Grant Hanley's 80th-minute goal handed Blackburn Rovers a stunning 3-2 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on the last day of 2011 to ensure Sir Alex Ferguson's 70th birthday was one to forget. Having revealed earlier in the day that he expects to retire in three years, Ferguson then saw Ayegbeni Yakubu hand the struggling visitors a two-goal lead before Dimitar Berbatov responded with two goals of his own to bring United level.
--- Bellamy and Gerrard sink Newcastle
--- Bristol City shock leaders Southampton
However, with Blackburn under increasing pressure, a rare corner brought them a surprising, although deserved, winner Hanley beat United goalkeeper David de Gea to Morten Gamst Pedersen's kick and, with the home defence slow to respond, the central defender reacted quickly and beat Rafael to the rebound to head in a memorable winning goal, just the second of his career.
United, who thus missed the opportunity to leap above Manchester City into first place, had been stunned by the opening goal, after 15 minutes during which they had enjoyed all the possession but failed to create an opening of note. Instead, they were found vulnerable as Blackburn launched their first attack of the afternoon, via a long free-kick punted forward by their goalkeeper, Mark Bunn.
Berbatov, pressed into defensive set-piece duties, found himself engaged in a tussle with Rovers defender Chris Samba and clearly tugged on his shirt as the pair fell to ground. Referee Mike Dean had no hesitation in awarding the penalty, from which Yakubu calmly put Blackburn in front with a confident finish into the bottom left-hand corner.
Yakubu's second goal, five minutes into the second half, was a much more impressive individual effort. Craig Bellamy bagged a brace and Steven Gerrard was also on the scoresheet as Liverpool boosted their bid for a top four finish with a 3-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield on Friday.
Kenny Dalglish's side trailed to Daniel Agger's own goal midway through the first half, but Bellamy equalised soon after and the former Newcastle striker netted again from a free-kick in the second half. England midfielder Gerrard, who has missed most of the season due to injury, capped a fine cameo performance from the substitutes bench with his side's third goal.
Liverpool are now in fifth place, level on points with fourth placed Chelsea, while Newcastle remain seventh after another failed trip to Anfield. Gerrard expressed his delight at being able to play again and didn't want to dwell on the past. "It's good to be back. I've had a terrible year with a lot of injuries but I just want to look forward," Gerrard told Sky Sports 1.
"I'm delighted to be back with the lads today, to get on the scoresheet and get three points was a perfect return. It's great to be back." Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said the second goal had decided the match but was full of praise for his players and their campaign so far. Bristol City shattered Southampton's 24-match unbeaten home league record as Stephen Pearson's late goal clinched a surprise 1-0 win at St Mary's on Friday.
Pearson converted 11 minutes from time to give the Robins their first victory in six matches and deny Southampton the chance to extend their three-point lead at the top of the Championship. Second placed West Ham and third placed Middlesbrough can now draw level on points with Southampton if they win their matches on Saturday.