LONDON: Manchester United knocked holders Manchester City out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 third round win in an incident-packed derby at Eastlands on Sunday.
Wayne Rooney scored twice, netting either side of the controversial sending off of City captain Vincent Kompany, with Danny Welbeck also on target to make it 3-0 before the break for the visitors
But City pulled a goal back early in the second half when Aleksandar Kolarov bent a free-kick round the wall from the edge of the box.
And 10-man City struck again when Sergio Aguero made it 3-2 in the 65th minute following a mistake by 37-year-old United substitute Paul Scholes, summoned out of retirement by manager Sir Alex Ferguson following an injury crisis.
Premier League leaders City, three points in front of champions United at the top of the table, pressed for an equaliser, with Kolarov going close from a second free-kick in stoppage time, but Ferguson's men held on.
United were later handed another difficult tie in the fourth round, a trip to bitter rivals Liverpool where the fall-out from the Luia Suarez-Patrice Evra race row will dominate the build-up.
City boss Roberto Mancini, clearly unhappy with the red card shown to Kompany by referee Chris Foy, praised his team's character after going 3-0 down.
Rooney gave United the lead against the run of the play in the 10th minute when, after spreading play wide to Antonio Valencia, he powered in a header off the crossbar from the winger's cross.
And, two minutes later, City -- three points in front of champions United at the top of the table -- were down to 10 men.
Kompany appeared to win the ball cleanly from Nani, who played on, after sliding in on a wet pitch but the City defender had gone in two-footed and Foy produced a red card.
Welbeck made it 2-0 with a brilliant volley from the edge of the box in the 30th minute and 10 minutes later he forced a penalty after he was brought down in the box by Kolarov.
Rooney's spot-kick was well saved by Costel Pantilimon, only for the England striker to head in from the rebound as United look to avenge their 6-1 league defeat by City at Old Trafford in October.
