Man United held by Birmingham

Walter Pandiani scored a late equaliser to earn Birmingham a draw which saw Manchester United slip further behind Chelsea in the title race.

Ruud van Nistelrooy's early strike from close range put United in front, but Jamie Clapham equalised with a smart left-foot finish.

Wayne Rooney slid the ball home to restore United's lead on 54 minutes.

But substitute Pandiani converted Damien Johnson's cross on 78 minutes to earn Birmingham a share of the points.

United will rue their failure to capitalise on a dominant spell early in the second half, but Birminhgam got their reward for a performance full of endeavour which eased the pressure on manager Steve Bruce.

The visitors were ahead inside four minutes, as Van Nistelrooy held off the challenge of Matthew Upson to fire Kieran Richardson's cross past Maik Taylor and claim his 17th goal of the season.

But Birmingham responded well to the early disappointment and Scholes had to be alert as he jumped to block Stephen Clemence's close-range header.

Jiri Jarosik then forced a good save from Edwin van der Sar with a free-kick before the Blues drew level after 18 minutes with a well-crafted goal.

It was not without controversy as United were incensed as referee Howard Webb did not give a free-kick after Cristiano Ronaldo was tackled.

Birmingham took possession and moved swiftly up the field. Jarosik's ball to Emile Heskey was passed to Clapham whose instant left-foot strike hit Van der Sar and bounced into the net for his first goal for the club.

United came close to restoring their lead shortly after the break when Rooney blazed a shot inches wide.

However, the England striker was on the scoresheet on 54 minutes producing a cool left-foot finish after Van Nistelrooy dummied Alan Smith's pass.

The visitors began to dominate possession and Van Nistelrooy shot wide from a tight angle after Rooney's through pass, while Ronaldo shot wide after a typically mazy run.

Rooney nearly extended United's lead with 15 minutes remaining with an outrageous chip with floated inches over Taylor's goal.

And United were made to regret the miss on 78 minutes when substitute Pandiani pounced to slot in his second Premiership goal of the season after the United defence failed to deal with a free-kick.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made his first United appearance in 19 months as an 83rd-minute subsitute for Ronaldo, but was unable to conjure up a dramatic finish on his return.

United boss great for me

Manchester United star Wayne Rooney says his development his down to boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Rooney seems to improve with every game under the tutelage of Ferguson - someone who the young striker says has given him that winning mentality.

He said: "Sir Alex has made me realise how important winning is - he has instilled that into me. Win, win, win. You have to win all of the time.

"In my eyes, he is the greatest manager ever. Down the years, he's won loads of trophies.
"You learn something new every day with him. He teaches you things and he knows how to improve your game."

Rooney certainly feels at home at Old Trafford just 16 months after leaving his boyhood club Everton.

And he wants to repay the fans and manager with that Premiership title.

Rooney said: "Old Trafford feels like home. The lads and everyone associated with United have been great to me.

"That means I can concentrate on my football and do my best on the pitch in every game.

"My awareness of what is going on around me has definitely got better and I'm fitter now.

"I feel better on the pitch, I feel like I'm smiling more.

"I want to win all the time but I know you've got to enjoy yourself, too. My main target at the moment is to win the Premiership.

"As a kid that is the one thing I always wanted to win. And the World Cup would be good as well!"

Rooney push significant - Robson

West Brom manager Bryan Robson suggested that a push by Wayne Rooney on Paul Robinson was a contributory factor in his side’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester United.

A moment of frustration from Rooney saw him push his man-marker, with Robinson then falling into Thomas Gaardsoe and being laid out cold. He had to go off and the full extent of the injury will be known in the next 24 hours.

"I could sense Wayne was getting a bit frustrated," said Robson. "I had watched all the tapes on United and Rooney has been running the show.

"I wanted to put him out of the game and Paul was getting a lot of joy. "Wayne pushed him in the back and it was unfortunate his head went into Thomas’ thigh.

"He was concussed but he has come round quite well in the dressing room. "We will not make any decision about him until it settles down tomorrow."

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had this to say: "He (Rooney) will get a lot of that (man-marking), particularly in Europe, but I am sure he will learn.

"Wayne just seemed to shove the boy a bit and he ended up colliding with one of his own players.

"It was unfortunate for West Brom because I thought they were doing pretty well but the game was starting to change for us and we were starting to open them up a little bit."

Man Utd ease to victory

Manchester United cruised past lifeless West Brom to cement themselves as the second-placed team in the Premiership.

Paul Scholes set the ball rolling with a strike from the edge of the box after a good run from Rio Ferdinand.

Ferdinand turned scorer in first-half injury time when he planted a firm header in from Ryan Giggs' corner.

The victory was completed when Ruud van Nistelrooy headed home a cross from substitute Alan Smith midway through the second half.

It only took a few minutes for the game to take the pattern many would have anticipated.

The Baggies hardly got into the United half and appeared content with containment - a plan that certainly worked in the first 30 minutes if the summit of their ambitions was a goalless draw.

Paul Robinson kept Wayne Rooney on a tight leash and, although Scholes went close with a close-range header that should have given them the lead, the home side were unable to break through.

But the game opened up on the half-hour in unexpected circumstances when Robinson received a head injury after clashing with a team-mate while trying to clear a corner.

A long stoppage followed and, with Robinson hardly down the tunnel on the stretcher, the home side took the lead.

Ferdinand made a quick break down the right flank and Ji-Sung Park was able to lay the ball back to Scholes on the edge of the box and his left-foot effort beat Tomasz Kuszczak and flew into the corner.

Robinson's injury had proved costly and was to do so again as United doubled their lead in injury time.

Giggs swung over a corner from the right and Ferdinand rose well on the penalty spot to plant a powerful header into the West Brom goal.

There seemed little prospect of a Baggies recovery and United were comfortable throughout the second half.

The third goal inevitably arrived midway through the second period as Park released Smith down the right.

The former Leeds man, knowing exactly what sort of service a centre-forward needs if they are to thrive, hit a teasing cross that Van Nistelrooy met with a header, giving Kuszczak no chance.

From then on, it was just a case of the visitors waiting for the final whistle without a decent memory to take with them back down the motorway.

It was their ninth away game without a Premiership victory and a similar approach to other games would not see much of an improvement to their fortunes.

Rooney keeping cool

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted he is trying to keep a lid on his fiery temper.

The England international has had a number of high-profile incidents when he has blown his top on the field but he is making a real effort to rein himself in and believes he can handle the additional attention he is likely to receive at next summer's World Cup.

"I am trying to be more relaxed," he told the club's official magazine United.

"I love being out there on the pitch so I don't want anything that hurts that.

"I'm not scared of anything. I don't mind if teams want to man-mark me or stick two men on me, I can handle that, no problem."

Charlton : Rooney Destined for Greatness

Sir Bobby Charlton is convinced Wayne Rooney is destined to be remembered as a Manchester United legend.

It is not even 18 months since Rooney arrived at Old Trafford from Everton, yet already he has established himself as a key figure in Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Apart from a series of spectacular goals, the England forward has proved to be virtually unstoppable at times and the only minor complaints with his overall performances have been a couple of ineffective Champions League displays.

Certainly, he gets Charlton's pulse racing in a manner no other young player can do, reminding the World Cup winner of his old team-mates George Best and Denis Law.

"Just like George and Denis, Wayne gets me off my seat when he gets the ball and there are not many players who can do that," Charlton told MUTV.

"He is such a marvellous player to watch, yet it all seems so effortless.

"I am so pleased we have him at Manchester United. There is no question he will go on to become one of the great players. He has a God-given talent and you can just see how much he loves the game."

For all the talk of crisis around Old Trafford in the wake of United's stunning Champions League exit in Lisbon earlier this month, the problems cannot be so acute for a club who can count on Rooney's services.

Although he admits the unexpected European demise was a disaster, Charlton believes some of the criticism heaped on the Red Devils in the wake of that fateful defeat to Benfica, particularly the personal abuse directed towards Sir Alex Ferguson, was unwarranted.

"The criticism of Sir Alex has been quite unfair," Charlton told MUTV.

"He has done the best he could with the players he has had.

"In some ways, you could say the transfer window has worked against him because it has stopped him trying to solve a problem.

"But he is still a great manager and motivator and if you took away Chelsea, we would not be doing too badly at all.

"It is a disaster we are not in Europe but I have no worries about Sir Alex Ferguson or the future of Manchester United."

Rooney demands unbeaten league run

United have dropped just two points from the last 21 available and Wayne Rooney says the Reds must maintain that form until the end of the season if they are to catch Chelsea.

Last season Sir Alex’s side put together a run between November and February which garnered 41 points from 45. For United to better that run it would take wins in the next eight Premiership matches, which would take United up to mid-February.

And with Chelsea potentially sidetracked by the resumption of the Champions League that month, United will have an ideal platform for a title push.

"We’ve got to continue this form until the end of the season," says Rooney adamantly. "If we keep picking up three points from our games you never know what can happen."

"We've got to keep winning and, if we do that, hopefully Chelsea drop points."

However, United have two home games over the Christmas period – against West Brom (Boxing Day) and Bolton (New Years’ Eve) – and the Reds must alter their form at Old Trafford if they are to pressurise Chelsea.

The team’s form away from home reads: won seven, draw one, lost one; a better record than Chelsea. At home, United’s record makes for less pleasant reading.

The Reds have won only four of their seven home games this season, compared to Chelsea, who have won all nine of their matches at Stamford Bridge.

"We seem to enjoy playing away from home," says Rooney, who has been at the forefront of United’s good form with five goals in his last five Premiership matches.

"Our home form has let us down this season," he added. "But we're hoping that will change in the next few games at Old Trafford."

If it is to change then Rooney’s partnership is likely be a key factor. The pair have scored 22 of United’s 31 league goals this term. "I want to keep scoring,” says Rooney, whose contribution to the team is far great"

"Myself and Ruud are both scoring goals. Ruud always will because he is a great goalscorer. I want to keep learning from him in that respect."

Rooney is rarely one to linger on his own exploits, however, and quickly turns to pointing out what the team must do over the festive period.

"As a team I think we’re playing some good football at the moment," he added. "We need that to continue and to keep picking up the three points."

Source : manutd.com