United 3 QPR 1

Controversy reigned before the interval when Hill shoved Young in the box and furiously accused the England international of diving. Referee Lee Probert took no action against either player even though they squared up, and Derry also became involved in the fracas, presumably still smarting from the incident that led to his dismissal in this fixture last term.

Sir Alex's side lacked the imagination to break down the massed ranks in the opening half and Adel Taarabt showed enough flair for the visitors to hint that a shock goal could not be ruled out, despite a game-plan clearly designed to hold out for a point.

Indeed, seven minutes after the restart, Rangers caught United napping at a corner. Taarabt returned the ball to unmarked taker Kieron Dyer, who cut in past van Persie to centre dangerously. Lindegaard could only touch the ball into the path of Mackie, who gratefully opened the scoring.

The Reds were rocked and Taarabt floated a free-kick over the top after Scholes was cautioned for a clumsy foul on Dyer. Sir Alex introduced Anderson and Hernandez for Young and Scholes in a desperate bid to fire up his troops while Anton Ferdinand, Rio's brother, replaced Armand Traore.

With the tension starting to build, the scores were levelled following a Rooney corner on the left. Welbeck won the header at the far post