Dec 02
Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United: Rooney was the man
On past derby all the attention fo the match was maninly focused and Robinho and Ronaldo, but Wayne Rooney stole the show.
The anticipated heavyweight contest between Ronaldo and Robinho, a showdown between two of the most exciting players on the planet, never materialised.
With 18 goals between them this season - nine apiece - much had been expected of their tantalising personal duel.
But with Robinho nursing an ankle injury and needing an injection to dull the pain before kick-off, and Ronaldo out of sorts and in one of his curiously petulant moods, neither player made any kind of impact.
After this bruising derby win, which kept Manchester United in the title hunt despite six bookings and a red card, it would seem Fergie has also dipped into tennis coach Brad Gilbert's famed coaching manual entitled "Winning Ugly".
For that is precisely what United did against their neighbours at the City of Manchester Stadium. They will be hit with a £50,000 FA fine for the halfdozen bookings, but that is a price worth paying for the significance of the three points gained.
Wayne Rooney's 100th club goal in first-half added time gave United a vital win which has kept them bang in the title race and ensured they gained revenge for City's Premier League double over them last season.
But after two successive derby defeats, United were in the mood to put their nouveau riche local rivals firmly in their place and did so with a ruthless efficiency which was not properly reflected in the slenderest of scorelines.
Only when Cristiano Ronaldo was dismissed with 21 minutes to go did United find themselves under any kind of pressure.
What this result showed is just how far City must improve if they are to realise their ambition of being on a par with the likes of United and challenging for the major prizes. On this evidence, they are years away from reaching that level.
Source:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/most-popular/2008/12/01/manchester-city-0-1-manchester-united-wayne-rooney-worth-his-weight-in-goals-as-fergie-wins-it-ugly-115875-20938025/
