MANCHESTER: Manchester United took a measure of revenge on neighbour Manchester City on Sunday by knocking the defending champion out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 victory marked by Paul Scholes coming out of retirement.
Wayne Rooney headed in two goals either side of Danny Welbeck’s volley in a dominant first-half in the third round match, which saw City Vincent Kompany sent off for fouling Nani in the 12th minute.
But the hosts, which humiliated United with a 6-1 league victory at Old Trafford this year and beat their rival in last year’s FA Cup semifinals, staged a second-half comeback with Aleksandar Kolarov and Sergio Aguero scoring.
Aguero’s 65th minute-goal came after the 37-year-old Scholes gave the ball away, five minutes after coming off the bench to end seven months in retirement.
Scholes, though, helped United successfully cling on in the face of a City onslaught to advance to the fourth round.
The FA Cup victory in May had enabled City to end a 35-year-year title drought, but taking the Premier League trophy from United will now be the domestic priority for City’s expensively assembled squad. Going into the cup encounter, back-to-back losses left an injury-hit United trailing City by three points in the league.
But this victory should give United renewed confidence of overhauling City in the second half of the season.
The first half was a one-sided contest after Rooney’s 10th-minute opener, which came two days after he was forced to deny he was about to leave United due to a rift with manager Alex Ferguson.
The England striker played the ball to Antonio Valencia on the right flank and sprinted forward to meet the return cross, rising above Kompany and Micah Richards to head home.
City’s day took another turn for the worse inside two minutes when Kompany was sent off by referee Chris for a two-footed low lunge on Nani, although he did appear to get the ball first.
Anders Lindegaard protected United’s lead with a fine save to tip Aguero’s curling, dipping shot wide.
But United mad its man-advantage count, as Patrice Evra crossed from the left into a crowded penalty area, and Welbeck took advantage of Samir Nasri’s failed clearance to smash a spectacular volley into the net with his back turned toward the goal.
The third came five minutes before the break after Welbeck ran onto Giggs’ ball and was tripped by Kolarov in the area. Rooney’s penalty was saved by Pantilimon—deputizing for the rested Joe Hart—but the striker headed the rebound into the net.
United was never so comfortable again.
After Patrice Evra fouled Richards, Kolarov curled his free kick into the net just three minutes into the second half.
The much-anticipated return of Scholes then came, with the midfielder replacing Nani, but United still had a difficult last 30 minutes.
Within minutes—just after United was denied another penalty when Valencia was fouled by Kolarov—Scholes gave away the ball to James Milner on the right.
Aguero latched on to Milner’s cross and buried the ball into the net after Lindegaard spilled his initial shot. (Agencies)