Rooney fires United to victory

Wayne Rooney proved the old adage that form is temporary and class is permanent as he scored a sensational overhead kick to give Manchester United the derby-day spoils at Old Trafford.

For over ten months now, there have been major question marks over United's talisman.

Even following England's victory over Denmark in midweek, Fabio Capello was quizzed about whether he would consider dropping the 25-year-old, who had scored five goals all season for United prior to the derby.

How can that be contemplated? How can what Rooney achieved here be ignored? How many players could watch Nani's floated 77th-minute cross, then leap to send the ball flying past Joe Hart, the City goalkeeper rooted to the spot, lost in admiration for a goal that sent United eight points clear of their local rivals.

It was tough luck on City, who were the better side, and responded to Nani's opener by levelling through an Edin Dzeko shot which deflected in off David Silva.

But Rooney's moment of genius was worthy of winning any game, and with City surely out of the running now, maybe it will win United the Premier League title too.

Attempts from both sides to avoid inflaming what was always going to be a volatile atmosphere, even before City's startling rise up the Premier League, were breached only by a member of the Blues groundstaff, who used a social networking site to post some pretty ugly comments and also the stadium announcer, who repeatedly welcomed supporters to the "greatest football club in the world".

A goalless meeting between the sides in November had prompted complaints of negativity towards Blues boss Roberto Mancini, a feeling a similarly tepid encounter with Arsenal last month only reinforced.

Faced with a table that showed his team five points in arrears of their neighbours, having played a game more, this was the point of no return for City though - and Mancini went for it.

City should have been ahead after only three minutes.

Silva started an intricate move that also involved Micah Richards before Carlos Tevez threaded a brilliant pass through to the Spain international, leaving him completely clear deep inside the penalty area.

Edwin van der Sar advanced quickly, forcing Silva to make an instant decision, the former Valencia star turning in anguish as his delicate prod rolled just wide of the far post.

Even at that early stage, Mancini must have wondered whether another such opportunity would come.

Yaya Toure and Aleksandar Kolarov both went close as the visitors continued to press, but City could not get a clear sight of the United goal.

Not that their hosts were doing much in return. It took them almost 35 minutes to force Hart into a meaningful save, Darren Fletcher climbing to reach Ryan Giggs' curling cross and though the Scot's header was firm enough, it lacked power.

Nani had been a peripheral figure up to that point. He did serve notice of his intentions shortly afterwards though as he fired over from the edge of the area.

Having done so well, City would have been cursing at the manner in which they were opened up.

One long ball from Van der Sar, which Rooney flicked on to Giggs. A neat pass from the Welshman and Nani was in, his first touch taking him away from Pablo Zabaleta before he steadied himself, then beat Hart with clinical ease.

City must have spent the interval cursing at the injustice of it all.

They were the ones who continued to press after the restart, although it was not until Mancini had called Shaun Wright-Phillips and Dzeko off the bench that they got their equaliser.

Even Mancini would admit it took his side a huge slice of luck to drag themselves back into it, with the substitutes combining at the start.

Dzeko's shot from Wright-Phillips' cross was going well wide of the goal when it struck Silva on the back, the deflection leaving Van der Sar totally helpless. It looked like City would grab a winner, with Dzeko causing huge problems inside the United area.

However, the inspirational figure was wearing red. For so long now, there have been questions, but there can be none now - not after he met Nani's cross with a jaw-dropping overhead kick that sent the ball into the far corner, Hart rooted to the spot.

Resurrection

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Sir Alex Ferguson Believes Manchester United's Defence Will Be Crucial Against Bayern Munich In Champions League Clash

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has identified his defence as the key factor in the club's Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.

United will play the first leg against the German side at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday and, after a season of injuries to his first-choice defence, Ferguson believes having them back and fit at this stage of the campaign will prove crucial.

Gary Neville is expected to start at right-back withPatrice Evra on the left, leaving Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand as centre-backs and Edwin van der Sar in between the sticks.

"The back four have been solid, together again," Ferguson said in his pre-match press conference, noting that his side have kept four clean sheets in their last five games.

"[Edwin] Van Der Sar has returned again, because there was a time in the season when all those players were injured and it wasn't easy, we were very fragile.

"But you can see the solidity now, you can see the experience of these players and it is making a massive difference to the performance of the team.

"It is a true saying, 'strong at the back, strong as a team', and we are looking very strong now." With a potential title-decider against Chelsea coming up on Saturday before the return leg against Bayern at Old Trafford next week, United face three significant games in the space of eight days. But Ferguson is confident his side are in the right frame of mind to rise to the challenge. "I think it is a big week, it is a massive week for us," the Scot agreed. "Eight days for us and we have two great games for us against

Bayern and a great game on Saturday against Chelsea. "This is the time of year where you have to enjoy it and also know that things can be crucial — like a mistake or error in an area when you are hoping you are not going to make any." United have profited from 11 own goals - only one less than Dimitar Berbatov has contributed - in the Premier League this season, and Ferguson sees no reason why errors could not continue to benefit his side in forthcoming games. "Mistakes will happen that will win games for you," he said. "You saw that on Saturday [against Bolton Wanderers], we got an own goal to begin with and after that we played exceptionally well. "So it is going to be an exciting week."

Dimitar Berbatov Believes Manchester United's Experience Can Make Them Premier League Champions

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov believes that the number of seasoned professionals amongst the Old Trafford ranks will give Sir Alex Ferguson's side a crucial edge in the race for the Premier League title.

The title race is promising to go right to the wire, with United involved in a dog fight with Arsenal and Chelsea to see who will be crowned champions.

Chelsea have not won the title since 2006, whilst Arsenal's last trophy was in 2005, and Berbatov is sure that the experience of having won major honours in the recent past will see United home come May.

"It's always important, that's why we have so many experienced players in the team mixed with the young ones," he told MUTV.

"We have a great mix of players, the spirit of the team, we have the Boss - who is the most experienced of all - and it makes for a great team.

"In the end there can be only one winner."

United's odd couple showing signs of success

They make an odd couple. One is hyperactive, the other appears inactive; one is short and stocky, the other lean and pale; one is the essential element in the side while the other can seem an expensive ornament.

It is easy to view Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov as opposites, but opposites do not always attract. They can be thrust together on the presumption Nevertheless, it was almost incongruous to see Berbatov fling himself to the turf to head in Park Ji-Sung's 89th-minute cross - a moment to negate the theory that his kit is invariably the easiest to wash. The finish was a move that featured a beautiful cross-field ball from Rooney to find Park and belatedly seal a victory that could have been more comprehensive.

So this, perhaps, was a rarity, a game where they dovetailed beautifully, sharing all three goals and combining for two of them. Rooney determined it, Berbatov embellished it. That, some may say, is the story of the Bulgarian's Manchester United career. But, confined to the bench in Europe and with disturbing regularity on the road, his was a display of unhurried class.

Rooney's, meanwhile, was another demonstration of an insatiable hunger. Two more goals returned United to the top of the table and took his tally to 32. "I said a while ago it's impossible for a player to get 42 in the present day but he's on 32," Sir Alex Ferguson said. "What can I say? It's a challenge for him. He's possibly got 13 games to go." It was proof that mentions of Cristiano Ronaldo, the 42-goal man, still abound at Old Trafford, but a look outside the ground can provide a reminder of the ultimate objective for an attacker. Denis Law, celebrated in a statue, possesses the club record of 46 goals in a season.

With ruthless efficiency, Rooney is United's modern-day Law, dispensing his own form of justice. He punished Fulham, who had defended with determination until the interval, for a lax start to the second half, scoring within 30 seconds of the restart after a pass from Nani. A second cool display of finishing made a Fulham fightback, which always appeared unlikely, impossible. Short of picking up a green and gold scarf, a la Beckham, and replacing his Scouse tones with a Mancunian accent, there is little more Rooney can do to endear himself to the United faithful.

Berbatov has irritated and enchanted them in equal measure, but he has the capacity to delight, and Ferguson was among those charmed after the Bulgarian's role in Rooney's second. He pushed the ball one side of Chris Baird before displaying an unacknowledged turn of pace to run to the other and then picked out his strike partner. "The making of the second goal was just superb football," Ferguson said. "It was marvellous. He is a really good footballer. He's got good composure on the ball."

There is an art to making things look simple and Berbatov possesses it. When guiding a pass into Darren Fletcher's path or turning to volley a corner just wide, his ability was apparent.

But nonchalance can be a curse when it leads to accusations he is uncaring. Plenty of people go for a stroll after their Sunday lunch, the sceptics say, and not all are wearing Manchester United's No. 9 shirt when they do so. Indeed, the early afternoon feel of such fixtures can suit Berbatov, rather than the urgency and intensity of the evening games. Yet his prominence throughout the game was an indication of an impact that was not achieved solely by standing still.

Nevertheless, it was almost incongruous to see Berbatov fling himself to the turf to head in Park Ji-Sung's 89th-minute cross - a moment to negate the theory that his kit is invariably the easiest to wash. The finish was a move that featured a beautiful cross-field ball from Rooney to find Park and belatedly seal a victory that could have been more comprehensive.

Mark Schwarzer, who denied Rooney and Fletcher, kept Fulham in the game. Berbatov, Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra each might have scored earlier goals. So too, at the other end, could have Bobby Zamora, who was denied an equaliser by a fine challenge by Nemanja Vidic. "The tackle from Vidic was fantastic," Ferguson said. "To get back was really first-class." Class, cliche has it, is permanent; when United return to their time-honoured place at the summit of the division, their dominance can appear so, too.

THE JOY OF ROY: Hodgson deflected questions about whether Rooney is the world's outstanding player by replying: "What difference does it make if the man in the pub says he's good or Roy Hodgson says he's good? It's the same thing."

MAN OF THE MATCH: Dimitar Berbatov. Rooney has 24 goals in 22 games, but Berbatov's stylishness earns him this vote. The antidote to the frenzied, frantic approach of his partner, he savoured the occasion.

MANCHESTER UNITED VERDICT: A third clean sheet in as many games since Rio Ferdinand and Vidic reformed their alliance in defence may prove the most encouraging element. However, Gary Neville, so impressive against AC Milan, was error-prone and, Park apart, the replacements were largely untried. Injuries did not matter on this occasion, but they present a cause for concern.

FULHAM VERDICT: They were resilient in the first half but a heavy workload took its toll later in the game. Fulham are unused to a sequence of games that includes Juventus, Manchester United and then Juve again. Hodgson gave Simon Davies and Damien Duff 45 minutes each to restrict the risk of injury. At least Clint Dempsey made his first start for two months.

Sir Alex Ferguson fears Arsenal charge

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Arsenal may yet "mount the biggest challenge" to Manchester United's aspirations of claiming a fourth consecutive Premier League crown and surpassing Liverpool to record their 19th title win.

Arsenal have been written off on numerous occasions this season but are just two points off United, and level with Chelsea having played a game more than their London rivals, thanks to an dramatic late goal from Nicklas Bendtner against Hull City on Saturday.

It is the second away game in succession that Arsenal have profited from an injury-time winner and with a favourable run-in ahead of Arsene Wenger's side, Ferguson is wary of a team that claimed the title in both 1998 and 2002 thanks to strong finishes at the end of the season.

"We are back in the lead, but Chelsea have a game in hand," Ferguson said. "It's also going to be a hard-fought tussle, with Arsenal coming strongly now, and I have a suspicion that they might yet mount the biggest challenge.

"To a certain extent the title is in our hands because Chelsea have to come to Old Trafford [on April 3] and naturally that will be a massive match, but, as I say, I'm wary of Arsenal if they don't suffer too many more injuries to key players.

"Right now it's looking like it [might be the tightest title race yet], I must say. It's looking very tight. We have only got eight games left, Chelsea have nine games left, so you never know.

"You have to think about goal difference. We're four goals ahead of Chelsea. I wish it was 14, but at least it's something in our favour. I suppose the simple way for us and Chelsea to look at it is just to win all our games. But life is never that simple."

Midfield marksmen guide United to victory

Some games appear scripted for the strikers. This was one such, providing a trio of protagonists with interweaving tales. There was Wayne Rooney, Everton's teenage prodigy turned Manchester United's talisman; Michael Owen, the boyhood Evertonian alongside a Scouser in the champions' forward line; and Louis Saha, a byword for unfortunate injuries at Old Trafford, but a man who has outscored both Owen and the missing Dimitar Berbatov after being rehabilitated on Merseyside.

Yet, in a welcome development for Manchester United, all three were overshadowed by more irregular scorers. "Everyone was talking about the lack of goals from midfield," said Sir Alex Ferguson after the game. The conversations can continue, but the subject can change to the calibre of the finishes after Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia scored. The men in the middle determined the game with Ryan Giggs and the substitute Paul Scholes each creating a goal. As a result, the reliance on Rooney, even if only temporarily, was eased and the memories of Cristiano Ronaldo, perhaps, were tinged with rather less nostalgia.

He averaged 30 goals a season in his last three years in Manchester, even if some were spot kicks and quite a few came when he operated in attack rather than on the flank. Yet, as this season is proving, goalscoring has to be a team effort. There were times when Ronaldo's magnificent megalomania obscured that, when everything was about him and when he struck so frequently it scarcely mattered that others barely contributed.

Now it is an issue. Unflattering comparisons could have been drawn with both Chelsea, where Frank Lampard invariably musters 20 goals a season from the centre of the pitch, and Arsenal, where Cesc Fabregas threatens to do likewise. Even, perhaps, with Liverpool, where Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun offer the potential to reach double figures from the flanks.

If none of United's myriad of midfielders are as prolific, there are indications that a settled unit are beginning to produce a return in front of goal. Earlier in the campaign, Ferguson's policy of permanent rotation produced an entirely different midfield for the matches against Burnley and then Wigan. Each of his preferred quartet today started at Chelsea, and three of them found a finish against Everton.

Fletcher's was first and finest. United had been enterprising, but failed to penetrate until Valencia displayed the awareness to head Patrice Evra's cross towards the Scot. His stunning volley flew into the top corner. "Unbelievable," said Evra. "A quality finish," added Ferguson. "It was a goal you wouldn't expect him to score."

Recognition outside Old Trafford is no longer elusive. Fletcher is arguably the Premier League's most improved player over the last 15 months. Ferguson added: "You see his performance level each year for the last few years has gone up and up. He is extraordinary like that."

Carrick's form this season has been rather more ordinary. There is a sense, however, that such a talented technician should be on the scoresheet more often. His second of the season was placed beyond Tim Howard after Giggs' perceptive pass.

Valencia had arrived at Old Trafford with an unenviable scoring record at Wigan, where he struck seven times in three years. A fourth of the current campaign followed Scholes' pass, requiring a deflection off Leighton Baines but justifying United's pre-match instructions. "We have been saying to him to shoot because he has power in his shooting," Ferguson explained.

Rooney had clipped the crossbar against his former employers during a spell when Everton threatened an equaliser. The offside Marouane Fellaini had a goal chalked off, Tim Cahill was denied by Edwin van der Sar and Yakubu shot narrowly wide. David Moyes' half-time reshuffle, when he introduced the Nigerian and moved to a two-man attack, almost succeeded.

Instead Everton were condemned to defeat for the fifth time in seven matches. Injury-ravaged as they are, they have become unaccustomed to such bleak times. A depleted side prospered last season, helped in no small measure by the efforts of their goalscoring midfielders. They are, as United can testify, useful players to possess.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Darren Fletcher - "A great player," according to Evra. Such a statement would once have invited ridicule. Now, plenty would concur. Besides a glorious goal and an all-action display in midfield, Fletcher finished the game at right-back where he was competent.

MANCHESTER UNITED VERDICT: This was their biggest home win of the season and perhaps their most convincing, but nervy moments have become a feature of matches at Old Trafford. There were plenty in Everton's revival after the interval but the impressive Evra and the returning Nemanja Vidic helped keep a clean sheet. In attack, Owen couldn't quite make the most of the opportunity Berbatov's absence afforded him.

EVERTON VERDICT: Moyes' injury problems never seem to abate. As Ferguson noted in his column in the programme, that accounts for their position in the lower half of the table. Yet Everton displayed spirit, first in their defending and then in their search for a leveller. With Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea coming up, they will need to be similarly determined again.

RUGBY FOR RAFAEL: The oval-ball game probably doesn't have a huge following in Brazil, but it does seem to include the Da Silva twins. Fabio attempted a rugby tackle against Wolves two months ago and now Rafael, in a bid to halt Tim Cahill, emulated his brother.