Soccer: Victory for United after Best tributes

LONDON - Manchester United came from behind for a pulsating 2-1 English premier league soccer win at West Ham United today 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 teammate Bobby Charlton paid tribute to the Northern Ireland winger, who died in a London hospital last Saturday (NZ time).

Clapping and one-minute silences were properly 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.

Today'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 champions Chelsea.

Wins for Everton and Fulham, along 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, who will be buried in his native Belfast on Friday, and the warmth of the Upton Park response.

"On behalf of everyone at Manchester United, I would like to say a big thankyou to everyone at West Ham who has put on this marvellous effort today," Charlton 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 underway, United were caught out by West Ham's very first attack, engineered by Matthew Etherington and coolly finished by striker Marlon Harewood.

A moment of great skill by Rooney, seen by some as a potential successor to Best, latching on to a pass from Park Ji-Sung and dodging his marker before firing home, made it all square in the 48th minute.

Irish defender John 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, who scored in their 1999 European Cup triumph, 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 yesterday, 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 in the earlier kickoffs, 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