Wayne Rooney scored his 30th goal of the season to help Manchester United beat AC Milan emphatically 4 - 0 at Old Trafford in their Champions League encounter on Wednesday night.
On a night that saw David Beckham return to where it all started for him, it was the current darling of the Old Trafford faithful who steered United into the quarterfinals by following up his double in the 3-2 first leg victory in Milan with another brace.
A first-half header put Sir Alex Ferguson’s side firmly in control and the the England striker killed the tie in the opening seconds of the second period.
Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher round off a memorable night as United eliminated their opponents for the first time in five attempts since two of European football’s iconic institutions first met, 52 years ago.
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Liverpool suffered a shock 0 - 1 defeat against Wigan Athletic on Monday night to deal their quest for finishing fourth in the Premier League a mighty blow.
Hugo Rodallega bagged the only goal for the game for the Latics in the 35thminute when the Colombian forward steered Emmerson Boyce’s cross home from close range after Liverpool had conceded possession deep inside their own half.
The return of Glen Johnson as a second-half substitute was the only positive on a night to forget for the Reds at the DW Stadium.
The result leaves Liverpool sixth in the Barclays Premier League, a point behind top four rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, though both sides have games in hand on the Reds, as do seventh-placed Aston Villa.
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Cesc Fabregas missed training on Monday night and will not be fit for Arsenal’s crucial UEFA Campions League clash against Port on Tuesday.
The midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in the 3-1 victory over Burnley at the Emirates at the weekend, and his absence from training led to confirmation that will not play for his side in their crucial second leg tie against the Portuguese champions.
The Gunners are 2-1 down after the first leg, and manager Arsene Wenger said at the weekend that he would be prepared to risk his captain in order to get his side through to the quarter-finals. But the midfielder’s injury has now ruled him out of the game. ”We cannot even take a gamble because he is just not available,” Wenger said.
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Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes joined an elite club after scoring his 100th Premier League goal against Wolverhampton.
The Manchester United midfielder chalked up the ton in style with an accomplished finish to give the champions a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Although he is not one for personal glory, the former England international was still relieved to have reached the milestone, showing patience and composure to nip past Jody Craddock before drilling his shot into the far corner.
Once a prolific scorer, Scholes found the net for the 98th time in league combat at Sunderland in April last year.
It has taken 11 months to get the extra two, having been on 99 since his effort in the four-goal demolition of West Ham last December.
His latest strike promises to be one of the most important this season for Manchester United as it gave them a narrow victory at Wolves and took them back to the top of the Barclays Premier League.
Scholes said: “It was nice. I had a similar chance against West Ham a couple of weeks ago, but thankfully this time I managed to score.
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Portsmouth beat fellow English Premier League side Birmingham City 2 - 0 to reach the FA Cup semi-finals thanks to two goals by Frederic Piquionne.
But London rivals Fulham and Tottenham - managed by Harry Redknapp, who masterminded Portsmouth’s FA Cup triumph in 2008 - will have to replay after a goalless draw at Craven Cottage.
French forward [...]
John Terry, Chelsea captain believes the support he received from English teammates and fans since losing the armband shows unity.
The 29-year-old, stripped of the armband following allegations involving Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend that led to his former Chelsea team-mate turning his back on England, was subjected to jeers from a pocket of fans at Wembley when [...]
With 98 days to go before the World Cup tournament kicks off in South Africa, Bafana Bafana still looks like a lost team.
This was evident during their 1-1 draw with Namibia in an international friendly at World Cup venue, Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban last night. Rudolf Bester scored for the visitors while Katlego Mphela [...]
Fifa president Sepp Blatter believes that South Africa is a good choice as a World Cup host.
Blatter told reporters at Durban’s Moses Mabhida World Cup stadium on Tuesday that Fifa had never questioned South Africa’s ability to organise the tournament.
The first African country to host the soccer World Cup marked 100 days until the tournament [...]
The Glazers have responded to reports that the ‘Red Knights’ are trying to oust them by saying they have no intention of selling Manchester United.
With debts mounting and alarm bells ringing following details contained within the prospectus for the recent £500million bond sale, a group of mega-rich United fans are said to be planning to [...]
Manchester United took home the Carling Cup last by beating Aston Vila 2-1 in the 50th League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Rooney, who came on as a substitute for United’s other scorer Michael Owen, struck with a superbly executed header after 74 minutes, for his 20th goal in his last 20 matches, as United [...]
