scotland striker broke clear through a static visitors' defence who were missing the rested Rio Ferdinand.

Wayne Rooney's frustration, which had been building steadily throughout an unproductive first half, nearly boiled over in the second as United continued to struggle to find a breakthrough against the resolute Derby defence who clearly drew strength from a sell-out crowd.

No Derby player seemed to find that little bit extra within himself more than Carroll, whose duel with Ronaldo was the highlight of the afternoon. It was illustrated in the 55th minute when the keeper got his body behind the ball to block a low, skidding 30-yard free-kick that bounced wickedly off the greasy surface.

From the resulting corner, Carroll used his chest to keep out Ronaldo's header and then he was up quickly to use the same part of his anatomy to parry Ryan Giggs' follow-up. With United so committed to attack, gaps began to appear that a side with more finesse than Derby would surely have exploited.

As it was, they needed to call upon Foster again in the 67th minute when Sterjovski's shot took a deflection that forced the keeper to scramble across and push it away from under the bar.

But just when Derby were beginning to dream of earning their most unexpected point of the season, that man Ronaldo struck. Rooney was given too much space down the left and was able to measure his cross for his partner in crime to sidefoot expertly beyond Carroll. The celebrations among the United players and fans were undoubtedly born as much out of relief as joy.

Man of the match: Roy Carroll

The former United keeper demonstrated why he is one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League and defeat was particularly tough on him. Ronaldo surely has not suffered a more frustrating 90 minutes all season.