From The Touchlines

Manchester United's Federico Macheda (R) celebrates together with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring the winner in a 2-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday.

Federico “Kiko” Macheda has done it again, living proof that lightning can, indeed, strike twice.

Just a week after the 17-year-old came off the bench to score an injury-time winner against Aston Villa, Macheda turn on his heroics again against Sunderland.

Another inspiring performance from the youngster saw Manchester United narrowly edging out Sunderland 2-1 after seasoned campaigner Paul Scholes had given United the lead in the first half.

This time though, Macheda’s impact was almost instant, coming off the bench with 15 minutes to go and deflecting Michael Carrick’s wayward shot past Sunderland’s Craig Gordon.

Sunderland must have been befuddled at the turn of events, but there was nothing strange or awkward about Macheda, who is fast turning out to be a real sensation.

At the start of the match, Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench, only to play a part in the final quarter of the match, while Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez headed the strikeforce.

United keeper Edwin van der Sar was also rested, with Ben Foster taking his place in front of the goal.

United had their first real chance through Nemanja Vidic, whose header was cleared off the line after 17 minutes, and a subsequent bicycle kick was wide.

But barely two minutes later, Scholes rose high to head home Wayne Rooney’s cross to give United the lead.

Things were rather quiet for a while, with Sunderland’s Djibril Cisse’s effort seven minutes from half time tipped over by Foster, but two minutes later, his teammate Carlos Edwards nearly levelled for Sunderland when his shot came back off the upright.

Four minutes after the restart, Rooney struck just over the bar, but two minutes after that, parity was restored when Kenwyne Jones netted from close range.

Both Scholes and Tevez had chances to restore United’s lead, but Sunderland were doing a pretty decent job keeping United’s offence at bay.

Macheda’s introduction to replace Berbatov 16 minutes from time turned the tables on the Black Cats.

Almost immediately, Macheda put the ball into the back of the net after a powerful deflection off Carrick’s initial strike. He was, undoubtedly, thrilled.

The goal ensured United remained on top of the league, but more importantly, at least for Macheda, the Italian has scored possibly the two most important goals of his life.

The win ensured back-to-back victories for United after a mini slump which saw them losing previously to Liverpool and Fulham.

For now, United shift their focus to the Champions League. Porto awaits.

Manchester United's Federico Macheda reels away in sheer delight, with Danny Wellbeck behind him, after scoring the winning goal against Aston Villa on Sunday. United won 3-2, and the win takes them back to the top of the Premiership.

On his first senior start, Manchester United’s 17-year-old Italian Federico Macheda produced a scintillating performance to ensure United went back on top, overtaking rivals Liverpool.

Signed from Lazio in 2007, Macheda had recently impressed in a reserve match against Newcastle United, scoring a hattrick.

But in the match against Aston Villa on Sunday, Macheda showed that he was no pushover when he scored in injury time, turning beautifully against a Villa defender and, despite losing his balance, managed a strike beyond Brad Friedel.

I screamed my lungs out, and no doubt, the Old Trafford faithful rose to their feet in sheer joy, revelling in the fighting spirit which United have long been renowned for, but which has been virtually absent the past three weeks.

The day also belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo, whose second goal in the match pulled United back from the brink of defeat after Gabriel Agbonlahor had given the Villans a 2-1 lead in the second half.

United had begun the match short on key starters, with several key players sidelined with injury and Wayne Rooney suspended. But, despite Carlos Tevez being the lone striker up front, Ronaldo showed his mettle in front of goal too.

Ronaldo gave United the lead after 14 minutes with a clinically taken freekick in the six-yard box, which was awarded no thanks to a deliberate backpass from James Milner which Friedel caught with his arms.

Milner appeared disgusted, but you should have seen the look on Villa midfielder Stilian Petrov’s face after the shot went in.

The face said it all. Who could blame him?

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo making no mistake within the six-yard box, firing in a freekick which gave United the lead against Aston Villa. United eventually went on to win the match 3-2.

United were on a roll after that, stringing numerous beautiful passes but with a lack of finishing, the score stayed at 1-0. The cause was also helped by Edwin van der Sar, who pulled off a string of saves to preserve the lead, most notably from a freekick by Ashley Young.

Much against the run of play, Villa forward John Carew rose to head in – unopposed, despite the presence of two United defenders – from captain Gareth Barry’s inch perfect cross.

Villa’s confidence, rattled after a dismal 0-5 loss to Liverpool, increased after that, but United were still knocking, although they were let down by poor crosses and some poor finishing.

I wonder how Alex Ferguson must have felt going into half time, and not to mention Martin O’Neill as well.

The score stood at 1-1 at half time, but 13 minutes into the second half, Villa went ahead after Agbonlahor met a cross from Carew with a header ahead of  van der Sar, although the former paid a minor price.

Villa appeared to be getting stronger, with Young putting in two chances which were on target. United, on the other hand, were getting a tad frustrated.

The introduction of Macheda in the 61st minute to replace Nani did not seem to change anything for United – yet,  though it added more bite to United’s offensive front.

With a narrow 2-1 lead, Villa somehow seemed content to protect that lead and made a defensive change, with Nigel Reo Coker being brought on to replace Milner in the 76th minute.

But there was nothing he could do to stop Ronaldo from sliding the ball into the Villa net four minutes later, which sent the crowd into a frenzy and also sparked the belief that United could pull off a victory over Villa.

And so they strove. Really hard. Darren Fletcher found himself in space and blasted a strike which was tipped narrowly over the bar.

Time was running short. Two minutes from the end, United forward Danny Wellbeck was brought on in place of Tevez, who had a visibly frustrating afternoon.

Wellbeck was presented with a gilt-edged chance not too long after that following a Villa defensive slip, but Friedel was spot on to deny the youngster.

At this point, one would wonder if United’s slide in form would continue, but Macheda ensured that would not be the case with a composed, well-taken shot from within the box.

Macheda instantly became a hero, and the looks on the faces of the United players and an erupting bench showed just how valuable the victory was for United.

Even the SkySports commentator could not help but rejoice along with the United fans

They held on to win the match, a much needed tonic to prevent a third consecutive defeat and also a much needed boost ahead of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal encounter against FC Porto at home.

The win also took them back to the top of the Premiership, one point ahead of Liverpool but with a game in hand.

Indeed, a moment to savour and revel in. Unbelievable.

EDDIE Jordan (pic), former owner of the Jordan team, yesterday said the
new Brawn GP team could go all the way and win the Formula One title this
year.

Jordan, 61, who is a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) analyst,
said Brawn GP could continue their scintillating form due to the
advantage their cars have with their rear diffusers, which some teams
consider illegal.

"You have got to look at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, and
subject to the clarification of the rules, and if Brawn GP are allowed to
keep their diffusers, then they have a reasonable chance to fight for the
championship," Jordan said at a press conference in Penang yesterday.

Jordan is in Penang to give a motivational talk to the Penang Medical
College (PMC) students and will also be performing with his band, `Eddie
Jordan and the Robbers' at a leading hotel tomorrow.

Jordan will also be in Kuala Lumpur this weekend for the Petronas
Malaysian Grand Prix as BBC's analyst.

He described Brawn GP's one-two finish at the Australian Grand Prix as
a huge surprise, noting that "in many respects, they should never have
been there", referring to Brawn's fight for survival earlier this year.

"Really, it is like a fairytale, and then to be first and second on the
grid and to finish first and second in the race, it is probably in many
respects one the greatest not only motor racing stories, but probably one
of the greatest sporting stories of all time from a team in such a
competitive business.

"For them to come back so successfully, I have never recalled something
in my time quite as remarkable as this," he said.

Jordan also noted that Brawn had two very experienced drivers in Rubens
Barrichello and Jenson Button, who are both winners.

"I can never see him (Barrichello) as a world champion but you never
know. I do not see Button (as a champion) either. But the car is very
strong and very fast," he added.

Jordan, having worked with Barrichello when the latter was with him for
four years, described the Brazilian as "not the quickest driver in
Formula One but very experienced, wily, understands the business and very
kind with the car".

Note: This was published in NST Sports page 46 on Mar 31. It's my first sports story
to be published as an NST reporter.