Source: Daily_Mail
Cracking up! Rooney and Scholes sent off as United crash to second defeat in seven days
Sir Alex Ferguson reached crisis point as ManchesterUnited[LNB]found themselves pinned against the ropes after a second defeatin seven days.[LNB]To embarrass Ferguson further, United had twoEngland internationals, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney, sent off in a2-0 loss at Fulham that offers Liverpool unexpected hope of stealingthe title from their arch-rivals. [LNB]If Liverpool beat Aston Villa at Anfield today, United's lead willshrink to a solitary point, a position that was unthinkable lastSaturday morning.[LNB] Seeing red: Despair for Wayne Rooney as he is sent off a minute from the end of United's 2-0 defeat at Fulham[LNB] Fulham 2 Manchester United 0: Rooney and Scholes see red as leaders slip[LNB]Fulham v Man United: How the game unfolded[LNB]MAN UNITED NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Ferguson, enraged by Liverpool's 4-1 win at Old Trafford last weekend, reacted by dropping Rooney along with Michael Carrick, Carlos Tevez and Anderson.[LNB]According to informed sources, the manager had been particularly angered by the performance of Rooney and he has reportedly turned the air blue at United's Carrington training ground over recent days.[LNB]Last night his mood could be gauged to be just as bad. Ferguson admitted: 'The disappointment for me is that we didn't get a response from the team after the Liverpool game. If you lose games in March and April it will cost you. But we do still have a slender lead. We now have a critical game with Aston Villa after the international break.'[LNB]United had led this title race by a margin of seven points with form that sparked talk of them winning five trophies this season.[LNB]Ferguson's fear now is that they could suffer a similar slump to the one that enabled Arsenal to overcome a 10-point deficit to plunder the championship from under United's nose in 1998.[LNB] Bad day: United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney[LNB]Ferguson's only consolation from another day he would like to forget was the news that championship rivals Chelsea had lost 1-0 at Tottenham thanks to a second-half goal from Luka Modric.[LNB]Ferguson confessed to berating his players at the interval yesterday - unpacking his famous 'hairdryer' to make the point that he demanded more urgency from a team who had been labouring. 'There was some talking done at half-time,' he said, cryptically.[LNB]United, already without Nemanja Vidic at Fulham, who was banned after being dismissed against Liverpool, will now be without Rooney and Scholes as Ferguson seeks an improvement against Villa to spare his season from unravelling in spectacular fashion. Scholes was shown a red card for preventing Fulham taking the lead in the 18th minute by handling the ball on the goal line. Danny Murphy scored from the spot.[LNB]Fulham substitute Zoltan Gera scored the second three minutes from time and Rooney compounded Ferguson's misery when he was dismissed moments later for a second yellow card offence. He had been booked in the 81st minute for a foul on Fulham substitute Olivier Dacourt - then invited Phil Dowd to show him another card when he petulantly threw the ball away after the whistle had been sounded. Rooney smashed a corner flag as he left the ground.[LNB] Fulham 2 Manchester United 0: Rooney and Scholes see red as leaders slip[LNB]Fulham v Man United: How the game unfolded[LNB]MAN UNITED NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB] [LNB] [LNB]
