LONDON, 21 September 2004 — All eyes were on Rio Ferdinand as he returned after an eight-match ban yesterday but it was his central defensive partner Mikael Silvestre who stole the show with both goals in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool.
Ferdinand was given a great welcome by the home fans at Old Trafford as he appeared for the first time since being banned last January for missing a drugs test and the England defender put in a solid performance on his comeback.
But it was Silvestre, heavily criticized during United’s stuttering start to the season, who rewarded the hosts for their first-half dominance when he headed in a Ryan Giggs free kick after 20 minutes.
A scruffy John O’Shea own goal in the 54th minute gave Liverpool a brief ray of hope but Silvestre secured the victory with another header from a Giggs corner in the 66th minute.
The win, United’s second in six Premier League games, takes them to eighth on nine points, seven behind leaders Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Fulham are facing FA charges regarding the conduct of their players in a Premier League match at West Bromwich Albion last Saturday that included a mass brawl and three dismissals. Fulham finished the 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns with nine men after Papa Bouba Diop and Andy Cole were sent off. West Brom’s Neil Clement was also dismissed.
The west London club were yesterday charged by the FA with “failing to ensure that their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from violent and/or threatening and/or provocative behavior”.
Atletico Hold Barca to Leave Six-Way Tie at Top
Atletico Madrid held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw on Sunday as the last two remaining 100 percent records fell in Spain. Giovanni van Bronckhorst put Barcelona ahead in the 23rd minute but Fernando Torres grabbed the equalizer early in the second half and Atletico held on to claim a valiant draw.
The result left Atletico and Barca among six sides level at the top on seven points from three games. Espanyol, 1-0 winners over Real Madrid on Saturday, emerged as leaders on goals scored, followed by Atletico and Barcelona.
Osasuna, who beat Real Betis 3-2, Real Zaragoza, 4-3 winners against Albacete on Sunday, and Valencia, who beat Real Sociedad 3-1, are the others in the leading group.
Deportivo Coruna claimed their first victory of the season on Sunday when Albert Luque stabbed in at the near post in the second minute of injury time to clinch a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao.
Monaco Sink Troubled PSG 1-0 to Go Top
Monaco moved top of Ligue 1 after a late winner by striker Emmanuel Adebayor on Sunday sealed troubled Paris St Germain’s second consecutive home defeat.
Adebayor headed home seven minutes from time to seal the principality side’s fourth victory of the season. The victory moved Monaco up from fifth place in the 20-club standings before the weekend matches to stand one point ahead of AJ Auxerre, who crushed 10-man Metz 4-0 earlier on Sunday.
Monaco’s win was a relief to Didier Deschamps’s team after their 2-0 defeat by Liverpool in the Champions League. Ambitious PSG, among the favourites to win the title before the season, are without a win in their first six league matches and stand 17th with just three points alongside promoted Istres.
