..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

West Brom 1-0 Southampton: In-form Berahino dents Saints' top-four hopes

Saido Berahino’s early goal was enough to give West Brom a 1-0 win over Southampton at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

Striker Berahino, who was passed fit to start the match at The Hawthorns despite carrying a knock, gave Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster no chance with an unstoppable half-volley after just two minutes.

However, West Brom boss Tony Pulis will be concerned by the fact his top scorer had to be replaced shortly after the break, with Berahino's strike partner Brown Ideye also apparently picking up an injury late on.

Before the game, Pulis stated that his side were still involved in a fight to avoid the drop despite their improved form.

But they looked far from relegation fodder in a solid first half showing that was illuminated by Berahino's 12th league goal of the season.

Southampton arguably edged the second half and out-of-form striker Graziano Pelle wasted a golden chance to equalise with 22 minutes remaining.

Victory sees West Brom climb above Everton into 13th, while Southampton - who are now winless in three Premier League games - stay fifth, but will drop a place if Liverpool beat Manchester City on Sunday.

West Brom, unchanged from last weekend's 0-0 draw against Sunderland, opened the scoring in style early on.

Chris Brunt's long free-kick was headed down by Craig Dawson and Berahino finished emphatically into the top right-hand corner.

Southampton responded to the early setback with a good spell of possession, but West Brom's front two of Berahino and Ideye were proving a menace for the visitors.

Another West Brom set-piece almost paid dividends when Dawson climbed well to head Craig Gardner's header at Forster.

Ronald Koeman, who made five changes to last week's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, opted to make a tactical substitution in the 25th minute with Eljero Elia replacing Florin Gardos.

Southampton looked more of a threat going forward as a result, but they were almost caught out by Brunt's wonderful long ball that Gardner failed to keep under control in the penalty area.

There was a change of referee at half-time as Phil Dowd, who looked in discomfort as the break approached, was unable to continue and Graham Scott took over in the middle, while Southampton introduced Steven Davis for Victor Wanyama.

Ideye could have done more to punish some lax Southampton defending, before Berahino's afternoon came to a premature end with Youssouf Mulumbu coming on in his place.

As the half progressed, Southampton turned the screw in search of an equaliser and Pelle appeared to have an easy tap-in inside the six-yard box in the 68th minute, but the Italian somehow failed to connect with the ball.

As the clock wound down, Pelle hit a weak volley straight at Ben Foster, before Ideye had to be helped from the pitch to provide Pulis with another striking headache.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Stoke City 1-0 Hull City: Crouch winner enough for Hughes's men

Peter Crouch needed just two minutes after coming off the bench to strike the decisive blow as Stoke City defeated Hull City 1-0 on Saturday.

Crouch headed home with his second touch after coming on as a second-half substitute at the Britannia Stadium, ending Hull's recent resurgence.

A lacklustre, scrappy first half ended without a single effort on target from either team.

Charlie Adam's introduction at the break gave Stoke a lift, but his two early efforts on Allan McGregor's goal both went wide.

Adam then turned provider for Crouch in the 72nd minute, as he lifted an inch-perfect cross into the penalty area for the veteran striker to nod home in trademark fashion.

Stoke - unchanged from last weekend's victory over Aston Villa - made a promising start, but were unable to turn possession in the final third into efforts on goal.

Victor Moses and Steven N'Zonzi both made good runs from midfield in the opening 15 minutes, only to be wasteful in the penalty area when under pressure.

Steve Bruce was forced into changes with Nikica Jelavic injured and Dame N'Doye dropped to the bench after returning home to Senegal, and Hull's play was affected early on.

It was not until the 20th minute that the visitors were able to pose a threat, as Sone Aluko skipped past Philipp Wolscheid but was unable to hit the target from a tight angle.

A scrappy end to the half saw Stephen Ireland lucky to stay out of the book for a tackle on David Meyler, but opportunities on goal were at a premium, with the hosts seeing a penalty appeal waved away when Aluko challenged Phil Bardsley.

Adam replaced Ireland at half time and he gave Stoke a spark in the early moments after the restart, the Scot driving narrowly wide with a long-range effort after 54 minutes.

The former Liverpool and Blackpool midfielder went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock soon after, as he sent a 20-yard free kick just wide.

But with the game seemingly drifting towards a drab draw, a lovely move between Stoke's two substitutes finally opened the scoring.

Adam collected the ball 25 yards from goal and played an inviting cross towards the back post, where Crouch rose above Paul McShane to head past McGregor.

Hull boss Bruce introduced N'Doye and Abel Hernandez to try and rescue a point in the closing minutes, but the changes proved fruitless as Stoke held on to all three points.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa: Cisse gets Toon back to winning ways

Newcastle United condemned Tim Sherwood to a second consecutive loss as Aston Villa manager as they ran out 1-0 winners at St James' Park on Saturday.

John Carver's side, boosted by the return of Jonas Gutierrez to the bench for the first time since the Argentine overcame testicular cancer, took the lead against the run of play through Papiss Cisse's 11th league goal of the campaign midway through the first half.

And they were able to celebrate three points after soaking up some intense second-half pressure, with Christian Benteke having a goal ruled out for offside.

The result lifts Newcastle to 35 points, while lowly Villa have now lost seven consecutive league matches.

Villa have not won a Premier League game without Ashley Westwood in 17 months and, after dropping to the bench last week, the midfielder returned in fine form as the visitors made a confident start to proceedings, with Newcastle unable to cope with their direct attacking style.

And they could well have been ahead four minutes in as Benteke whipped a sublime cross to the back post, but Daryl Janmaat recovered well to clear.

Gabriel Agbonlahor then saw a goal correctly disallowed for offside as Villa continued to press, though the hosts would have been ahead had Alan Hutton not blocked Cisse's goal-bound effort.

But Villa were not to be deterred, with Benteke - looking at his imposing best - forcing Tim Krul into a fine save with an ambitious overhead kick from the edge of the area before Scott Sinclair went close after latching onto Westwood's pass.

However, for all Villa's pressure, it was the hosts who took the lead when Janmaat's terrific cross from the right found Cisse in the area and he provided a composed finish before running straight to the touchline to celebrate with Gutierrez.

The Senegalese has now scored more league goals in 2014-15 than the last two seasons combined, and Newcastle should have been further ahead two minutes later, but Emmanuel Riviere headed wide from close range.

Both sides made subdued starts to the second period, with Newcastle content to retain possession in midfield, while Benteke was suddenly isolated up top for the visitors.

Cisse almost doubled his tally as the hour-mark approached, directing his header just wide after connecting with Sammy Ameobi's whipped free-kick.

Villa eventually managed to fashion an effort in the 62nd minute when Tom Cleverley latched on to Benteke's knock-down, but Krul was equal to the Manchester United loanee's strike.

Sherwood introduced former Newcastle player Charles N'Zogbia soon after as Villa looked to step up the pressure, but it was the hosts who almost went further ahead – Ciaran Clark doing well to halt Gabriel Obertan as the Frenchman bore down on goal.

Benteke thought he had levelled with 20 minutes remaining after he tapped in at the back post from Westwood's pass, but the Belgian was flagged for offside.

Taylor, on in the place of Massadio Haidara, then tested Brad Guzan with a curling free-kick, before Perez hit the post with a header from the resulting corner as Newcastle secured their first win in four games.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Granada 1-3 Barcelona: Messi, Suarez and Rakitic fire visitors to victory

Luis Suarez's hot streak continued on Saturday as the Uruguayan inspired Barcelona's 3-1 win over Granada in La Liga.

The former Liverpool star, who netted twice in Wednesday's 2-1 Champions League triumph at Manchester City, scored his fourth goal in as many matches and had a hand in two more, ensuring Barca bounced back from their shock 1-0 defeat to Malaga last weekend.

Suarez played a crucial role in Barca's first, setting up Ivan Rakitic for an easy finish with just under half-an-hour played at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes.
And the pair switched roles at the start of the second half, as the Croatia playmaker teed up Suarez to open a two-goal lead.

Granada swiftly responded, as Fran Rico buried a 53rd-minute penalty, but the Catalans killed off any hopes of a revival in the 70th minute, with Lionel Messi tapping in for his 27th league goal of the season following more impressive play by Suarez.

The visitors had no problems holding on to their lead and they could have made the victory even more comfortable, but regardless of missing late chances, the triumph sees Barca move back to within a point of Real Madrid, who face Villarreal on Sunday.

Luis Enrique resisted the urge to rotate his key players in the wake of Barca's Champions League exploits in Manchester, with Messi, Neymar and Suarez all starting once again.Suarez was somewhat fortunate not to see his game cut short in the 15th minute, though, as he caught Juan Cala in the face with a swing of his elbow.

And the forward ultimately proved integral as Barca opened the scoring 10 minutes later, playing the ball across the face of goal towards Rakitic, who could not miss after pouncing on a failed clearance by former Sevilla team-mate Cala.

Messi went close to doubling Barca's lead with 35 minutes on the clock, but after flicking the ball beyond a defender, the Argentina star smashed his half-volley agonisingly over.

Barca eventually added a second two minutes into the second half, as Suarez raced on to Rakitic's incisive pass and coolly poked the ball past Oier in the Granada goal.

The hosts received a boost to their chances a few moments later through Rico, though, as the midfielder converted from the spot following a foul by Marc Bartra on Lass Bangoura.

But any fight-back from the hosts was quashed 20 minutes from time.Suarez was at the fore once again, chasing down a long ball and racing beyond Oier, before providing Messi with a simple finish instead of knocking into an unguarded net himself.

Barca could have added more in the final 10 minutes as Messi went close twice, but the missed opportunities ultimately had no effect, with the away side cruising to a straightforward win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Suarez dan form 1ke inne​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland: Rooney stars as Di Maria struggles again

A Wayne Rooney brace gave Manchester United a comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday but the match was overshadowed by a massive refereeing error.

Roger East awarded a penalty after John O’Shea fouled Radamel Falcao in the box – leading to Rooney’s opener – but the official then showed Wes Brown the red card, despite O’Shea’s protestations.

With the Black Cats down to 10 men Rooney doubled his tally in the 84th minute as Louis Van Gaal’s men picked up three vital points to move into third in the Premier League table.

Rooney headed a corner wide at the near post in the fourth minute as United made an encouraging start, although Sunderland soon fired two early warnings of their own.

Connor Wickham, one of three players recalled by Gus Poyet following last week's goalless draw with West Brom, raced towards a backpeddling home defence and drew an excellent low save from David de Gea, before Jermain Defoe curled a strike narrowly over in the seventh minute.

United looked to hit back quickly, and Ashley Young drove a shot over the crossbar when Lee Cattermole partially cleared, before Defoe failed to trouble De Gea with a 16th-minute chance.

An unsettled home crowd almost had something to cheer when Young hit Antonio Valencia's right-wing cross goalwards at the back post, but O'Shea slid in to divert the ball against his own crossbar.

That 25th-minute opportunity prompted an increase in tempo from United, but they were unable to find the breakthrough before half-time.

Van Gaal sent his side out early for the second period and replaced the ineffective Angel Di Maria with Adnan Januzaj.

Sunderland found themselves under intense pressure after the resumption, with Marcos Rojo lashing a shot over from Falcao’s knockdown.

Januzaj then sent a rasping 20-yard effort wide following a poor headed clearance from Anthony Reveillere, before East made an unlikely hash of a relatively straightforward penalty situation, and Rooney kept his calm to pick out the bottom corner from 12 yards.

Sunderland goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon was a busy man as United poured forward during the closing stages and, when he could only parry another firm Januzaj strike, Rooney was on hand to head home his second and ensure Sunderland's winless Premier League run extended to four matches.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!

Falcao Penalty 1kak draw kala but thamath out of formseason end 1kata kalin aduma gane thawa goals 7k wath score kale nathnam deal 1ka permanent karana 1kak naha​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Burnley 0-1 Swansea: Trippier own goal keeps hosts in bottom three

Swansea City earned a 1-0 Premier League win against Burnley on Saturday as Kieran Trippier's own goal gave Garry Monk's side all three points at Turf Moor.

A low-key affair was settled by a scrappy goal midway through the second half, as Swansea were able to build on last week's 2-1 win over Manchester United.

Home goalkeeper Tom Heaton produced a superb save to keep out former Burnley loanee Jack Cork at the back post, but Cork's rebound struck Trippier and was then fumbled over the line by the shot-stopper.

Victory lifts Swansea up to eighth in the table, while Burnley remain mired in the bottom three, with QPR just above them on goal difference with a game in hand.

It was a disappointing return to action for a Burnley side who had shocked leaders Chelsea to earn a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

The hosts, unchanged from that clash, made the brighter start, with George Boyd thumping a volley straight at Lukasz Fabianski in the fourth minute.

The Swansea goalkeeper was called into action again midway through the half, spreading himself well to smother Ashley Barnes' close-range effort after Danny Ings' smart turn had caused confusion between Ashley Williams and Cork.

Swansea had their first sight of goal in the 25th minute when Wayne Routledge lofted an effort over the advancing Heaton, but the ball dropped wide.

Bafetimbi Gomis then wasted a golden opportunity to open the scoring five minutes prior to the interval when, after running onto Jonjo Shelvey's ball in behind, the striker blazed his effort over the crossbar.

The home side began brightly after the break and felt they should have had a penalty when the ball struck Federico Fernandez on the arm in a scramble following Fabianski's save from Michael Kightly.

Burnley continued to look the more likely to break the deadlock, and Barnes went close on the hour mark with a smart volley on the turn that went wide of the right-hand post.

Slightly against the run of play, the visitors took the lead in the 64th minute.

Gomis' header found its way to Cork, whose close-range shot was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by Heaton. Cork's second effort was heading wide of goal until it struck Trippier on the thigh, and Heaton failed to keep hold of the ball as it squirmed over the line.

Burnley pushed hard for a leveller, substitute Sam Vokes seeing his near-post effort well-saved by Fabianski six minutes from time as Swansea held on to claim maximum points.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Schalke: Reus and Aubameyang on target to down rivals

Borussia Dortmund extended their Bundesliga winning streak to four games with a deserved 3-0 win over bitter rivals Schalke in the 146th Revierderby on Saturday.
A dominant first half at Signal Iduna Park saw Dortmund create a number of chances, but they could not find a way through.

The home faithful may have feared a frustrating stalemate, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on hand 12 minutes from time to pounce on a defensive error and slot home, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan converted Ilkay Gundogan's cross to make the result safe.

Having made a string of saves earlier in the match, 19-year-old goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther's first taste of the Ruhr clash was soured as his dawdling in possession gifted Marco Reus Dortmund's third.

The result sees Dortmund's recent recovery continue, while dealing a blow to Schalke's Champions League qualification ambitions, with Roberto Di Matteo's men having mustered just one win in their last five Bundesliga outings.

Di Matteo spoke of his excitement at experiencing his first Revierderby as Schalke boss in the build-up to this contest, but his side struggled to get going early on.

The hosts should have taken the lead after just three minutes but Wellenreuther stood firm after Shinji Kagawa released Aubameyang, while Nastastic was on hand to save the teenager when the Japan international lobbed goalwards.

Reus saw a stinging low drive tipped just wide of the post by a full-stretch Wellenreuther as Dortmund's pressure intensified, with Roman Neustadter on hand to head a crashing 25-yard strike from the winger onto the crossbar, before Aubameyang poked wide following the resulting goalmouth scramble.
Chances continued to flow, but Dortmund still could not find breakthrough, with Reus again lashing wide just before half time.

The second half continued in much the same vein, with Reus firing wide yet again before forcing another fine save from Wellenreuther eight minutes later after latching on to Nuri Sahin's defence-splitting pass.Wellenreuther was called up again on 67 minutes to deny Mkhitaryan angled drive, but he could do nothing to prevent Dortmund finally getting the breakthrough 12 minutes later.

A free-kick was not cleared fully, allowing Mkhitaryan to pounce and tee up Aubameyang to slot home from close range.That goal opened the floodgates, with Mkhitaryan getting himself on the scoresheet on the end of Gundogan's superb cross from the right.

Wellenreuther's rick presented Reus with the goal his effervescent display deserved, giving Dortmund fans full bragging rights, and their team a place in the top half of the table.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

BVB pattane danmeeta kalin meh wage play kalanam Bundesliga Title 1katath challenge karanna thibba​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

West Ham 1-3 Crystal Palace: Murray scores twice and sees red

Glenn Murray scored a brace but was then sent off as Crystal Palace ran out 3-1 winners against West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday.

The striker opened the scoring before half-time, and added a third after Scott Dann had extended his side’s lead, but he was then dismissed after picking up a second yellow card in a challenge with Winston Reid.

There will be debate around Murray's first, however, with Aaron Cresswell playing a major part in the striker's goal.

In attempting to clear Murray's tame header from Jason Puncheon's corner, Cresswell succeeded only in sending the ball spinning into his own net on the stroke of half-time.

Sam Allardyce may lament the fact that the striker - one of four Palace changes - had five minutes earlier escaped a possible red card when, having already been booked, he clumsily fouled Cheikhou Kouyate.

Allardyce's mood will have darkened significantly just six minutes into the second half when his side failed to defend another Puncheon corner, with Dann profiting to head home from close range.

The match as a contest was over in the 63nd minute when Murray steered a diving header past Adrian, with Puncheon again the provider, while the Palace striker eventually received his marching orders for a foul on Winston Reid.

Enner Valencia reduced the deficit with a superb late strike, but Palace eventually exacted revenge for August's 3-1 home loss to the Hammers.

It was the hosts who threatened first, Mark Noble's 14th-minute free-kick casting Julian Speroni in the role of mere bystander, before striking the crossbar.

Palace's first clear sight of goal came midway through the half as Murray collected Puncheon's pass before slicing his shot wide of the target.

The same duo linked up again on the half-hour mark as Adrian was called into action to block with his legs, before Jordon Mutch was forced off with an injury and was replaced by the returning James McArthur.

Having survived one scare in their box when Damien Delaney volleyed an effort into the ground that looped across the six-yard box, West Ham were punished on the stroke of half-time.

Cresswell stuck out a boot to deal with Murray's header, but the ball skewed into the net as the Palace forward took full advantage of his initial let-off from referee Mike Dean.

Things went from bad to worse for Allardyce early in the second half as Puncheon's corner was headed in by the unchallenged Dann, while another Murray header made it 3-0, six minutes before his dismissal.

Valencia's 20-yard strike allowed West Ham a strong finish but, after Carl Jenkinson and the Ecuadorian were denied late on, the hosts saw their winless run extended to six games.

 

[JCT]

Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Schalke: Reus and Aubameyang on target to down rivals

Borussia Dortmund extended their Bundesliga winning streak to four games with a deserved 3-0 win over bitter rivals Schalke in the 146th Revierderby on Saturday.
A dominant first half at Signal Iduna Park saw Dortmund create a number of chances, but they could not find a way through.

The home faithful may have feared a frustrating stalemate, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on hand 12 minutes from time to pounce on a defensive error and slot home, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan converted Ilkay Gundogan's cross to make the result safe.

Having made a string of saves earlier in the match, 19-year-old goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther's first taste of the Ruhr clash was soured as his dawdling in possession gifted Marco Reus Dortmund's third.

The result sees Dortmund's recent recovery continue, while dealing a blow to Schalke's Champions League qualification ambitions, with Roberto Di Matteo's men having mustered just one win in their last five Bundesliga outings.

Di Matteo spoke of his excitement at experiencing his first Revierderby as Schalke boss in the build-up to this contest, but his side struggled to get going early on.

The hosts should have taken the lead after just three minutes but Wellenreuther stood firm after Shinji Kagawa released Aubameyang, while Nastastic was on hand to save the teenager when the Japan international lobbed goalwards.

Reus saw a stinging low drive tipped just wide of the post by a full-stretch Wellenreuther as Dortmund's pressure intensified, with Roman Neustadter on hand to head a crashing 25-yard strike from the winger onto the crossbar, before Aubameyang poked wide following the resulting goalmouth scramble.
Chances continued to flow, but Dortmund still could not find breakthrough, with Reus again lashing wide just before half time.

The second half continued in much the same vein, with Reus firing wide yet again before forcing another fine save from Wellenreuther eight minutes later after latching on to Nuri Sahin's defence-splitting pass.Wellenreuther was called up again on 67 minutes to deny Mkhitaryan angled drive, but he could do nothing to prevent Dortmund finally getting the breakthrough 12 minutes later.

A free-kick was not cleared fully, allowing Mkhitaryan to pounce and tee up Aubameyang to slot home from close range.That goal opened the floodgates, with Mkhitaryan getting himself on the scoresheet on the end of Gundogan's superb cross from the right.

Wellenreuther's rick presented Reus with the goal his effervescent

 

[JCT]

BVB is back,bitches.BVB is back

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League 2015.03.01 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2015.03.01 Fixtures

In Progress 71st Minute

Liverpool 1 Vs 1 Manchester City

Arsenal Vs Everton

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Capital One Cup Final Fixture 2015.03.01

Capital One Cup Final Fixture 2015.03.01

Chelsea Vs Tottenham

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

La Liga 2015.03.01 Fixtures

La Liga 2015.03.01 Fixtures

(Full Time)
Valencia 2 Vs 0 Real Sociedad
-----------------------------------------
Eibar Vs Athletic Bilbao

Sevilla Vs Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid Vs Villareal​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Serie A 2015.03.01 Fixtures

Serie A 2015.03.01 Fixtures

Cagliari Vs Hellas Verona

Atalanta Vs Sampdoria

Cesena Vs Udinese

Genoa Vs Parma

Palermo Vs Empoli

Sassuolo Vs Lazio

Inter Vs Fiorentina

Torino Vs Napoli​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

After 80th Minute

Liverpool 2 Vs 1 Manchester City​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Roma match not crucial for Juve - Allegri

Massimiliano Allegri played down the importance of Juventus' forthcoming meeting with Roma by opining that it will not play a crucial role in their Serie A defence.
The Bianconeri currently lead the charge for the Scudetto and hold a nine-point advantage over their closest rivals, the Giallorossi, who they travel to face at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday.

While admitting that Roma will pose a substantial threat in the top-of-the-table clash if they are at their best, Allegri suggested that it is not a must-win match for the Turin outfit.

"On Monday we will see a good game between two technical sides. Roma have very few weaknesses. This game is very important but not crucial," Allegri said in a press conference.

"Roma will need to give everything they've got to win. It has been three months since our last encounter with them and after this there are still 13 games and 39 points up for grabs, so there is still a long way to go and Napoli are getting closer.
"From now on they are all head-to-head battles for position and it will be important not to leave anything behind on a psychological level too."First and foremost we'll consider the Roma game, then we'll prepare for our other matches."

Juve will be unable to call upon Andrea Pirlo for the match, who misses out with a calf strain, and the 47-year-old coach admitted that he does not know how his team will shape up with Paul Pogba Arturo Vidal also struggling for fitness."We'll check on the fitness of Pogba and Vidal first. We have plenty of alternatives if need be," Allegri revealed. "There are Claudio Marchisio, Stefano Sturaro, Simone Padoin and Roberto Pereyra.

"I could even play with two central midfielders, it depends on how this afternoon's training session pans out. An attacking midfielder behind the front two is a possibility, but I still haven't decided how we will line up.

"All of the most important games come around this time and it's important to be in good physical shape. At this stage of the campaign, I can't afford to take risks and perhaps lose a player for over a month by risking them unnecessarily."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Rooney: Brown red card must be rescinded

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has called for Sunderland defender Wes Brown to have his controversial red card in Saturday's Premier League contest overturned.

Rooney scored both goals as United defeated Gus Poyet's men 2-0 at Old Trafford, but post-match discussion centred on referee Roger East's baffling decision to show Brown a red card.

United opened the scoring from the penalty spot when Radamel Falcao was brought to ground in the area after seemingly being tripped by Brown's team-mate John O'Shea.

East dismissed Brown and a statement from referees' governing body Professional Games Match Officials Limited later claimed that it was not a case of mistaken identity.

But Rooney, who played with Brown and O'Shea at United, believes the official did make an error.

"I don't think it was Wes - it looked like O'Shea so the referee has got it wrong and I'm sure they will look at that and rescind Wes' red card," he told Sky Sports.

Rooney's goals were the first he has scored in 2015, the captain starting in a more familiar striking role after a lengthy spell in midfield.

Yet despite flourishing further forward, the England skipper insists he is happy to play anywhere for the team.

"I have done that throughout the years whether I've worn the armband or not. That's something I have always done," he added. "I have played in midfield before I have played out wide before. At times you have to see what is best for the team.

"That is what the manager and I have felt and that's why I have been back in midfield. I love playing football and wherever the manager wants me to play I will play."