Cris 1st goal this season; MU 3:1 Middlesbrough(Carling Cup)

Cristiano Ronaldo scored on his first start of the season in Manchester United's 3-1 League Cup victory over Middlesbrough and Mexican star Carlos Vela hit three as Arsenal's youngsters overwhelmed Sheffield United 6-0 on Tuesday.

Liverpool edged League One Crewe 2-1 but West Ham and Fulham were the victims of third-round upsets. The Hammers lost 1-0 at Watford and Fulham went down 1-0 at Burnley.
With the Premier and Champions Leagues to think about, the top clubs fielded many of their young stars in the race for the third most important title in English football.

But Ronaldo had been sidelined for three months because of an ankle injury and, after two appearances as a substitute, marked his first start by heading home a corner by Ryan Giggs in the 25th minute against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford.

After Adam Johnson's 56th-minute deflected shot levelled for Boro, teammate and defender Emmanuel Pogatetz was sent off for a foul that led to lengthy treatment for United forward Rodrigo Possebon. Ryan Giggs then punished a blunder by Chris Riggott to put United back in front in the 70th, and Nani added the third in injury time.

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