Wayne Rooney proved it's never too late to score.

Another loss for Martin O'Neill's team was another win for Sir Alex, prolonging the 6-point gap between the Reds and Manchester City. The Black Cats conceded three goals in their home game against Reading, and now another three at Old Trafford. The first half was a nightmare for the guests as United kept the ball rolling towards Simon Mignolet's net. Ashley Young and Patrice Evra were both brilliant, though the former was better in the attack. Evra missed a great chance in front of the net, but Robin van Persie soon took up the opportunity from the same spot, scoring after Young's phenomenal parrying of the Sunderland defense. Van Persie has certainly lived up to expectations and continues to satisfy supporters by scoring or assisting in almost every game. Though he missed the near post as well as his double, United still got their second ball in from Tom Cleverley, whose solo effort was left unchecked by the guests. With plenty of space in front of the net, the Red got a quick shot dead-on the corner of the far post. Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, wasn't as lucky as his teammates. Even after a perfect pass from RVP, Rooney missed the near post from about 11 meters out. There were no signs of impending doom for the Reds, but a few defensive flaws were already starting to make an unwelcome appearance. Rio Ferdinand played the ball with his head instead of clearing it out, giving it away too easily. He was lucky that McClean did not shoot well, and that De Gea was positioned for the save. What prevented the fulfillment of some nice combinations by the Red Devils was the lack of attention when it came to short passes. Whether after corners or in regular play, the ball would near Sunderland's box, only to be lost after a short pass that never made it to the receiving player. Nevertheless, United collected plenty of set pieces, and made good use of most of them as they have throughout the season. Their opposition was deprived of their best striker near halftime after Steven Fletcher picked up an injury. Yet Sunderland had the final say in the first half, led by James McClean. It's difficult to count Ashley Young's poor attempt after as the final moment of a rather exciting 45 minutes. The piece de resistance was probably referee Chris Foy's eagerness to adjust the ball before some of the corner kicks. That and his lack of cautions, as well as an apparent blindness to handballs.

The second half was United's veteran showcase as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs took the field. The unlucky Rooney failed to score for a third time after the keeper and the crossbar blocked his shots. Ferdinand and De Gea successfully protected the net from the ever-eager Gardner and Sessegnon. As always, van Persie's thirst for goals drove him forward, chipping the ball over Sunderland keeper Mignolet. It would have been a perfect moment to pass to Rooney instead, who was running up on the right. Apparently, fifth time's the charm for United's number 10. Much like Young's assist earlier in the first half, RVP infiltrated the defense on the left, giving Rooney a chance to chip the ball in. The third goal proved that, if anything, Sunderland's biggest weakness lies in the midfield. That said, it was sad to see United give away the initiative with a whole half an hour left in the game. Sessegnon tested De Gea for the second time with a right-footed shot through the center, forcing him into a dive. Soon came the goal that, fortunately for Sir Alex, did not make the difference between three points and one point. The way the goal was conceded, however, was perhaps worse than the way Sunderland let United score. Sessegnon's chip from the left gave the newly-subbed Fraizer Campbell a one-touch finish as he headed the ball in near the goal line. Replays showed a United defense whose minds were clearly elsewhere, players who were standing perfectly still and a confused De Gea who was clearly waiting for defenders to take action. United did get in some late action, but players lacked accuracy in the box, and RVP was late on a near-post header. Sunderland came dangerously close to another goal as the ball teased De Gea's goal line, but nothing came of the moment, and the Cats had to settle for another loss.

Stuck in Heartbreak Hotel

Like any great manager, Sir Alex was not pleased with the game, regardless of the result. Some attribute United's defensive loopholes by pointing out the absence of Nemanja Vidic, who made his first appearance on the pitch in awhile in today's game as a substitute. The Reds are now faced with an Evans injury. But it's mighty rare that nobody in a roster is injured at all. There's really no excuse for childish errors, especially from a world class team like United. Sir Alex's team may be first in the standings, but the statistics are dreadful - 24 goals conceded in 17 games, the same amount as 16th place Sunderland and 14th place Aston Villa. The times are always tough, but defenders have had a faulty attention span all through this season. How a team wins is significantly more important than the three points themselves - looking at a shaky Arsenal side, nobody was thrilled when Wenger's team came back from a 4-goal deficit to Premier League outsiders Reading. That's not to say United are faced with a similar threat, but keeping a clean sheet is currently their greatest challenge.

United's win over their local rivals came as sweet revenge. Only last fall, Manchester City trounced the Red Devils in a 6:1 defeat for Sir Alex's side, their worst loss at Old Trafford since 1955. Not only that, but City won the title on goal difference. The team hasn't lost a home game for 2 years, and this season, it hasn't lost a single match, vying for the top spot with United. But as they say, all good things come to an end, and so did City's unbeaten streak. The Citizens started off strong, but were unable to pose a major threat. Their lack of chances ultimately led them to concede on the 16th minute. Wayne Rooney's right-footed shot wasn't as accurate on the ball as it should have been, but still nutmegged Gareth Barry and rolled past Joe Hart into the near post. The game opened up, and both teams looked to be solid contenders. A great chance came for City when Kun Aguero ran past a defense of 6, only to be denied by David De Gea. Unfortunately for the hosts, Rooney soon got his double. Rafael ran on the right flank and nutmegged Clichy in his delivery to Rooney. The striker didn't fail to net the ball into the lower corner once more. Yet City had no intention of letting things slide, and were able to create a few chances before the halftime whistle. David Silva's great delivery to Barry carried much potential, as did Balotelli's pass that De Gea cut short. United were seemingly denied a penalty for Aguero's challenge on Ferdinand. Scoreboard aside, the game had evened out.

Rio Ferdinand holds up the coin that was thrown at him.

Rooney's second goal brought about a melancholic Manicini, but the halftime break served to motivate the Italian manager. Carlos Tevez came on for Balotelli, and City was back in the game. Strangely enough, the hosts picked up more yellow cards after Balotelli left the pitch than when he was on it, yet they made up for it by playing brilliantly. Aguero had several great attempts, coming  close to scoring from a Nasri delivery. The latter was fantastic as well, and was one of the key players behind City's first goal. The combination leading up to the hosts' comeback was by far the most brilliant moment in the match. Tevez picked up Nasri's delivery for a powerful shot that was saved by De Gea. David Silva ran up for the rebound, shooting twice but failing to get the ball past the defense. The last ball was picked up by Yaya Toure, whose shot finally made it into the far post. There was some controversy leading up to the comeback as a United goal was not counted for an offside. RVP had shot the ball into the post, and after Joe Hart failed to reach the ball, Ashley Young netted it in. Had the goal been counted, the game may have seen even more goals from both sides. Interestingly enough, no one made a big deal about the error. Had the hosts been in a similar situation, the players and fans would have almost certainly blamed the referee for being biased towards the Reds.

The "offside" goal.

There was another moment ignored by the official when Rooney was brought down in a one-on-one counter at the far end of the left flank. Nevertheless, the match drew on, the hosts making use of their home field advantage more than ever. The duo of Tevez and Silva kept up a mighty presence, the former hitting the post in his attempt. Both players shone in the last minutes of the match. It took nearly 40 minutes for Mancini to see the fruit of his labor unfold. A corner delivery bounced off the pitch to the one and only captain Zabaleta, who scored his first goal of the season, nutmegging Phil Jones in the process. The remaining minutes saw a rightfully tied derby, but there was still a score to settle, and the karma police took note of the refereeing blunders as well as the unruly City supporters. The latter had not only tossed coins at Rooney when he was taking a corner but ended up injuring Rio Ferdinand towards the end of the game as the player lifted his jersey in celebration of the winning goal. Three points went to the team that was the victim of negativity and injustice. An RVP free kick in added time flew past Joe Hart, ironically bouncing off Samir Nasri's leg before it reached the net. Amid the incident with Ferdinand, officials attempted to control a rather large group of frenzied City supporters in the stands behind the net. There's one thing though that is more powerful than law enforcement. It's the same thing that changed a derby. The Reds retain their reputation in more than one way and increase their gap between both City and Chelsea.

City's keeper Joe Hart defends Rio Ferdinand from a supporter.

Super Sunday - 164th Manchester Derby

Barclays Premier League - 16th Match Week
Sunday, December 9, 2012, 8:30AM EST

Manchester City vs. Manchester United - 2:3 (0:2)
Venue: Etihad Stadium (Manchester)
Referee: Martin Atkinson (Leeds)
Goals:
0:1 Wayne Rooney (Asst. Ashley Young) (16')
0:2 Wayne Rooney (Asst. Rafael) (29')
1:2 Yaya Toure (Asst. Carlos Tevez) (60')
2:2 Pablo Zabaleta (Asst. Carlos Tevez) (86')
2:3 Robin van Persie (90+2')

LA came back from a 1-goal deficit in a more-than-satisfying repeat of last season's Cup win. The back-to-back Champions played beautifully, despite conceding right before halftime.
The Galaxy had plenty of opportunities that were sadly wasted by the likes of Donovan and Juninho. Moreover, the hosts had clear control of the ball and were looking strong. Houston's Sarkodie had a fantastic run on the right and an immediate shot that was masterfully saved by Saunders. Soon, however, Houston seized an opportunity. Calen Carr picked up a through ball and played it well before scoring in the near post. The hosts looked much better as a team, while Houston relied on individual action to create chances.

LA's British and American stars.

Thousands of Galaxy supporters were certainly not disappointed with the second half. They saw more of Robbie Keane. Saunders made incredible saves and prevented Carr from scoring a double off the pitch. Of course, the game wouldn't be complete without David Beckham taking the set pieces. Once again, Omar Gonzalez proved why he's considered one of the best players in the MLS and a valuable asset to the US National Team roster. He made his mark by scoring a header into the far post. Gonzalez truly defines much of the Galaxy's psychology as well. His goal led to back-to-back set pieces and an attempt by Keane. A handball in the box gave the Galaxy a penalty, dutifully converted by Landon Donovan. Try as they might, Houston could never truly recover from the Galaxy lead, largely in part due to Saunders' performance. The guests were so close, yet so far away as Brian Ching nutmegged a defender from outside the box, sending the ball rolling past the left post. The Galaxy earned a second penalty after Keane was brought down by Houston keeper Hall's outstretched arm. The Irishman made up for plenty of missed opportunities by scoring LA's 3rd goal, sealing a brilliant victory over the Dynamo. Beckham was subbed off during stoppage time to a roaring, sold-out crowd of 30,510. The Dynamo didn't even get to take the last corner as the final whistle blew. Nevertheless, thousands of supporters clad in orange scarves and jerseys applauded their team for a game well-played.

The Galaxy deprived Houston of the Cup for the second year in a row, yet they acknowledged that it was a stronger, more developed Houston. Dominic Kinnear has produced a team that deserved to make it to the final. A team that, like the Galaxy, have won back-to-back Championships. A team whose season featured a great performance on the road, Dynamo finished 5th in the Eastern Conference, but next season may have something much bigger in store. As the 3rd place Red Bulls' fate hangs in the balance, its quite likely a certain team from Texas will be taking their spot.
Even the constant interruptions by the referee didn't stop Bruce Arena's team from another triumph. A sea of confetti surrounded the teams, soon to be replaced with gold and silver medals. Keane's smile lit up the arena as he hugged Donovan in celebration of their win. It's certainly a moment Bruce Arena and his team will never forget. Back-to-back Champions and an MVP award for Omar Gonzalez. The Galaxy became the second team (along with D.C. United) as the only team with 4 MLS titles.

As for David Beckham, he couldn't have had a better end to his stay in the U.S. The incredible impact he's brought to the league and to football across the globe has been insurmountable. He is possibly the most influential player in the modern era. As with his departures from Manchester United and Real Madrid, Beckham won a title in his final season at the Galaxy. Clad in a British flag, walking along the pitch with the air of a prophet, David Beckham honored the MLS as both a player and an individual. But the night wasn't over until the stars and stripes were draped across his back. It's safe to say that the British influence will forever remain in our nation's history. It just happened to find a path through football.

Wayne is the Man: He scores, he assists.

It's easy to sound like a broken record when calling Manchester United the "comeback kings". This season, Sir Alex's team has been synonymous with conceding first and going on to equalize and win, having played 6 games in this fashion. Today's game was no different. United started off strong, but let Robson-Kanu open the score for Reading early on with a left-footed shot. It wasn't long before Anderson got the equalizer, setting the tone for the next half hour. The guests' first corner earned them a penalty after Evans was brought down unceremoniously in the box by Tabb. Sure enough, Wayne Rooney put United ahead, taking the PK with a great air of confidence. Yet his team's lead was short-lived as a feisty Reading brought the fans at Madejski Stadium to their feet. The home team was absolutely brilliant on set pieces, becoming more and more aware of United's Achilles' heel. Le Fondre got a header in from a corner delivery after his shot ricocheted off RVP's arm right in front of the net. How on Earth did Reading score again? Another corner, another goal. The delivery brought Sean Morrison a nice header. Despite the fact that the game was being refereed fairly well up to this point, the official failed to take note of Jonny Evans being brought down as the goal was scored. Ashley Young's brilliant back heel pass to Anderson brought the ball to the center of the box for Rooney. Neither the penalty nor the goal-scoring opportunity brought Rooney any hesitation, and the one-touch finish brought United another equalizer. Sir Alex did well to bench Rafael and avoid a potential sending off; there was a bit too much fouling from him today. A second back heel pass, this time by Wayne Rooney, gave RVP his goal in the near post, a ball that went in so easily, as though the former Arsenal star didn't have to think twice about what he was doing. Plenty of goals graced the first half, but so did plenty of United free kick freebies. Things worsened on the refereeing end, as well. Four minutes before the halftime whistle, RVP was denied a double by none other than Mark Halsey. The ball flew well over the line before being cleared away by a defender. If a linesman can't spot that, what was he watching while the ball was flying past the goal line?

The Goal That Wasn't.

The plethora of goals seen in the first half failed to materialize into any kind of spectacle in the second. Rooney's hat-trick will have to wait for some other time. As expected, United kept control of the ball and continued to dominate. Van Persie finished the game without a hat-trick as well, missing a more-than-perfect opportunity to send the ball past Federici after the Reading keeper's grievous error. There were many more ways to score than miss, and it was awfully strange to watch RVP struggle to decide what to do with the ball, especially when former Villa man Juan Pablo Angel has scored such goals in the MLS. Although the game had quieted down at this point, United still had some fire left for a final finish. Yet many were expecting more goals in the second half. Was it psychologically difficult for the Red Devils to bring back that same level of firepower as they had earlier on? It was much clearer that Reading was done for - a few sloppy attempts is all the hosts had to offer after having been in the lead on two occasions. United not only retained their reign as Comeback Kings, but also increased the gap between their local rivals, setting the stage for the Manchester derby next week. 10 points now stand between the two leaders.

Lady Justice Turns a Blind Eye

There are different kinds of 'blindness' which sometimes overlap, creating some confusion. The blindfolded sculpture of Lady Justice that many may remember from the 1960 movie Inherit the Wind represents a fair, objective judgement, yet at the same time she is portrayed as being "blind" to the community's ignorance to the law. Similarly, FIFA has been preaching objectivity while evading the issue of goal line technology beyond random talks of wanting to improve it without removing the 'human element' from the game. Football is long overdue for some new rules, and goal line technology is the number one priority.


Factiles:

Reading v Man Utd is only the third match in Premier League history to see seven first-half goals.
The same record holds for two other games, Blackburn-Leeds (1997) and Derby-Bradford (2000).

Wayne Rooney’s penalty (16 mins) was the 1000th that Manchester United have scored in the Premier League this century.


Barclays Premier League - 15th Match Week
Saturday, December 1, 2012, 12:30PM EST

Reading vs. Manchester United - 3:4
Venue: Madejski Stadium (Reading)
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)
Goals:
1:0 Hal Robson-Kanu (8')
1:1 Anderson (Asst. Ashley Young) (13')
1:2 Wayne Rooney (PK) (16')
2:2 Adam Le Fondre (Asst. Nick Shorey) (19')
3:2 Sean Morrison (Asst. Nick Shorey) (23')
3:3 Wayne Rooney (Asst. Patrice Evra) (30')
3:4 Robin van Persie (Asst. Wayne Rooney) (34')

Giant Juicy Previews

Spartak Moscow vs. Dynamo Moscow
Sunday, November 25, 2012, 13:30 MSK/4:30 AM EST
Luzhniki Stadium

If you Google "Russian Clasico", the first thing that pops up is a video claiming the Russian Clasico is CSKA vs. Spartak Moscow. You also get photos of Cristiano Ronaldo, Pep Guardiola, and Rafa Benitez, so something must be wrong with this picture. What the world's most famous search engine - as well as most people - are unaware of is that the most historic Russian derby does indeed involve Spartak Moscow, and a different team from the same Russian city, a team whose motto is "power in motion". A total of 163 games have been played between Spartak and Dynamo Moscow, as opposed to the 151 played between Spartak and CSKA. But hints of the Dynamo-Spartak rivalry began much earlier than that. Dynamo's very first season in 1923 saw a spring quarterfinal in the Moscow league against the now-defunct FC Presnya Moscow, a club that served as the basis for the founding of Spartak. Interestingly, one of the players on the FC Presnya roster at the time was Nikolai Starostin, later the founder as well as a player and manager of Spartak. Dynamo lost 2-3, conceding the last goal after a controversial penalty call from referee Konstantin Kvashnin, who would go on to become Dynamo's first manager. As if that wasn't enough irony, Kvashnin started his playing career at Spartak at the time of Dynamo's founding; he would switch clubs only five years later.

Dynamo Moscow loses 3:0 to Spartak in the final of the 1950 Soviet Cup. Credit: Spartakfanat

The first ever game between Dynamo and Spartak in the Soviet Top League was played on Saturday, July 11, 1936 and ended in a 1:0 win by the Blue-and-Whites. The Soviet Top League, which was one of the strongest leagues in the world throughout its existence, started off with, and saw through much of its history, a back-and-forth rivalry between the teams, Dynamo Moscow winning the very first season in the spring and Spartak taking third place behind Dynamo Kiev. Spartak reclaimed the championship in the fall, but lost out to Dynamo again the following year.

As with any derby, there are sociopolitical factors involved that have changed over time. Some of the political controversies are mentioned in Starostin's Football Through the Years, but seem to be the author's opinion more so than events rooted in fact. Hence, unlike La Liga's El Clasico, politics play a much lesser role, and the emphasis in the derby is on the rivalry itself. Perhaps the Russian Clasico is underrated as it has fluctuated in its influence over the years; the post-Soviet era has seen a greater emphasis on Spartak v. CSKA, and even Spartak v. Dynamo Kiev. Alas, it was a dark and stormy night in early August as Dynamo conceded 4 goals to the Reds, also known as the Meat, in what would be former manager Sergei Silkin's last match with the team. The match proved a solemn truth - sometimes, a humiliating defeat is the only way to put an end to the worst era in a club's history.

Dynamo wins 2:0 against Spartak in 2011.

Dynamo has met great difficulties in the modern era, and the Clasico has been no exception. The 2012/2013 RPL season saw one of Dynamo's worst losses in the modern era with a 4:0 defeat to the Reds, a game that solidified itself as Spartak's 4th largest win in 76 years of the derby's history. Dynamo's last win over their rivals was on June 22, 2011, a 2:0 triumph with goals by veterans Igor Semshov and Andriy Voronin, both of who were part of Dynamo's ever-successful Fab Five. Semshov, a talented midfielder who played for Russia's National Team as well as the Olympic Team, has 5 goals and one assist this season in all competitions, while Voronin is currently on loan to Fortuna Dusseldorf in the Bundesliga until June 2013.

Meanwhile, Spartak has seen a more consistent record. The Reds finished last season in 2nd place, and unlike Dynamo, their record of silverware extends well into the modern era. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Spartak have won the Championship 9 times, finishing as runners-up in the last several years. Beside that are 3 Russian Cup wins and a bouquet of semi-final and quarter-final accomplishments (the team reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League two seasons ago). Dynamo's 1995 Russian Cup, the sole award of the Blue-and-Whites in the post-Soviet era, simply pales in comparison.

As Spartak continues to hold a prominent presence in the league, Dynamo's challenge remains - making the top 5 by the end of the season. Yet this season poses an interesting challenge to both teams as clubs like Kuban and Terek are just two points away from fourth place Rubin. Of course, the Reds have only a 10-point gap between leaders CSKA, as opposed to Dynamo's 21. But if the beginning of this season is any indication, we're sure to see plenty of surprises along the way. From Terek taking up the top spot to CSKA's two-time defeat to Dynamo, Russian football in the 2012/13 season has been topsy-turvy. What team, if any, will be minding the gap, and just what does the Oldest Russian Derby hold in store for the Thanksgiving weekend?

Previous Derbies:

Spartak vs. Dynamo: 0:2 (2011 season)


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Dynamo vs. Spartak - By the Numbers:

Wins by Spartak: 57
Wins by Dynamo: 44
Draws: 62

Biggest wins:
Spartak - 7:1 (1991 USSR Championship)
Dynamo - 5:0 (1946 USSR Championship)

Trophy Wins:
Soviet Top League (USSR Championship) - Spartak: 12, Dynamo: 11.
Russian Championship - Spartak: 9, Dynamo: 0.
Soviet Cup - Spartak: 10, Dynamo: 6.
Russian Cup - Spartak: 3, Dynamo: 1.
Soviet SuperCup - Spartak: 0, Dynamo: 1.
USSR Federation Cup - Spartak: 1, Dynamo: 0.

Total Number of Cups -
Spartak: 35
Dynamo: 19

21 - Number of players who played for both teams
4 - Number of managers with spells at both clubs.
2 - Number of players who played for one club, but managed the other. Both played for Dynamo and later managed Spartak.