<span class="titolo">Rooney Stars In Stylish Man United Response</span></p> <span class="sommario"><u>Aston Villa 1-4 Manchester United</u> Manchester United went behind early at Villa Park, but Wayne Rooney scored twice, missed a penalty and struck the crossbar on the way to inspiring the Red Devils to a 4-1 comeback win over nine men Aston Villa!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Manchester United continued their push towards retaining the Premier League title in emphatic fashion, after coming from behind to pick up a stylish away win.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Alex Ferguson’s side had failed to concede a goal for 599 minutes before today’s game, and were looking to close the gap to league leaders Arsenal, in the race for the title.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Villa’s resurgence this season is largely down to Martin O’Neill’s organisation of the Midlands side, and has so be far been rewarded with a home win against <st1:city w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Chelsea. However, they </st1lace></st1:city>were comfortably beaten by a dominant United side.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">The Red Devilsasserted their league dominance over their hosts in the early stages of the game and wererewarded withan early chance. Villa’s Dutch international defender Wilfred Bouma laid a pass back to keeper, Scott Carson, who came outto smother the ball, giving United a free-kick for an intentional back-pass.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Rooney inventively flicked the ball up for Giggs to strike, but it was comfortably blocked by the advancing wall.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Against the run of play, Ashley Young picked up a loose ball on the left hand side, and swung a right footed ball into the six yard box, which Gabriel Agbonlahor, met with a deft header and directed into the far corner after 12 minutes.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">The goal did not affect United’s slick attacking style and they continued to dominate. Nani was unlucky not to find the target with an overhead kick after Rooney nodded the ball down to him, and Tevez was not given enough time to shoot as he was closed down by Nigel Reo-Coker. Villa were surviving, but only just.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Tevez eventually did find his way through though. After a slick one-two with Rooney on the edge of the box, he found himself in space, but saw his shot saved well by Scott Carson, Martin Laursen tidying up.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">The home side could have doubled their advantage minutesmoments laterwhen Ashley Young’s corner found Luke Moore unmarked on the six-yard box. But the latter failed to get a contact on the ball.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">United’s continued pressure was rewarded with a gift from Villa, when Nani’s slow rolling cross was not cleared by Zat Knight, allowing Rooney to steal<span style=""> </span>in at the back post and comfortably stroke it into the net. The away sidenever looked back after that.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Two minutes before half-time Villa were punished for ball watching. Tevez cut inside from the left wing and found Rooney in acres of space on the edge of the box, and was given time to control the ball, before stroking it past keeper, Scott Carson.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Villa’s misery was compounded just before half time, when Martin O’Neill’s side conceded, in a sequence of events that could be have been written by the Chuckle Brothers. Pique’s header was cleared off the line by Young, but only as far as Ferdinand. The defender guided it weaklytowards goal, andEngland U21 international Craig Gardner seemed to misjudge the bobble and smashed his goal line clearance off the crossbar and into his own net.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">The home side'stask was madeeven harder when their midfield ankle-biter, Nigel Reo-Coker was booked twice in opening stages of the second-half, and was dismissed by a card-happy Rob Styles.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">The referee further compounded Villa’s misery when<span style=""> </span>he justifiably sent off keeper Scott Carson for denying Tevez a goal-scoring opportunity,bringing Tevez down after being beaten. Thehome side were down to just nine men.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Substitute keeper Stuart Taylor denied Wayne Rooney a hat-trick after saving the penalty superbly low to his right. However, United continued to press and Rooney saw an effort hit the crossbar,following which<st1:city w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Taylor</st1lace></st1:city> did well to block a close-rage effort from Tevez.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">With an air of inevitability, United struck again. The Chuckle Brothers may also lay claim to this goal,as Giggs wasallowed to dance into the penalty unchallenged, before seeing his shot deflected, then deflected again, before catching the goalkeeper's fingertips and going in.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">Villa were always going to struggle after being reduced to nine men and spent the remainder of the game playing for their pride, with little or no chance of getting back in the match.</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"></p>
