The centurion

Rooney scores landmark goal as United wreck City’s derby day

Manchester City 0, Manchester United 1

IT was a win made all the sweeter for Manchester United after the embarrassment of losing both of last season’s derby matches.

Wayne Rooney’s 100th career goal settled yesterday’s feisty affair, the 150th clash between the two teams, at Eastlands.

Not even a red card for Cristiano Ronaldo — his second dismissal in a Manchester derby — could derail United’s victory bid in what could prove a pivotal weekend in the race for the Premier League title.

It was a derby duel United simply could not afford to lose with the top two of Chelsea and Liverpool eight points clear before kick-off.

But with United picking up three points and Chelsea losing at home to Arsenal in the 4pm kick-off, suddenly the title race is wide open again.

While it was an afternoon of unbridled joy for the Red half of Manchester, with the exception of Ronaldo’s senseless sending off, it was one of disappointment for City.

After a week in which they defeated Arsenal so comprehensively and won so impressively at German side Schalke in the UEFA Cup, this was a huge let down for the Blues.

The mercurial Brazilian Robinho was anonymous, although City manager Mark Hughes later said the player needed a painkilling injection in his ankle which could explain why he lacked his usual sparkle.

And it was a defeat which underlined more than anything that a gulf in class still exists between the two teams.

City have high hopes of becoming a global force in football thanks to their new mega-rich owners from Abu Dhabi, but success is clearly going to take time.

While the derby produced only one goal there was no shortage of excitement and controversy.

United must have had a nagging worry early on that the match would mirror last season’s derby at Eastlands which they dominated yet lost to a Geovanni goal.

They ran the show and created four clear-cut chances in a one-sided opening half-hour.

City ’keeper Joe Hart pulled off a flying save to deny a Dimitar Berbatov header, having earlier failed to hold an innocuous shot from Rooney which almost let in Darren Fletcher.

Ronaldo saw a header go close and Patrice Evra saw a shot dip inches over the crossbar.
Yet City almost went ahead with their first attack of the game.

Edwin van der Sar’s poor punch from Javier Garrido’s free kick fell to Stephen Ireland whose shot towards the unguarded goal struck the outside of a post. It was the only time United’s goal was threatened in the first half.

United finally broke the deadlock three minutes from half-time.

Ji-Sung Park’s perseverance helped set up Michael Carrick whose angled shot was parried by Hart. The ball ran loose and Rooney was hand to score inside the six-yard box.

After being stuck on 99 goals for more than a month, Rooney finally made it to three figures.

The second half brought two City substitutions —Elano and Pablo Zabaleta replaced Darius Vassell and Dietmar Hamann — and a switch from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, with the rejig seeing Shaun Wright-Phillips move to the right flank.

City were far more dangerous and inventive as a result.

Their hopes of getting a toe-hold in the game increased when Ronaldo was sent off for a deliberate handball only nine minutes after being cautioned for a foul. It was a daft thing to do.

But United defended with great resolve and City, with an extra man for the final quarter of the game, lacked the guile and imagination to break them down.

There was one narrow escape in the third minute of injury time when Richard Dunne was denied an equaliser by a combination of van der Sar and Evra, who was covering on the line.

Rooney came close to scoring a second in the dying seconds from just inside the home half.

His audacious strike was on target but Hart, who had gone forward for a corner, sprinted back and somehow clawed the ball away from virtually underneath his own crossbar.

Three points for United — and the afternoon got even better for the Reds after Robin van Persie’s double at Stamford Bridge.

Hughes: Red card did not help our cause

MARK HUGHES believed Cristiano Ronaldo’s red card in the Manchester derby was more of a hindrance than a help to his City side.

The Blues manager explained: “The sending off did not help as once United were down to 10 men they put two banks of four players behind the ball.

“We did not have the answers to break them down.”

Hughes described Ronaldo’s sending off as “soft” but, because it was the player’s second bookable offence, referee Howard Webb had no other option.

The City boss was unhappy with his side’s first-half display.

He accused his players of “showing too much respect” to United and thought that their opponents were also sharper to the ball and anticipated situations more readily than his team did.

He said: “We needed to be more assertive in the first half, but I think that is possibly a consequence of our efforts during the week.

“United also had two extra days rest and that showed as they were that bit sharper to the ball.

“At this moment United are a better team than us, something we acknowledge, but I believe we will be able to compete against them in the near future.”

Sir Alex Ferguson said it was a vital victory in United’s bid to hang on to the title.

He explained: “It was a fantastic performance and a significant result for us.

“We showed great resolve and determination to see out the game with 10 men. City did not cause us any problems which was down to good defending.

“Last season was the first time in my 22 years as United’s manager that we had lost to City both at home and away, and you do not forget things like that. This win meant a lot to the fans.”

Wayne Rooney’s match-winner saw him move into three figures in a career that started with Everton, even if the 23–year–old was not instantly aware of what he had done.

“I didn’t really think about it being my 100th career goal,” he said.

“It was more the fact that it was City away. For it to be the winning goal as well really made it something to be pleased about.

“But of course it is a great achievement. I am delighted to reach 100 and, as I have said before, I am looking to score more often.”

Ferguson praised Wayne Rooney’s match-winning goal and described the strike as reminiscent of Andy Cole at the height of his career.

He said: “It is a marvellous achievement for him to get 100 goals and his workrate was phenomenal.”