True champions never know when they are beaten. nor do they have to play well to get the results. Yet after two successive defeats, the jury was out on Manchester United in what had become a must-win game against Aston Villa.
Following Liverpool's latest stoppage time success against Fulham - their 8th goal in added time this season - the pressure was on for United against a Villa side who were surely going to put up a better fight than in their 5-0 reverse at Anfield.
That was the way it turned out, and when the visitors took a 2-1 lead, the writing was on the wall for Sir Alex's men. It didn't look good, even after Cristiano Ronaldo had equalised, particularly with no Wayne Rooney or Dimitar Berbatov to lead the line. Ferguson was running out of time and options as he chased the all-important winner which would prevent Liverpool becoming title favourites if not certainties.
Enter 17-year -old Federico Macheda, or Federico Who as he may have been known at the time. The young Italian striker, on his debut, took the ball on the edge of the area, before making a great turn and wonderfully finding the corner of Brad Friedel's net. The understudy to Wayne Rooney had introduced himself to the football world in almost the same fashion as Rooney himself did in 2002 at Goodison Park.
We were asked seven years ago by commentator Clive Tyldesley to 'remember the name, Wayne Rooney'. We will certainly remember Macheda's if, as I expect, his goal has swung the pendulum back towards Old Trafford and has sealed their 11th Premier League title, and, a record equalling 18th top flight success.
