Manchester United’s uninspiring win over Sunderland pushes fans to their limits

Wayne Rooney ended his eight-game Premier League scoring drought with a brace as Manchester United climbed back above Arsenal into third with a 2-0 victory against a dogged Sunderland on Saturday.

Two goals by Wayne Rooney, centre, proved enough for Manchester United in a 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday. Jon Super / AP Photo

MANCHESTER UNITED 2 SUNDERLAND 0

Manchester United - Rooney 66' pen, 84'

Red cards - Brown (Sunderland)

Man of the match - Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

European football correspondent

MANCHESTER // The Old Trafford atmosphere was as bleak as the overcast Manchester afternoon, the performance of United as flat as their fans have come to expect.

Those fans are usually patient, but they have their limits, especially against a team that had not won in 10, a team beginning with an ‘S’ – United’s last three home defeats have been against Southampton, Swansea and Sunderland.

When a 21st minute United corner led to Jonny Evans, formerly with Sunderland, passing the ball back from the halfway line to David De Gea, fans in the giant stands booed in unison.

The release was cathartic and a sustained chant of “attack, attack, attack” ensued.

No player likes to be booed by their own, but they got the message and a labouring United followed instructions.

An Antonio Valencia cross two minutes later was struck down by Ashley Young, before being deflected onto the crossbar by John O’Shea.

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Louis van Gaal made five changes from the defeat at Swansea and played a 4-4-2 formation with two wingers, but United found Sunderland’s two banks of four problematic.

United were not quick enough to break through but when Angel Di Maria picked up a loose ball in the 45th minute and attacked as part of four against four defenders, the opportunity was clear and the Argentine chose to pass to Radamel Falcao. The chance was then squandered, with Young and Wayne Rooney waving for the ball.

Van Gaal had seen enough and walked back to the dressing room speaking to Adnan Januzaj, who would replace Di Maria at half time, although United remained unimpressive.

Corners were overhit and with no breakthrough forthcoming, Old Trafford remained anxious.

A 63rd-minute penalty, awarded when John O’Shea pulled at Falcao in the box, broke the impasse. The referee wrongly sent off O’Shea’s former United colleague Wes Brown as O’Shea unsuccessfully argued the injustice for two minutes.

Rooney’s penalty, hit low and in the corner past former Manchester City goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon, was superb – Old Trafford needed it, watching owners, the Glazer family, would have been relieved.

Falcao had struggled, but his 67th-minute substitution for Marouane Fellaini was not popular.

Playing against 10 men who did not threaten in the second half, United added a second after 84 minutes.

Pantilimon saved a shot from Januzaj, but the ball popped up and Rooney headed in from close range for his first goal from open play in 2015.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” chorused the 3,000 Sunderland fans. United fans had worried, but three points assuaged their earlier fears.

United moved up to third and, with fifth-placed Southampton losing, it was a good day for Van Gaal. Sunderland stay just above the drop zone.

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