WHEN do miracles become mundane? The short career of Federico Macheda could be summed up by Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous words: “Football? bloody hell.” The plotting of this sport is haywire but Ferguson has used it to weave winning narratives since he began in management at East Stirlingshire. Call it genius, call it luck, curse it if you are from west London or Liverpool — one thing is certain, it happens too often to be coincidence.

Six days after he shook up the world on his debut against Aston Villa, Macheda did it again, scoring after being on the pitch for a minute. His goal earned Manchester United a win in a game they might have otherwise drawn or lost. In the 17-year-old’s half-hour of first-team football, he has done more for his club than some players do in a career.

A positive philosophy and a trust of gut instinct keep earning Ferguson the breaks. It is never more evident than with his faith in youth. A novice could spot Macheda’s talent but every other elite manager, with the exception of Arsène Wenger, would leave the Italian in the reserves.

Once again United were fallible, fading after their most positive start to a game in weeks and conceding via an error by Ferguson’s surprise choice of goalkeeper, Ben Foster, with Kenwyne Jones equalising after a vintage early goal from Paul Scholes. A quarter-hour was remaining, Liverpool were top of the provisional table and Ferguson, by his own admission, “was under pressure to decide changes.”

Ricky Sbragia said he was more worried when he saw Cristiano Ronaldo come on in the 69th minute than when Macheda took the field six minutes later but the youngster showed his nervelessness by immediately demanding the ball. Then, teed up by Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick shot from outside the box. Inside it, Macheda angled his foot instinctively at the ball and a moment later it was in the corner of Craig Gordon’s net.

Carrick ran one way, thinking the goal was his, while Macheda ran the other. Most United players followed Carrick, unable to believe lightning had struck twice but it had and soon Macheda was mobbed. “He side-footed it as it came to him. It’s that quick-thinking goalscorers possess, he’s got that instinct,” Ferguson said. Macheda’s finish resembled Teddy Sheringham’s when he turned Ryan Giggs’ shot past Oliver Kahn in the 1999 European Cup final: unlikely, untidy, unsaveable.

Macheda has already been photographed surrounded by chesty blondes in a nightclub and he already has his own song, boomed from the United end for the game’s remainder. “He comes from Lazio,” it goes, “He scores a wonder-goal.” For Ferguson, the kid could only be more perfect if it could be proved he were Scottish — he is a “Mac” after all.

From the other end of the age spectrum Scholes had put United ahead, rolling back the years to ghost into the box and glance Rooney’s cross beyond Gordon in the 19th minute. With Calum Davenport having dived bravely to block a previous Scholes effort and Danny Collins clearing a Nemanja Vidic header off the line, United looked as if their old authority was back. But Fernando Torres still haunts them.

Since Torres brutalised Vidic and co in Liverpool’s 4-1 win at Old Trafford, United have been defending deeper and more nervously than a top side should. Vidic, one of the most severely affected, conceded a corner needlessly after failing to communicate with Foster and a Carlos Edwards shot skewed off Jonny Evans and struck United’s post. Some of United’s problems are down to a failure to press in midfield.

Rooney failed to close Phil Bardsley, letting him cross for Davenport to send a scissors-kick close. Djibril Cisse was allowed to run through space Scholes and Carrick should have been protecting, forcing Foster to save.

The second half began with both Rooney and Cisse whistling shots past the goal and then Sunderland equalised. Teemu Tainio nutmegged Park Ji Sung and played in a beautiful, steepling cross. Foster misjudged it, Evans didn’t track Jones and the striker headed the ball down for himself before finishing. With Dimitar Berbatov twice missing chances and Carlos Tevez denied by a combination of Bardsley and Collins, no winner for United seemed forthcoming.

Then a teenage Midas loped on to the pitch. “It’s immaterial whether he meant the goal,” sighed Sbragia.

“Everything he touches turns to gold.”

SUNDERLAND: Gordon 6, Collins 6, Ferdinand 6, Davenport 6 (McShane 73min), Bardsley 8, Tainio 7 (Yorke 85min), Edwards 7, Jones 6, Cisse 6, Reid 5 (Murphy 80min), Leadbitter 6

MAN UNITED: Foster 5, Neville 5, Evans 6, Vidic 6, O’Shea 4, Scholes 7, Carrick 6, Park 4 (Ronaldo 69min), Rooney 8, Berbatov 6 (Macheda 75min), Tevez 7 (Anderson 82min)