HE THOUGHT that his team deserved more, especially from a first half in which they took the game to their opponents, and no man is expected to enjoy the abuse hurled at him by supporters of another team, but Mick McCarthy should have known better than to respond to the taunts of the followers of Manchester United yesterday.

Continually baited by fans who remember his dispute with Roy Keane at the 2002 World Cup finals, the Sunderland manager reacted with raised fists as the teams walked off at half-time. His players should have been a goal up at that stage, rather than a goal down, and the antics of McCarthy were a measure of his frustration.

They were also a measure of the raw nerve he still has when it comes to the feud that defined his tenure as Republic of Ireland manager. Having gestured several times at the United fans, he then turned to show them the breadth of his shoulders, by which time the fourth official was quickly ushering him up the tunnel.

It had been a wretched few minutes for the Yorkshireman, who had just seen Wayne Rooney score the first half’s only goal against the run of play. McCarthy doubtless wondered if his team’s chance had gone, which was certainly how it seemed when Ruud van Nistelrooy later added a second.

Not that Sunderland were prepared to roll over even then. Their industrious striker, Stephen Elliott, pulled one back in the 82nd minute with a curling left-footed effort into the top corner, his long-awaited first goal in the Premiership, and substitute Anthony Le Tallec delivered a rasping free kick that goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar did well to parry.

Only in the last few minutes was the outcome decided. Alan Smith fed Rooney, who in turn set up the young substitute Giuseppe Rossi. His powerful shot deflected in off a defender’s leg. “I was disappointed because that put a gloss on it for them,” said McCarthy. “We got mugged really.”

United adopted the 4-4-2 formation that had been so effective against Fulham a fortnight ago, and Sunderland did likewise. That McCarthy was prepared to have a go, despite shutting up shop against big teams earlier in the season, was to his immense credit.

His name rang out around the stadium, not because of his team selection, but because the home supporters were also offended by the gusto with which Keane’s name was being chanted. The Irish midfielder was missing with a foot injury, but he would have relished the challenge Sunderland set their visitors from the off.

Liam Lawrence, dazed after a shuddering challenge by John O’Shea, was not so distracted that he couldn’t inspire the best of his side’s work. Although his first cross from the right was inexplicably ignored by Andy Gray at the near post, Gary Breen was more ambitious with the next opportunity. The defender’s flashing header was on its way to the top corner when Van der Sar turned it against the woodwork.

Elliott, meanwhile, was showing plenty of the tenacity on which his game thrives. The Ireland striker, who scored against Cyprus last week, had already underlined his confidence with a cheeky dink past Mikael Silvestre, but the shot he dragged past the post from 20 yards had threatened to inflict more serious damage.

So, too, did his unsettling cross from the right, which eluded Gray but fell to Andy Welsh at the far post. With perhaps more space than was healthy, the midfielder delayed long enough to let Van der Sar smother at his feet. Elliott was no more composed, after an error by Silvestre.

Sir Alex Ferguson, out on the touchline, fixed his charges with a menacing glare. The frustration also manifested itself in Cristiano Ronaldo, whose petulant reaction to the award of a foul against O’Shea earned him a booking.

Sunderland, though, know better than to assume that possession will be rewarded in the Premiership, especially when they lack the quality of a match-winning player. How they would love to have in their ranks someone who could make their efforts worthwhile, never mind a teenager with the individual brilliance of Rooney.

Rooney’s remarkable ability to single-handedly rescue his team was cruel on Sunderland. When Ji-Sung Park played him in midway between the centre circle and his opponents’ penalty area, the 19-year-old striker charged down on goal like a man possessed, bundling his way past the goalkeeper and releasing his shot from a narrow angle. Despite Justin Hoyte’s best efforts on the goalline, the ball went in.

In one explosive combination, Rooney nearly set up a second. Blink and you would have missed his quickfire exchange with Van Nistelrooy in midfield, after which he rode a lunging tackle by Breen and squared an inviting pass across the six-yard box. His Dutch striking partner, sliding in at the far post, was just too late to make a connection.

Sunderland grew demoralised by their earlier frustration and gradually handed the initiative to their opponents. When Van Nistelrooy set up Park, the Korean’s low shot was cleared off the line by Breen, but it was only a matter of time before the second goal.

Rooney was the architect, setting Van Nistelrooy free. The forward’s low, angled shot across the goalkeeper drew a touch from Kelvin Davis, but the strike was firm enough to find the bottom corner.

STAR MAN: Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

Player ratings. Sunderland: Davis 6, Nosworthy 6, Breen 7, Caldwell 6, Hoyte 7, Lawrence 6 (Le Tallec 62min, 6), Whitehead 6, Miller 6, Welsh 5 (Robinson 86min, 4), Elliott 7, Gray 5 (Stead 62min, 4)

Manchester United: Van der Sar 7, Bardsley 6, Ferdinand 6, Silvestre 6, O’Shea 6, Park 6, Smith 6, Scholes 5, Rooney 8, Van Nistelrooy 7 (Rossi 78min, 5), Ronaldo 6

Scorers: Sunderland: Elliott 82

Manchester United: Rooney 40, Van Nistelrooy 76, Rossi 87

Referee: S Bennett

Attendance: 39,085

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