Manchester United blow title defense.

Ok, so Manchester United lost to Southend, who sit in last place in the English Second Division, which is technically the third division of English Football. They lost 1-0 on a free kick, which beat their second string goalkeeper. Yes, Rooney and Ronaldo started the match, and it did look as if the rest of the side was pretty much EPL standard, infact, the very same starting line-up really wouldn't be too much of a surprise on any given Saturday in the EPL.

So why did they lose? They lost for the same reason that other bigger clubs get knocked off by smaller clubs, because the bigger club, in this case you can call them Manchester United, is expected by damn near everyone to absolutely roll over the smaller club, which in this case you can call them Southend. Southend, who are the smaller club, outside of the players themselves, were probably given no chance in hell of beating Manchester United, the bigger club, so they most likely played with reckless abandon and had nothing to lose.

These types of things happen, so getting dumped out of the Carling Cup, regardless of the fact that Manchester United were the defending champions, is not the end of the world. United are still leading the EPL with 3 points, a huge goal advantage, are still alive and in control of their own destiny in the UEFA Champions League and are still awaiting to enter the FA Cup. The three main events are still on the schedule and United are doing their jobs in two of them. Not having to play in the Carling Cup matches this season might be a better result for the rest of the season. Just like last year when not playing after the group stage probably made it an easier schedule for United to chase Chelsea, not having to play in the Carling Cup matches should allow for a less congestive schedule.