Reds back on the right track

Manchester United made a welcome return to winning ways in the Barclays Premier League this morning with a ruthless and comprehensive 3-0 win over Aston Villa in a game which saw two Man United and four Aston Villa players receive yellow cards. Danny Welbeck struck in the 15th and 18th minutes, while Tom Cleverley’s first goal in exactly a year effectively killed the game off early in the second half. The three points efficiently earned at a cold and wet Villa Park moved the Reds up in the table, extending an unbeaten away run in the league to five games and giving a timely boost ahead of a festive fixture programme of four league outings. This is good news for the Reds, but David Moyes really needs to step up his game as the season wears on. There is not much hope left for his men. There is also little hope for Peter O'Toole, the Hollywood legend who was made famous in his title role in 1962's Lawrence of Arabia. The 81-year-old Irishman, who was nominated for eight Oscars in his distinguished career, died on Saturday in a London hospital. To those who hadn't seen the actor perform on the London stage, O'Toole was seemingly catapulted into fame. But it may be more accurate to say he charged into it. As T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, O'Toole was tall, handsome, and sensitive. The role earned him his first Oscar nomination, though he lost to Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. That established something of a pattern in O'Toole's career. He would be nominated for eight Oscars, but never won until he was awarded an honorary one in 2003. "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, my foot," O'Toole said as he accepted it. "I have my very own Oscar now, until death us do part."