As a fan of Manchester United Football Club, Tunde Folawiyo follows the progress of the league closely. Their recent defeat against Sunderland is likely to have left him, and many of their other supporters, feeling disappointed. It seems that Gus Poyet, who joined Sunderland FC as its manager just three months ago, has had a remarkable impact on the players’ morale, with spectators observing strong performances from Adam Johnson, Fabio Borini, Ki Sung-Yueng. The skill displayed by these team members, coupled with the presence of Marcos Alonso and John O’Shea, certainly provided Sunderland with the upper hand.

Two of United’s best players – Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney – were unable to participate. Many attributed the Red Devil’s decidedly underwhelming performance to these players’ absences, as well as to David’s Moyes’s substitutions. Commentators questioned the manager’s decision to not bring on Wilfried Zaha, and criticised his favouring of Patrice Evra over Alex Buttner. Others demanded to know why Moyes allowed Tom Cleverley to stay on the pitch for so long.

Ryan Giggs, a player greatly admired by Tunde Folawiyo, appeared to be distracted throughout the match. It was he who gave Sunderland their first goal, after accidentally volleying the ball into United’s net as he attempted to block Bardsley’s kick. The shock of this turn of events appeared to temporarily revive the Red Devils, with Nemanja Vidic delivering a successful header into the net just minutes later.

Sunderland’s second goal came about when Cleverley shoved Johnson to the ground as he made his way down the pitch. After careful consideration, Andre Marriner, the referee, decided to award Sunderland a free kick, which was taken by Fabio Borini. He struck a powerful shot, which landed directly into the roof of the net, far beyond the reach of United’s keeper.

Moyes expressed anger at the referee’s decision during the match, but it was his comments afterwards that seemed to have landed him in hot water. He remarked that he and his team now had to play against both the opposition, and the match officials. The FA were made aware of his outburst, and have now released a statement, explaining that they intend to charge Moyes, as his assertions cast doubt on the match officials’ integrity. The manager has not yet responded to the FA’s allegations of misconduct. He has until the 15th of this month to address the issue, and is likely to face a large fine if the FA find him guilty.