MANCHESTER, England - Wayne Rooney scored twice in the first half as resurgent Manchester United easily beat Newcastle 3-1 Friday to strengthen its grip on third place in the Premier League. Custom Edmonton Oilers Jerseys .Rooney was set up well by his teammates for both goals as Radamel Falcao met a long cross into the area in the 23rd minute, sliding to reach the ball at the far post and square a perfect pass for Rooney to tap into an empty net.Falcao then helped United win possession just outside the Newcastle area in the 36th, and Juan Mata laid the ball off for a wide-open Rooney to slot a low shot inside the post.Rooney then helped set up the third by pinging a 35-yard pass to Robin van Persie, who headed past Jak Alnwick, before Papiss Cisse scored a late consolation for the Magpies from the penalty spot.Louis van Gaals decision to cancel Christmas Day training did not backfire. United was the best team for most of the match.Falcao had one of his best performances in a United shirt up front while Mata was a constant threat, threading dangerous passes through Newcastles stretched, unorganized defence.Rooney again excelled in a midfield role, although Newcastles defending for all three goals was sloppy as Alan Pardews team fell to its fourth straight loss.United, on the other hand, remain 10 points behind leader Chelsea thanks to its seventh win in eight matches.Newcastle created the best chances early on, but United finally sparked into life when Rooney found Van Persie with a pin-point pass, but Alnwick raced off his line and forced the Dutchman wide.David de Gea then saved United with an acrobatic dive to deny Daryl Janmaat, who had surged forward from the back. Despite the pressure from Newcastle, the hosts took the lead with an impressive team goal.Rooney started the move, laying the ball off to Mata, who chipped toward the back post after the Newcastle defence backed off. Falcao hooked the ball back across the box and Rooney tapped in from close range.Mata again played a key role for the second goal, sliding the ball through the away defence to the England captain, who tapped in past Alnwick.Eight minutes after the break, the game was all but over as Rooney looked up and floated a 35-yard pass over the away defence to find Van Persie, who nodded past Alnwick.It didnt matter that Phil Jones tripped Jack Colback as he entered the box and Cisse slotted the penalty perfectly into the top right-hand corner. Oilers Jerseys 2021 . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk. Edmonton Oilers Gear . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. https://www.cheapoilers.com/ . - Houston defensive end J. DENVER -- Serge Ibaka helped Oklahoma City get off to a good start. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook provided the strong finish. Ibaka scored Oklahoma Citys first 11 points of the game, Durant finished with 30 points again and the Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 105-93 on Tuesday night for their seventh consecutive victory. "Its a good win," said Durant, who had 30 or more points in a game for the 12th time this season, most in the NBA. "We came here and beat a team that plays well at home and has been playing really well since the last time we played them. Any win on the road is tough, so well take it." Westbrook had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, half of them in the opening minutes on feeds to Ibaka, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. "Once they put two guys on myself or Kevin, our job is to make the other guys better," Westbrook said. "Thats what I did early in the game. If two guys are guarding me, then somebody is open." The shooting lanes opened up after that for Durant and Westbrook. "My teammates set me up so well and I was just trying to be aggressive because I knew I didnt start the game off the way I wanted to," Durant said. "The third quarter is always key for us so I just put my head down and tried to score." Denver had won 10 of 13. J.J. Hickson had 20 points and 14 rebounds, but the Nuggets dropped to 0-2 this season against Oklahoma City. Ty Lawson added 17 points and 13 assists. "We made too many turnovers after the first quarter and thats when (Thunder) made their run," Lawson said. "When they start making their runs and hitting their 3s, they are tough to stop. The third quarter we came out strong and started turning the ball over again. Stitched Oilers Jerseys. It was all self-inflicted." After Hickson made one of two foul shots to get the Nuggets within two, the Thunder put together a 9-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Durant for a 69-58 lead with 4:56 left in the third. Evan Fournier broke up the flurry with a 3-pointer but Oklahoma City still led 75-65 going into the fourth. The Thunder stretched their lead to 13 points on a basket by Jeremy Lamb but Denver closed to 83-77 with 7:15 remaining, getting 10 straight points from Nate Robinson, including consecutive 3-pointers. Denvers rally stalled from there, and Durant hit a jumper and Westbrook and Lamb each connected on 3-pointers to help Oklahoma City to a comfortable 97-79 lead with 4:28 left. The Nuggets didnt threaten the rest of the way. Durant heated up in the last couple of minutes of the second quarter, dunking on consecutive possessions off alley-oop passes and then hitting a 3-pointer to push Oklahoma City to a 52-44 halftime lead. The Thunder led by as many as 12 points early on, going in front 37-25 when Reggie Jackson converted a steal into a fast-break layup midway through the second quarter. Kenneth Faried scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half for Denver. NOTES: Lawson has scored 10 or more points in 20 of 22 games. ... The Thunder have the NBAs longest active winning streak. ... The Nuggets Jordan Hamilton was ejected with 11:01 remaining after being called for a flagrant foul 2 for shoving Steven Adams. ... Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker watched the game in seats a few rows up from the Nuggets bench. ... Oklahoma City improved to 15-1 when outrebounding the opposition (53-43). ' ' '