Wayne Rooney offered 5,000 travelling supporters a reminder of former glories but, thanks in part to two goals from new striker Odion Ighalo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s current Manchester United side made another potentially significant step forward.

Welcome back, dear reader. Fixture list oblige, it’s been three weeks since this column last appeared — but hasn’t our enforced separation done us all some good, hey?

At Vicarage Road, Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton were drawing 2-2 with Watford and had been reduced to 10 men. They made an immediate substitution, but did not sit back and try and defend their one point.

Once again, Edward Woodward wasn’t at Old Trafford to watch United on Saturday and, to be fair, you couldn’t blame him. Who would watch this tedious team out of choice, after all?

Romelu Lukaku finally won his one-man battle to extricate himself from Old Trafford, Manchester United only losing £2m (€2.2m) on a player for whom they paid £75m two years ago, even if he left with a rebuke from Gary Neville ringing in his ears.

Former goalkeeper Bruno, once tipped for a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad, has been sentenced to 22 years and three months in prison for the murder of his ex-lover.

A former Brazilian football star said to have orchestrated the murder of his ex-girlfriend went on trial in a case that includes claims that the young model was lured to a ranch where she was held hostage, killed and her body dismembered.

STRIKER David Ngog’s goal nine minutes from time eventually broke the resistance of a determined Unirea Urziceni at Anfield in the Europa League last night.

Liverpool 1 Unirea Urziceni 0

Kenny Miller admits Rangers’ humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat by Unirea Urziceni at Ibrox last night was a result “waiting to happen”.

GOKDENIZ KARADENIZ stuck a second-half winner as Rubin Kazan claimed a shock Champions League victory over reigning European champions Barcelona at the Nou Camp last night.

Rangers 1 Unirea Urziceni 4