WAYNE ROONEY INSPIRED Manchester United to a 2-0 Premier League win over 10-man Sunderland amid a case of mistaken identity.
Sunderland came away from Old Trafford with a 1-0 victory in the wake of David Moyes’ departure as United manager last season, and early openings on Saturday for visiting forwards Connor Wickham and Jermain Defoe suggested the hosts were in for a similarly uncomfortable afternoon.
Ashley Young had a first-half effort diverted against the crossbar by John O’Shea, before the visiting captain and his fellow former United defender Wes Brown found themselves at the centre of the game’s decisive moment in the 64th minute.
Last man O’Shea hauled back Radamel Falcao to concede a clear penalty, with Brown in close attendance - although referee Roger East showed the latter player a red card to prompt protests and bemusement from the Sunderland contingent.
Rooney – starting up-front as Louis van Gaal made five changes to his starting XI – converted from the spot and added an 84th-minute second to ensure United bounced back from a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City last time out, keeping their bid for Champions League qualification on track.
Rooney headed a corner wide at the near post in the fourth minute as United made an encouraging United start, although Sunderland soon fired two early warnings of their own.
Wickham, one of three players recalled by Gus Poyet following last week’s goalless draw with West Brom, raced towards a back peddling home defence and drew an excellent low save from David de Gea.
Defoe curled a strike narrowly over in the seventh minute. Back came United, and Young drove a shot over the crossbar when Lee Cattermole partially cleared, before Defoe failed to trouble De Gea with a 16th-minute chance.
An unsettled home crowd almost had something to cheer when Young hit Antonio Valencia’s right-wing cross goalwards at the back post, but O’Shea slid in to divert the ball against his own crossbar.
That 25th-minute opportunity prompted an increase in tempo from United, but they were unable to find the breakthrough before half-time.
Van Gaal sent his side out early for the second period and replaced the ineffective Angel Di Maria with Adnan Januzaj. Sunderland found themselves under set-piece pressure after the resumption, with Marcos Rojo lashing a shot over from Falcao’s knockdown.
Januzaj then sent a rasping 20-yard effort wide following a poor headed clearance from Anthony Reveillere, before East made an unlikely hash of a relatively straightforward penalty situation.
Rooney kept his calm to pick out the bottom corner from 12 yards. Sunderland goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon was a busy man as United poured forward during the closing stages and, when he could only parry another firm Januzaj strike, Rooney was on hand to head home his second and ensure Sunderland’s winless Premier League run extended to four matches.
To say his career in management has been ‘largely unsuccessful’ is incorrect.He did have success at Sunderland.
That’s why I said ‘largely unsuccessful’ rather than ‘entirely unsuccessful’ Eamonn.
To call his management ‘largely unsuccessful ‘ is unfair Paul. He took Sunderland from bottom of the table to win the championship. Success.Then he kept them in the Prem. more success.
Already sick of the Roy Keane stories. I’ve read sweet f**k all about Martin O’Neill who last time I checked, was actually appointed boss, not Keane.
By the way I hope that O’Neill does not start tiptoeing around d**kheads like Stephen Ireland and Darron Gibson, begging them to come play for Ireland. If he puts 11 men out there who replicate the pride, commitment and passion shown by the likes of the Clare and Cork hurlers last month, in every game they play then ill be happy enough. You can’t ask for more than that. Leave the primadonnas at home.
Agreed. Had to laugh at Stephen Ireland being interviewed and saying he’s going to give some consideration to coming back. He hasn’t done anything to merit it since he was playing for City.
Last month, Roy helped his old Forest mate Gary Charles with some coaching at a University of Nottingham football match. I talked to some of the boys – after they got over the shock of Keane walking into their dressing room unannounced, they said he was articulate, obviously enthusiastic about what they were doing, and helpful in his critique. This is just one example of what he’s been doing the last three years; from helping some university players to observing training at Barcelona – he hasn’t just been walking the dogs and working for ITV. He’s been serious about trying to improve his skill set and I suspect he’s had a good old think about where he’s gone wrong in the past in his management style.
Since when does coaching come into international football??? Coaching is done at your club.
Tactics & the motivation are the only thing an international manager (that’s Martin O Neill everyone not Keane, just try remember that) gets to do with the short amount of time with the players……
Good work journo, another nonsense story
Lets take them across the water. Gerrard and Lampard could never play well together as they’ve only ever played one style of football and basically only predominantly for one club.
Coaching them at international level was the only way to get them to change their style of playing. Unfortunately for England it didn’t work. Possibly a good coach may have made it work.
A coach is essential at all levels.
A hotshot…. In precious few days that you have the players, how can you coach them?? Team organisation, tactics & mentally preparing them for an international match should be just scrapped for coaching grown men???
Kids get coached, precessionals listen to tactics
@Kevin: Maybe the lack of success was because they were trying to coach these two top players into a style of football they were both uncomfortable with, rather than having the tactical fluency to play them as they would wish to be played.
People seem to forget Martin O Neill is the manager not Roy Keane
I think your article is very misleading Paul. You are damning his coaching ability by criticising his man management skills. From what I gather he is an intelligent and innovative coach on the training ground whose management career was stifled by issues with the man management rather than the coaching.
I meant ‘coaching style’ in the broader sense of the word, Joseph. Man management can be considered a part of coaching.
Id disagree, man management is part of management, coaching can be a part of management too but would be more widely considered, in the context of British football at any rate, as the work done with players on the training pitch.
Sorry to say that while your articles are normally good I’m afraid you should have given this one a miss, it smacks of Sun type journalism.
FACT: Martin O’Neill is ROI manager
FACT:Roy Keane is his assistant and no doubt part of his coaching staff.
Why is all the talk about Roy and not what Martin brings to the job. From reports I have read, I have no idea one way or the other, O’Neill can be quite tough when he wants to be. So less of the jumping on the Dunphy bandwagon please.