Rooney will grab headlines but McNair, Man United's win should stand out

Posted Sunday, September 28, 2014 by ESPN

MANCHESTER, England -- Wayne Rooney scored and was sent off as Manchester United defeated West Ham 2-1. Here are three points from their Premier League clash at Old Trafford.

1. Another dazzling United debutant

Patrick "Paddy" McNair's ability to listen and act upon the instruction of his coaches in training impressed Louis van Gaal this week. With four of his central defenders injured or suspended and three more sold or loaned in the summer, the Dutchman faced an acute shortage -- just as scrutiny of his defence was magnified after last week's capitulation at Leicester.

Outsiders expected Daley Blind to be used in defence or the more experienced Darren Fletcher to drop back, but on Thursday, van Gaal announced that he was prepared to turn to rookie defenders Tom Thorpe and Paddy McNair. Thorpe was the favourite to start but McNair had impressed in Monday's U21 match against Liverpool and played alongside Rojo in training all week.

Rooney will grab headlines but McNair, Man United's win should stand out
Young McNair looked the part in Man United's narrow, nervy victory over West Ham.

Rojo is still adjusting to the pace of English football, and West Ham's sizeable attack of Enner Valencia, Morgan Amalfitano and Diafra Sakho will have fancied their chances against the diminutive Argentine and the callow rookie whose career highlight had been playing alongside his fellow Northern Irishman Jonny Evans in a U21 game last season. Evans has been a guiding hand for his compatriot and made him feel welcome and at ease among far more famous names, but many players have looked promising in training only to falter or freeze when promoted to the first team.

Yet the quietly spoken McNair, 19, held his nerve in front of the 75,000-strong crowd. He was encouraged by teammates but also hollered instructions of his own as he became busier and busier. Wayne Rooney's 59th-minute sending-off for a professional foul saw United coming under increased pressure, but McNair stopped three late attacks with his clearances as United held onto victory. Little wonder then that Ryan Giggs went straight to the defender at the final whistle to congratulate him on a job well done.

2. Old Trafford no longer a fortress

The results of games at Old Trafford used to be predictable. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, United would win 16 or 17 of their 19 home matches each season with crushing predictability. That changed when David Moyes took control, and the unease has carried into this season under van Gaal, as United's fast-changing side begins what fans will hope is a fruitful evolution.

In the meantime, Old Trafford is no longer a fortress. Home fans know that United are vulnerable, and the players can feel the mood of those supporters in the huge arena. Van Gaal bemoaned the nervousness of his players in the opening-day defeat to Swansea but praised their confidence in their second home game, a victory over QPR. Against West Ham in the third, United lurched back to being vulnerable.

Van Gaal made a point that it was difficult for his injury-hit side to defend against an attack of West Ham's height and whose players hit long balls into the box against a makeshift defence. He also praised the "fight, fight, fight" of his players as they held on for victory, but the tension was palpable throughout.

That only increased after Rooney's sending-off. When Kevin Nolan's late effort was adjudged offside -- a decision later contested by Allardyce with industrial language -- United fans were jumping around in celebration. It has come to that. A better team would have beaten United but West Ham have lost 20 of their previous 22 games at Old Trafford and they appeared to lack the belief that they could win.

Rooney will grab headlines but McNair, Man United's win should stand out
Rooney had a typically wild game, scoring United's opener and then adding to their stress with his dismissal.

United, who've so been blessed with a far less challenging opening fixture list than the one David Moyes faced a year ago, will play Everton, Chelsea and Manchester City in the next six weeks.

They'll also hope their injury crisis eases during these tense, exciting times at Old Trafford.

3. Rooney's "sacrifice" for the cause

In April 1998, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sent off for a professional foul against Newcastle United at Old Trafford. The moment was gloried in by fans who celebrated his selflessness as he made a deliberate foul on Rob Lee, the Newcastle player who was moving swiftly towards goal. The score was 1-1 and United were losing their grip on the title. Newcastle didn't score from the resulting free kick and Solskjaer was cheered off the field in an act that didn't appeal to purveyors of the Corinthian spirit. He'd taken one for the team.

Wayne Rooney, who'd scored his 175th Premier League goal earlier in the match, appeared to act with the same intention against West Ham. Stewart Downing wasn't an immediate threat on the United goal as Lee had been, but the visitors were breaking after some sloppy defending by a United defence that, remember, featured two debutants and a player out of his usual position.

Rooney's reckless tackle, a lunge towards the top of Downing's thigh, earned a straight red, and the ire of the huge home crowd who booed referee Lee Mason off, but he'd made the correct decision.

Rooney was still in his own half. He could have tripped Downing or gone for a less obvious tackle, but he also knew his defence would struggle -- as they would without him. While his teammates contested the decision, Rooney, who is on the 10th anniversary since he joined United this weekend, passed his captain's armband to Robin van Persie.

Van Gaal was asked whether Rooney had apologised after the game, but suggested that it was a professional tackle. Counterpart Sam Allardyce described it as "cynical."

In his first dismissal in a United shirt since 2009, United's captain will now be suspended throughout October, missing United's fixtures against Everton, West Brom and Chelsea. Was it worth it? The thousands of United fans in the Stretford End who applauded him off may plead some mitigation.