LONDON - Manchester United came from behind for a pulsating 2-1 English premier league win at West Ham yesterday in their first game since the death of the club's former great George Best.
A minute's applause rang around Upton Park before kickoff, while Best's former team-mate Bobby Charlton paid tribute
to the Northern Ireland winger.
Clapping and one-minute silences were observed at nearly every English game at the weekend, players wore black armbands and tributes flowed from former players and leading figures from around the world.
Yesterday's match started badly, though, for Best's former club, who were behind after 52 seconds.
But second-half goals from Wayne Rooney and John O'Shea turned the game around and hoisted United to second in the table behind Chelsea.
Wins for Everton and Fulham, with a draw for West Bromwich Albion, moved all three clubs away from the relegation zone in the day's earlier matches.
Nigerian defender Joseph Yobo headed the only goal as Everton beat Newcastle United 1-0, American striker Brian McBride scored both in Fulham's 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers and West Brom earned a creditable 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough.
The most awaited game of the weekend was also the last.
Charlton paid tribute to his former friend and the warmth of the Upton Park response.
"On behalf of everyone at Manchester United, I would like to say a big thank-you to everyone at West Ham who has put on this marvellous effort today," he said. "It doesn't really surprise me and I hope that what George Best has given to football will improve the game as we know it."
Once the match got under way, United were caught out by West Ham's very first attack, engineered by Matthew Etherington and coolly finished by striker Marlon Harewood.
Rooney, seen by some as a potential successor to Best, latched on to a pass from Park Ji-Sung and dodged his marker before firing home, to make it all square in the 48th minute.
Irish defender O'Shea rose to head the winner from a corner eight minutes later.
The game was also a crossing of paths with two former United men, goalkeeper Roy Carroll and forward Teddy Sheringham turning out for West Ham.
Two brothers were also pitched against each other, with United central defender Rio Ferdinand being marked at corners by his younger brother Anton in the same position for West Ham.
The venue was also a special one for Rooney, who had made history at Upton Park in February, 2003, as the youngest player to wear an England shirt as a 17-year-old.
His team's victory moved United on to 27 points, 10 behind Chelsea, who were 2-0 winners at Portsmouth on Sunday, and one ahead of Arsenal, who trounced Blackburn Rovers 3-0.
United and Arsenal have a game in hand on the champions.
Boosted by their wins, Fulham moved up to 14th place on 15 points while Everton edged out of the bottom three to 16th place on 13.
West Brom are just outside the relegation positions on 12 points, followed by Portsmouth on 10, Birmingham City nine and Sunderland five.
- REUTERS
LONDON - Manchester United came from behind for a pulsating 2-1 English premier league win at West Ham yesterday in their first game since the death of the club's former great George Best.
A minute's applause rang around Upton Park before kickoff, while Best's former team-mate Bobby Charlton paid tribute
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.