Manchester United VS Stoke City Report
Manchester United 4-2 Stoke City: Rooney recovers from own goal to fire hosts to victory
The Red Devils bounce back after going behind early as the
England international strikes for the first time this season while Robin
van Persie and Danny Welbeck also find the net
Wayne Rooney scored a double and an own goal as Manchester United bounced back after going behind early to register a 4-2 victory over Stoke City at Old Trafford.
The visitors took the lead when the England
international nodded the ball into his own net from a Charlie Adam
free-kick. United rallied and Rooney was on hand to get them back into
the game with a thumping header.
Just before the break Robin van
Persie gave his side the lead with sublime close range effort and 50
seconds after the restart Danny Welbeck notched another for the Red
Devils with a superb diving header.
Michael Kightly got the Potters back into the
game with a great individual effort only for Rooney to give United
their two goal lead back with a smart finish at the back-post to seal
the win for the Red Devils.
Sir Alex Ferguson made two changes
to the side that beat Newcastle with Antonio Valencia and Paul Scholes
coming in for Shinji Kagawa and Tom Cleverley. Tony Pulis made just one
change from his Potters team that drew with Liverpool with Dean
Whitehead replacing Glenn Whelan.
The Red Devils dominated possession early on but it was the Potters who took the lead through an own goal from Rooney who could only helplessly nod Adam’s free-kick past David De Gea when trying to mark Shawcross.
Every
time Stoke pushed forward they threatened and De Gea had to make two
good saves to stop the visitors doubling their lead, first from Adam,
and then from Walters after Kightly and Peter Crouch had combined to set
the striker one-on-one with the Spaniard.
The Potters were made to rue these missed opportunities as United equalised through Rooneyas
he rose highest in the penalty area to head Van Persie’s cross into the
right net this time for his first league goal of the season.
United upped the ante before the break as Scholes and Welbeck went close before they took the lead through Van Persie
as he turned Valencia’s pinpoint cross past Begovic at the near post
with a lovely finish taking the ball first time with his left-foot.
Immediately after half-time the Red Devils made it three as Welbeck
headed sublimely past Begovic with a diving effort, as he latched onto
Rooney’s cross getting in between two defenders to nod into the bottom
corner.
The Potters had shown earlier they were not going to be pushovers and they regained that attitude as they equalised through Kightly with a great individual effort as he ran through the United defence and shot past De Gea with the aid of the post.
Stoke’s hopes of getting back into the game further were dented when Rooney
struck again from close range as he reacted first to a scramble in the
penalty area from a Van Persie corner and side-footed into the net at
the back-post.
The Potters tried desperately to fight their way
back into the game again while United had chances of their own to extend
their lead but neither could find a way through again as Sir Alex’s
side sealed the three points.
