From The Touchlines

BEAT IT!: Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Reading’s Steve Sidwell fight for the ball in their Premiership match at Old Trafford. United won 3-2.

There is just no stopping Cristiano Ronaldo.

Days after he scored a double against Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic, he put in another brace as Manchester United finished 2006 on top with a narrow 3-2 win over Reading.

Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also had a piece of the cake, scoring the first goal and setting up the second, before Ronaldo killed off the tie with about 15 minutes left.

But Leroy Lita put the United players on edge with a simple goal in injury time, but the goal came too little too late for the team that had drawn against Chelsea previously.

On the other hand, Chelsea were so clearly missing their skipper John Terry when they conceded a goal six minutes from time against Fulham, with the match finishing 2-2. Carlos Bocanegra was the party spoiler.

Ronaldo had begun the match with so much passion and desire, that there was not one build-up that did not involve him.

But he nearly drew first blood on six minutes when he broke free on the right, cut in and put in a shot, only to see Marcus Hahnemann blocking it.

He frayed more Reading nerves on 13 minutes when Hahnemann spilled Ronaldo’s seemingly harmless cross from the right.

It was then Reading took over, holding possession but they were found wanting in their finishing, with the absence of Stephen Hunt and Seol Ki-hyeon.

The Red Devils nearly started the ball rolling when Wes Brown’s run on the right saw him cross the ball, which was flicked into Wayne Rooney’s path by a tightly-marked Solskjaer.

But Rooney completely miskicked it and it went horribly wide.

Ronaldo also came close two minutes later, when his header from a Michael Carrick corner was again blocked by Hahnemann.

But Hahnemann was eventually beaten five minutes later when Ronaldo and Solskjaer combined to put United in the driving seat.

Ronaldo, with his fancy footwork, dazzled the Reading defence before laying in a cross which was put into the net with ease by the Norwegian marksman.

But United were brought back down to earth barely five minutes later, when Ibrahima Sonko levelled matters for Reading.

Sonko was the toast of 3,000-odd Reading fans on the road when he headed into goal beyond the onrushing Edwin van der Sar from a freekick by Nicky Shorey.

But Ronaldo nearly restored United’s lead when his header from a corner came off the crossbar. The half time score remained at 1-1.

With one eye on the New Year’s Day tie against the Magpies, Sir Alex Ferguson brought Park Ji-Sung off at half time and replaced him with veteran winger Ryan Giggs.

There was no change in the momentum, as United got into gear, with Solskjaer heading wide from Ronaldo’s cross three minutes in.

Rooney also tried his luck with a lob, but he miscalculated and the ball went wide. The cross, was provided by none other than Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was again involved when his cross was put into the sidenetting by Giggs.

But two minutes later, Ronaldo was the man in the right place at the right time.

A counter attack saw Giggs breaking clear from the left and passed the ball to Rooney, who played it wide for Solskjaer.

Solskjaer cut in and put a shot beyond Hahnemann, but it came off the post. Luckily, Ronaldo, unmarked, tucked in the rebound with 15 minutes of the second half played.

As if things could not get worse for Reading after that, it did.

Sam Sodje, who had only been on the pitch not long, was surprisingly sent off after he had allegedly pulled Rooney back, with the England striker firmly headed for goal.

Rooney had initially gone over and confronted the linesman at the far end over the offside decision against him. The referee, however, had a different view and deemed it fit to flash a second yellow on Sodje, who had only just been booked for a wild lunge on Gabriel Heinze.

Ronaldo took full advantage of that and added a second for himself and a third for United, when he beat the offside trap to slam home a close range effort, from Giggs’ cross.

That was his third double, which takes his tally to 11 goals, one behind top scorer Didier Drogba of Chelsea.

Soon after he was taken off and replaced with Darren Fletcher, with Kieran Richardson also coming on for Rooney.

In the closing stages, Carrick, Fletcher and Giggs tested Hahnemann, in search for the fourth goal. Giggs had the better chance when he beat the offside trap after being released by Richardson, but his shot was somehow beaten away.

The end was not yet in sight as Lita netted Reading’s second goal, with United centreback Mikael Silvestre left horribly exposed.

Reading pushed in injury time, but the United defence stood their ground and when the final whistle went, there was a big sigh of relief all over Old Trafford.

With the win, United maintained their position at the top going into the new year, with Chelsea dropping points yet again. They are now six points behind United.

YEAH I DID IT AGAIN!: Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo is congratulated by teammates Mikael Silvestre and Wes Brown after scoring against Wigan Athletic. United won 3-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo did the double double when he put in two quick goals in the second half to seal a 3-1 win for Manchester United over Wigan Athletic.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer added the third before Wigan’s Leighton Baines grabbed a consolation goal with a late penalty.

United began their charge with the knowledge that Chelsea had dropped two points in their 2-2 draw against Reading in the early kickoff.

Park Ji Sung made a flying start when he let fly a powerful right footed shot that was not too far off Chris Kirkland’s goal.

But the Red Devils’ best chance of the half came five minutes later when Wes Brown cut in brilliantly from the right to gift a nice pass to Wayne Rooney, who’s almost certain goalbound effort was somehow saved by Kirkland.

Darren Fletcher, in for the injured Michael Carrick, then provided a pass, of which Rooney failed to reach four minutes later after his first touch let him down.

Rooney then blasted over the bar from close range after Paul Scholes had done well retrieving the ball from Wigan.

He was asking more questions after that when he shot narrowly wide from close range, after Fletcher had played an inch perfect cross to him down the middle.

Four minutes from the break, Solskjaer’s header from Rooney’s cross was comfortably saved by Kirkland.

The restart saw the introduction of Portuguese stalwart Ronaldo, and boy, did he have a devastating impact on the game.

The game was barely five minutes old when Ronaldo rose high and unchallenged in the area to head home Scholes’ corner.

Three minutes later, Wigan’s Gary Teale needlessly conceded a penalty after he fouled Park in the box. Ronaldo, who stepped up to take the penalty, saw the ball knocked into his path and duly slotted in the rebound.

Wigan were totally spellbound. They hardly had a shot in the first half, and then Ronaldo comes on and puts in two in quick succession.

Ten minutes later, a counter attack involving John O’Shea, Rooney and Solskjaer resulted in the Norwegian hitman sliding the ball home under the challenge of Fitz Hall.

This was after Rooney had won the battle of headers with Emmerson Boyce.

Another counter attack nearly resulted in a goal, when Solskjaer’s deft touch in his own half finds Ronaldo. Using his speed, Ronaldo moved quickly and passed the ball to Park. Park’s pass, in turn, was deflected into Rooney’s path.

But it was not to be Rooney’s night as the England forward found his shot come off the crossbar. He could have had a hat-trick of goals. Instead it was a hat-trick of misses.

Wigan had their moment too, when David Cotterill struck just wide off Edwin van der Sar’s right hand post, after he had stolen the ball from substitute Kieran Richardson’s feet.

But Wigan were handed a consolation after Mikael Silvestre appeared to have tripped a Wigan player in the box. Skipper Leighton Baines effortlessly converted from the spot.

The win extends United’s lead at the top to four points, with Chelsea having to play catch up with several key players, most notably John Terry, out with injuries.

The GOOD – Andre Agassi and Michael Schumacher

The only one of five male players to have won EVERY Grand Slam singles title, American Andre Agassi bade farewell to a tennis career spanning two decades by bowing out in the third round of the US Open earlier this year. Granted, he would have stayed on longer, but age, as well as three niggling injuries were clear signs that his time was up. It was a tearful and emotional farewell at Flushing Meadows, as the 36-year-old was given a deserved standing ovation that said, “Thank you for 20 years of colourful and wonderful tennis”. A befitting end for a sporting hero.

Michael Schumacher needs no introduction. Having been the youngest driver to win the Formula One Championship in the mid-1990s, he went on to capture five more titles to make it a perfect seven. But then came the phenomenal Fernando Alonso, who himself did a double by winning consecutive titles in 2005 and 2006. Throughout his career, the 37-year-old has suffered numerous horrific crashes. Just three months ago, after he had won the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, he announced his retirement from the sport he has held so dearly to his heart for so many years. There was no grand farewell for the fist-pumping German, who, in the penultimate leg in the Suzuka circuit bowed out with engine failure, and Alonso went on to win the race and subsequently, the championship. But nothing, not even defeat, could take away the smile on Schumi’s face. A career simply sensational and scintillating.

DID YOU KNOW?: Michael Schumacher announced his retirement from F1 on Sept 10, 2006, exactly one week after Andre Agassi bade farewell. Agassi announced his retirement on Sept 3.

The BAD - Arsene Wenger vs Alan Pardew

The picture speaks a thousand words.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and former West Ham United manager Alan Pardew had to be restrained in a touchline skirmish during the Arsenal-West Ham fixture at the Emirates Stadium. Pardew had overzealously celebrated after Marlon Harewood had scored a last gasp winner in the 1-0 win over Arsenal. That, apparently, pissed Wenger off. As a result, Wenger was fined SP10,000 and warned over his future conduct.

Hmph, so much for good sportsmanship.

DID YOU KNOW?: Alan Pardew has since been sacked by West Ham, and former Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley roped in to stop the slide at Upton Park.

The UGLY – Zinedine Zidane vs Marco Materazzi and the Italian Serie A match fixing scandal

The first of two contenders for the ugliest sporting moments in 2006.

Italy emerged as the champions of the world when they defeated 1998 champions France on penalties at the World Cup in Germany in July. But the match also saw the shameful exit of one of football’s most prominent personalities. French midfielder Zinedine Zidane was sent off in regulation time after he headbutted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest. Later developments revealed that Materazzi had insulted Zidane’s sister. Both players were punished with fines and bans. Zidane was fined 7,500 Swiss francs ($6,014) and a three-match ban. But since Zidane had announced his retirement from the sport, it was mutually agreed that he would carry out three days of community service. As for Materazzi, he was fined 5,000 Swiss francs ($4,010) and slapped with a two-match ban.

What a bummer. One failed to practise self-control; the other just had to open his big fat mouth and utter those silly remarks.

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Perhaps the next biggest but lowest sporting moment of the year is the Italian Serie A match fixing scandal involving five clubs: Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina. Juve were relegated to the Serie B with a hefty point deduction,  stripped of their 2005/06 scudetto and out of the UEFA Champions League campaign. AC Milan began the 2006/07 season with an eight-point deduction but were eligible to participate in the Champions League. Fiorentina were also thrown out of the Champions League campaign, while Lazio were not allowed to participate in the UEFA Cup. As a result of the scandal, Luciano Moggi (above) stepped down from his position as Juve’s chief managing director and retired from the world of football altogether.

But the most notable of it all was the exit of Juve’s key players from the club: Fabio Cannavaro, Patrick Vieira, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lilian Thuram, just to name a few. However, players like Gianluigi Buffon and Pavel Nedved chose to stick with the club.

DID YOU KNOW?: Despite his retirement, Moggi has been banned from football for five years, and fined 50,000 euros for his involvement in the scandal.

DOUBLE WHAMMY: Cristiano Ronaldo reels away in delight after scoring Manchester United’s goal in their 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

Manchester United recovered from their shock defeat to West Ham United to steamroll past a hapless Aston Villa 3-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo was on the double, while Paul Scholes put in a screamer that ensured all three points.

United began without their star Wayne Rooney, while Michael Carrick was nursing an injury.

But they showed there was no shortage of service elsewhere when just returned Park Ji-Sung’s shot was brilliantly blocked by Villa defender Gary Cahill seven minutes into the match.

Cahill was on hand again when he stopped Ronaldo from scoring with a fine block two minutes on.

There was action on both ends after that as Villa defender Craig Gardner headed against the post, and Louis Saha missed a good chance when his first touch let him down.

Twenty-one minutes on, Park spurned a good chance when he failed to finish off Gary Neville’s cross.

It was Frenchman Patrice Evra’s turn seven minutes later when his low drive was saved by Villa’s emergency loan keeper Gabor Kiraly.

Ronaldo then turned provider when he swung in a cross which was put wide by Darren Fletcher with 10 minutes of the half to go.

While Villa were playing with a lot of discipline, United still had the better chances, and they proved that with a nice build-up which was cancelled out by Ronaldo’s poor shot.

But nearly 15 minutes into the second half, Ronaldo was not to be denied when his rampaging run resulted in a powerful right-footed shot past Kiraly.

This, was after Cahill had, again, blocked Ronaldo’s initial shot.

Villa slipped even further, but this time, you couldn’t really blame them.

Scholes produced one of the goals of the season with a sensational effort six minutes later, when his power packed shot hit the underside of Kiraly’s bar and dropped into the net.

He was immediately surrounded by his teammates, who could not believe the scorcher of a shot he had scored.

Wayne Rooney then saw action when he came on for Park in the 66th minute, but it was only 10 minutes later that he would play a big part in trying to get the 3rd goal.

Rooney, with a fine run on the right into the area, pulled the ball back for Ronaldo, whose shot was blocked by Kiraly.

Ronaldo then scored from close range eight minutes from time, but his goal was controversially ruled out for offside, much to his bemusement.

But there was no doubt whatsoever three minutes later when he duly converted from close range after receiving Gary Neville’s low cross.

Ronaldo may be groaning about having missed a hat-trick, but there was certainly much more cheer for the Red Devils after a forgettable week.

As for Villa, their discipline, which was such a prominent feature of their game plan in the first half, mysteriously disappeared in the second half.

Despite the victory, two of their key players Nemanja Vidic and Scholes will miss the Boxing Day clash at Old Trafford against Wigan Athletic, after both players picked up yellow cards in the match.

FIRST BLOOD: Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney scores the first goal with a first-time shot against Nicky Weaver of Manchester City. United won 3-1.

There were no questions as to who would win the 29th derby between Manchester United and Manchester City as the former rode out 3-1 winners over their city rivals.

But it was not as smooth sailing for the Red Devils as they rode their luck for a good 35 minutes before eventually sealing victory that takes them nine points clear of Chelsea, who face off against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.

United got the ball rolling in style when Wayne Rooney captured his milestone of 50 goals by converting Cristiano Ronaldo’s pass from the right.

Two minutes later, the combination of Rooney and Louis Saha nearly resulted in a goal, only for the former to slip over the ball and cleared to safety by the City backline.

City controlled possession after that, but everytime they created good chances, their finishing let them down.

United were proving to be quite a force to be reckoned with, with Paul Scholes, Ronaldo and Gary Neville combining to provide a pass to Rooney, who tried pulling it back only to get a corner.

On the halfway mark, Weaver superbly blocked Rooney’s goalbound effort after the talismanic striker had chested down Giorgios Samaras’ half clearance.

Samaras, on the other end, tested Edwin van der Sar with a half volley which was punched away by the Dutch keeper.

On 37 minutes, Ronaldo found space outside the box to turn and put in a decent effort which was well stopped by Weaver. City’s defence were almost non-existent.

Three minutes later, a moment of brilliance and stupidity combined.

Saha was left holding his head in disbelief when after leaving two defenders for dead, cuts in but blasts the ball across the face of the goal.

It was City’s turn to turn silly moments later when rightback Micah Richards’ header was blocked by his own man Samaras, only for the Greek to turn it over the bar.

If Sylvian Distin was at fault for the first goal, Richards was the man in the dock for the second.

A simple clearance it would have been, if not for Richards dallying with his clearance and sloppily gifting it to Gabriel Heinze, who provided the pass of which Saha stabbed against the crossbar and into the goal at the end of the half.

On the restart, City made two changes by bringing on their Swede goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson for Weaver, and replacing American midfielder Claudio Reyna with Stephen Ireland.

United kept up the pace with an effort by Rooney from a Michael Carrick cross. But in the opposing half, Ireland tested van der Sar with a left-footed shot less than a minute later.

Five minutes later, Saha fluffed on the rebound after Rooney’s initial fierce drive was punched his way by Isaksson.

Rooney and Saha were proving to be a thorn in City’s flesh as they combined once again with a beautiful interplay in central midfield, with Rooney passing the ball to the onrushing Ryan Giggs on the left.

Giggs then let fly a powerful shot which was tipped over by Isaksson.

Rooney also tested Isaksson with a weak shot, and then forced the Swede into a fine one-handed save.

Isaksson was in the thick of action again when he brilliantly blocked Rooney’s half volley from close range 20 minutes in. But the build up was even better.

Lofted passes from one wing to the other between Giggs and Neville it was, with the former on the receiving end and he produced a fine cross to Rooney.

With all the onslaught by United, City came to life. They started getting a whole lot of possession and unnerving their more illustrious counterparts with telling passes. But it was Ireland’s persistent effort that paved the way for their goal.

Ireland, from the right, faced off with Vidic. But the City midfielder managed to bamboozle through despite being closely marked, and he pulled the ball back for Tunisian Hatem Trabelsi.

And again, despite being closed down by United’s defence, Trabelsi still managed to lash out a left-foot cracker that bounced off the crossbar and into the net.

It was then City felt they could still get something out of this match.

They began committing more men forward and were really causing mayhem in United’s half, though United weathered the storm rather calmly, saved for some heart-stopping moments.

But it was United who ensured all three points when Rooney received a pass from Neville on the right, faced off with a defender, then provided the pass which was deflected to Ronaldo by City skipper Richard Dunne.

The rest, as they say, is history.

But that was not the end. At the stroke of 90 minutes, City’s Italian marksman Bernardo Corradi foolishly got himself sent off by Graham Poll, for blatantly diving in the box.

The defeat leaves much to be desired for Stuart Pearce’s men, and for the gaffer himself, who has to deal with injuries to three of his players: Weaver, Reyna and Richards.

To top it all off, his main hitman who will be suspended.

THAT’S ALL FOLKS!: Louis Saha (9) congratulated by his teammates after scoring the third goal in the 3-1 win over Benfica.

Manchester United secured top spot and a place in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with an easy 3-1 win over Benfica.

Goals by Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs and Louis Saha ensured there was no repeat of last season’s humiliation, which saw United finish bottom of the group.

United had begun the match with purpose and promise of not repeating last season’s shocker. They only needed a point to go through.

But every United player seemed to be lost on the pitch.

Not only that, they seemed to be all out of position, and that paved the way for Benfica to draw first blood.

Simao Sabrosa’s rampaging run on the right found him enough space to release the ball to Nelson.

On the edge of the box, Nelson, unmarked, lashed in a screamer, as Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick were found guilty of not closing him down fast enough.

Then United seemed to have some urgency missing in the first half of the half when Cristiano Ronaldo played in a stinging freekick, which was pushed over by Benfica keeper Joaoquim Quim.

On the half-hour mark, there was a moment of controversy when a Benfica appeared to have handled the ball. But the linesman only gave a mere corner.

Times were getting increasingly frustrating for United, with defender Ricardo Rocha blocking Wayne Rooney’s piledriver.

Rooney, by then, was appearing to just lose his marbles. More so when referee Herbert Fandel failed to punish Luisao for tripping Paul Scholes.

A furious Rooney beat the ground in sheer frustration as Luisao barged over him after that. His complaints only earned him a yellow card.

But frustration quickly turned to unbridled joy when Ryan Giggs’ floating freekick was headed powerfully into the net by Nemanja Vidic in first-half injury time.

That, perhaps, changed Sir Alex Ferguson’s half time team talk as United breathed a sigh of relief at having restored parity just before the break.

After the restart, United were brimming with confidence. But five minutes on, Armando Petit’s long range effort just fizzled wide off Edwin van der Sar’s goal.

On the other end, Rooney’s lofted header from Carrick’s cross was just a tad too high, as United looked to consolidate their position.

And they did just that when Ronaldo’s pinpoint cross was met with a cushioned header by Giggs on 61 minutes, with Quim wrongfooted.

The Old Trafford faithful sprung to life and erupted as the United players were just overwhelmed with jubilation.

After that United snuffed out practically everything Benfica threw at them. Gary Neville cleared out a seemingly dangerous deep ball by Simao three minutes later.

Giggs was replaced by Darren Fletcher, to shouts of appreciation by the 74,000-odd crowd who turned up in support of their team.

Fletcher inspired the next goal, when his inswinging corner was headed into the net by Saha. There was even more joy and elation for the home side as they secured victory and qualification into the next phase.

The Devils did not let up when Rooney’s low left-footed drive drew a fine one-handed save from Quim, who was looking to stop United from embarrassing them any further.

That was virtually the last attack of the match as Fandel blew the whistle without adding any stoppage.

The ghost of Dragao is firmly buried.

THE CONTROVERSIAL PENALTY: Cristiano Ronaldo goes stumbling as Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer looks on in disbelief.

Manchester United went six points of clear of Chelsea yesterday as they narrowly overcame a spirited Middlesbrough 2-1.

Louis Saha and Darren Fletcher secured all three points, with James Morrison scoring one for the home team.

The win is all the more crucial as Chelsea are not in action this weekend, and the six-point gap could prove to be some kind of a psychological advantage to United.

Sir Alex Ferguson played his best 11, with the exception of Michael Carrick, who was replaced by Fletcher.

Boro began by having the lion’s share of possession, but it was United who had the first real chance with 12 minutes on the clock.

Saha’s header from a Ryan Giggs corner was chested off the line by former Chelsea man Robert Huth. It fell safely into Mark Schwarzer’s hands.

Two minutes later, Schwarzer was called into action again when this time, Cristiano Ronaldo’s cracker of a freekick was punched away by the Aussie keeper.

Ryan Giggs, on the rebound with the goal at his mercy, managed to head the ball wide.

Ronaldo found himself involved again on 19 minutes when he was allegedly felled by Schwarzer after the Portuguese winger was fed with a wonderful ball just a tad to the right.

Referee Chris Foy pointed to the spot, and as soon as he did that, he was surrounded by furious Boro players who were not at all happy with the decision.

Replays apparently showed that Ronaldo had stumbled over Schwarzer in an attempt to get away. There was, if any, very little contact.

But up stepped Saha, who waved away any claims that he was still reeling from the penalty miss against Celtic in the Champions League by driving a left-footed shot into the net.

However, embattled Boro defender Abel Xavier almost restored parity two minutes later when he rattled the upright with a powerful header from a Stewart Downing freekick.

The resulting rebound was lifted over the bar by Boro defender Jonathan Woodgate.

On the same end, former Derby County marksman Malcolm Christie halfheartedly appealed for a penalty after he was allegedly brought down by Rio Ferdinand on 31 minutes. But Chris Foy was not interested.

United maintained their onslaught three minutes later when Wayne Rooney stretched to reach Ronaldo’s low pass, only to see it fizzle just wide off the upright.

On 37 minutes Saha wasted another good chance to edge away when he blasted over Gabriel Heinze’s inch-perfect pass.

Another three minutes went by when another Ronaldo freekick was tipped over by Schwarzer.

Seventeen minutes after the restart, Giggs again missed a good chance when he blasted the ball from a tight angle after skilfully beating the Boro defence and Schwarzer. It was definitely not his night.

It was to prove costly four minutes later as Boro midfielder James Morrison, who had just come on as a substitute, capitalised on Heinze’s wayward clearance and executed a good shot beyond Edwin van der Sar.

But parity would only last for a minute as Fletcher headed in from close range after Ronaldo had pulled the ball back to Giggs, who provided the cross.

After that United were largely untroubled, with the only other challenge coming from Morrison in injury time.

Victory was sealed, and now United have to concentrate on their make-or-break Champions League encounter with Benfica in midweek.