Two Rs spell worry but Rooney and Ronnie made to wait at Reading

Coppell fine-tuned Reading's tactics during a brainstorming session with first-team coach Wally Downes and chief scout Brian McDermott last Friday. It did not take long for them to work out that any team coming across Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo right now is likely to be run into the ground.

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There is surely no finer sight in English football than the duo in full flight but United's awesome pairing were made to wait before sealing victory.

Kalifa Cisse is hardly comparable with the likes of Fabio Cannavaro but for 77 minutes he was a colossus at the heart of Reading's defence. He restricted Ronaldo, 23 goals and counting, to long-range efforts and United were rattled. Ronaldo's first strike was wide of Marcus Hahnemann's goal, another was spooned into the stand and his umpteenth effort headed for the fast lane of the nearby M4.

"That was embarrassing," jeered Reading's fans, but Ronaldo rose to the bait. He was destined to score, in the same way he appears destined to score in every game he plays, but Rooney beat him to it.

Carlos Tevez provided the through pass and Rooney expertly steered a wonderful first-time flick into the bottom corner.

"Rooney and Ronaldo are key individuals and if they don't play they are a different team," said Coppell. "When they were 0-0 in the FA Cup with Aston Villa, Rooney came on and the game was transformed.

That combination, that artistry between them is what you have to stop. Don't get me wrong, they are still a handful without them, but they are the difference.

"They are key individuals and they have lost four times when Rooney hasn't played, I believe."

Spot on. Manchester City, Coventry, Bolton and West Ham have all taken advantage of Rooney's absence from the team this season but Fabio Capello was as relieved as anyone to see his name on the team sheet. The England manager will have noted Dave Kitson's impressive contribution in Reading's attack and his second visit to the ground in the space of four days was his most profitable.

Rooney is a man in form and so, too, is Ronaldo. As Sir Alex Ferguson brayed at the fourth official on the sidelines after he had the audacity to signal four minutes of injury time, Ronaldo cut loose and ran over half the length of the field before slotting his 17th Premier League goal beyond Hahnemann.

As the goal went in, fired-up Ferguson turned and celebrated in controversial fist-pumping style.

His Portugal star is increasingly compared to George Best and Ronaldo's latest effort means he is closing on the Northeren Irishman's club record haul for a season of 32 goals in all competitions set in 1968.

"I never imagined I would equal last season's record but I have opportunities to score goals and the challenge is good for me," said Ronaldo. "Last year I scored 23 and I want to score more this time. If I break George Best's record I'll be happy but the most important thing is for the team to win the title.

"Best was one of the most important players ever and it's a pleasure when people talk about us. I have my style and it's completely different but it's always good to be compared to great players."

Coppell was left with the problem of arresting Reading's slide towards the relegation zone. Trouble can only be just around the corner for a team so starstruck that they appear more intent on swapping shirts with opposition players than securing points.

The alleged theft of Ronaldo's sweat-stained shirt from the peg of Reading skipper Graeme Murty after the game prompted farcical scenes and the threat of reprisals from the right-back.

"Someone's had it away and when I find out who it is, it's going to be bloody. It's either a player, an apprentice or a member of staff but when I find out who it is there are going to be broken legs.

"I know who my list of suspects are. I've played against Ronaldo before but he was the nearest player to me. I said, "Can I have your shirt?" and he said, "Yeah, I'm knackered" but the moment I came back from the shower, the shirt had gone."

For £39.99 he can buy another from the Manchester United Megastore but Reading's Premier League status is surely worth far more than that.