‘Plane’ sailing for David Moyes
31 March 2014 4:56 AM IST
A small aeroplane towing an anti-Moyes banner flew over Old Trafford shortly after kick-off and the under-fire former Everton manager then saw his side fall behind to an Ashley Westwood free-kick.
However, Rooney scored twice before half-time, with Juan Mata and Javier Hernandez adding further goals as the under-performing champions provisionally moved to within nine points of the Premier League’s top four.
There were fewer than two minutes on the clock on a sunny afternoon in Manchester when the plane, chartered by a group of disgruntled fans, made its appearance, trailing a banner that read: ‘WRONG ONE - MOYES OUT’. It was a response to the pro-Moyes ‘THE CHOSEN ONE’ banner that has adorned the Stretford End since the beginning of the season, but the man himself received a warm reception when he emerged before kick-off.
Applause turned to silence, though, in the 13th minute when Westwood curled a delicate free-kick over the United wall and inside the left-hand post to put Villa ahead. Rooney equalised in the 20th minute when he exploited slack marking to convert Shinji Kagawa’s left-wing cross with a deft glancing header. The England striker completed the turnaround shortly before half-time, burying a penalty into the bottom-right corner after Mata had been cleaned out by Leandro Bacuna. In the second half, Juan Mata (57) and Substitute Hernandez (90+1) scored to complete the rout.
However, Rooney scored twice before half-time, with Juan Mata and Javier Hernandez adding further goals as the under-performing champions provisionally moved to within nine points of the Premier League’s top four.
There were fewer than two minutes on the clock on a sunny afternoon in Manchester when the plane, chartered by a group of disgruntled fans, made its appearance, trailing a banner that read: ‘WRONG ONE - MOYES OUT’. It was a response to the pro-Moyes ‘THE CHOSEN ONE’ banner that has adorned the Stretford End since the beginning of the season, but the man himself received a warm reception when he emerged before kick-off.
Applause turned to silence, though, in the 13th minute when Westwood curled a delicate free-kick over the United wall and inside the left-hand post to put Villa ahead. Rooney equalised in the 20th minute when he exploited slack marking to convert Shinji Kagawa’s left-wing cross with a deft glancing header. The England striker completed the turnaround shortly before half-time, burying a penalty into the bottom-right corner after Mata had been cleaned out by Leandro Bacuna. In the second half, Juan Mata (57) and Substitute Hernandez (90+1) scored to complete the rout.
Next Story
