Wayne Rooney late tally lifts Manchester United over Fulham

London, England, United Kingdom (4E Sports) – Wayne Rooney buried a goal in the 79th minute to help Manchester United edge Fulham, 1-0, Saturday at Craven Cottage.

With help from Rooney’s 10th goal in as many games, Manchester United grabbed a 10-point lead over defending champion Manchester City, which will face Liverpool Sunday, and a 16-point cushion over third place Chelsea.

The game was briefly stopped just before halftime when the stadium was plunged into darkness due to floodlights failure.

Before that, Manchester United pounced early on Fulham, striking the woodwork on three occasions compared to just one by its opponent.

Robin van Persie’s corner kick started United’s attack but Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer quickly reacted and swatted the ball away from danger.

Patrice Evra and Rooney also had chances to score in the first half but Schwarzer was there to save the day.

In the second half, Rooney finally broke Schwarzer’s defense when he found the bottom corner of the net from a long punt by David De Gea.

Meanwhile, Moussa Sissoko scored twice as Newcastle United defeated Chelsea, 3-2, in a pulsating encounter at St James’ Park.

Jonas Gutierrez opened the scoring for Newcastle in the 41st minute after Tim Krul kept former teammate Demba Ba at bay with some strong work in goal.

Ba was then forced to leave the field with blood pouring from his nose late in the first half when he was caught by Fabio Coloccini.

Frank Lampard kicked the equalizer for Chelsea after the break with a 25-yard swerving strike before Juan Mata added a second for a 2-1 lead.

Sissoko then scored his first goal for Newcastle to level things up in the 68th minute before grabbing a late winner for Alan Pardew’s side.

In other games, Aston Villa and Everton battled to a 3-3 draw, Wigan Athletic settled for a 2-2 draw with Southampton while Norwich City ad Queens Park Rangers fought to a scoreless tie.

Meanwhile, Arsenal beat Stoke City, 1-0; Reading downed Sunderland, 2-1; and West Ham United defeated Swansea City, 1-0.

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