Manchester United knocked holders Manchester City out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 third round win.
Manchester United held off a spirited second-half fightback by 10-man Manchester City to knock the defending champions out of the FA Cup on Sunday with a 3-2 victory that saw Paul Scholes surprisingly come out of retirement.The third-round victory allowed United to exact a measure of revenge on City for a 6-1 rout in the Premier League earlier in the season and for losing to its crosstown rival in last seasons FA Cup semifinals.But United manager Alex Ferguson was unhappy with his sides sloppiness after being in complete control by halftime following Wayne Rooneys two headed goals, Danny Welbecks volley and City having captain Vincent Kompany sent off.We were 3-0 up at halftime and we thought we were through and they took our foot off the pedal, Ferguson said. It was a careless performance in the second half and we should have been home and dry.Despite Uniteds numerical advantage, a City side aggrieved by Kompanys dismissal for fouling Nani managed to haul itself back in contention with goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Sergio Aguero.But United clung on in the face of a City onslaught to secure its first away victory in a Manchester derby since Scholes scored the winner in 2010 in the leagueThe 37-year-old Scholes, who gave away the ball that led to Agueros 65th minute-goal, announced on Sunday morning that he was returning to the squad seven months after retiring, with United in the midst of an injury crisis.I was surprised, we didnt find out until we got to the dressing room, Rooney said. It gave everyone a lift. Hes a fantastic player.Going into the cup encounter, back-to-back losses left an injury-hit United trailing City by three points in the league.