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.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. David Ortiz Red Sox Jersey . The Hockey Canada Foundation is donating $50,000, with Hockey Quebec contributing $15,000. 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Harrington, who tied for first in 2003 and won in 2004, became the first three-time champion of the event.The lines on Joe (Diesel) Riggs face hint of more than a few stories. Not all good.The veteran fighter has battled drug addiction, demons and himself in the past. In 2006, Riggs and Nick Diaz infamously continued their UFC 57 fight at the hospital afterwards with Riggs firing punches undeterred by the IV in his arm.Eight years to the day since his last UFC bout, the 32-year-old Riggs returns to the Octagon to face welterweight Ben (Killa B) Saunders on a televised UFC Fight Night card Saturday in Phoenix.Im really excited, Im ready to fight, man. Im in the best shape of my life and Im going to knock it out, for sure, Riggs said in an interview.Riggs road back to the UFC has been typically complicated. He was due to fight Set. 13 on a card in Brazil, stepping in for the injured Mike Rhodes against Paulo Thiago. But instead he found himself fighting for his life after his gun accidentally discharged in late July at his Arizona home.Im a man thats handled guns my entire life and a brand new gun that should never malfunction malfunctioned, he explained.A live round was stuck in the chamber. The safety was off but as he tried to dismantle the gun, the hammer dropped and Riggs was shot in the hand and thigh.I didnt think I was going to die, I knew I was going to die ... I accepted I was dead, he said.Lying on the floor in a pool of blood, Riggs prepared for the worst.I said goodbye to my boy, who means everything to me. Who Id die for at the drop of a hat. Saying goodbye to him was really really hard for me. Picturing my son having to grow up without a father, it changes you.He called his wife, who summoned an ambulance. Because a gun was involved, police had to secure the area first. Riggs says it was 40 minutes before he made it to a medevac helicopterRiggs was fortunate in the way the bullet struck his leg. It was pinched in the right way that I didnt bleed out.Doctors told him he would never fight again.I wouldnt accept it, said Riggs. To think I went through all this for nothing, I finally got to where nobody thought I would be and this happens. I wouldnt accept it.My life has been horrible. Ive had a horrible live and Ive had a great life. But everything that I went through in mmy life I overcame and Ive gotten through.dddddddddddd So I just tried to put this toward that and push through and I did. Today, Riggs says hes happy and in a great place.He used to fear thinking about losing. Now he understands anything can happen in mixed martial arts.Now I can go out and fight with a clear mind and know that whatever happens Im OK with it. I just want to fight to the best of my ability. And Im one of the best in the world so I think every time I fight its going to turn out good.The UFC lists Riggs record at 40-14. Riggs himself says he has 65 wins and 14 losses, one of which came in a K-1 fight.Riggs, who made his pro debut in 2001, acknowledges that in the past he had become jaded in the sport. Then he started training at the MMA Lab in Glendale, Ariz., determined to see how far he could go.Riggs points to newly crowned welterweight champion (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler, another veteran who has made the most of his skills and reaped the rewards of hard work and dedication.Riggs, whose nose is clear proof he doesnt work behind a desk, has been around so long that he has a tattoo that reads NHB, for no holds barred. Its a reminder of his early days fighting when there were few rules.Not many, Riggs said. I couldnt bite a mans nipple off, thats about it.With four years at the MMA Lab under his belt, Riggs says he trains smarter these days. I havent lost since.Still, just making it to the Octagon again given his past is an accomplishment.I think the fact that Im even fighting again and alive, the fact that Im doing something that nobody thought I would ever do again is a huge win for me, Riggs said. Beating Saunders is the icing on the cake.Saunders (17-6-2) is 5-3 in the UFC, returning to the promotion in August to submit Chris Heatherly in the first round after a four-year absence. The six-foot-three Saunders is a graduate of Season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter.Former champion Junior Dos Santos, currently ranked second among heavyweight contenders, takes on No. 4 Stipe Miocic in the main event at US Airways Center. No. 14 lightweight Nate Diaz, Nicks younger brother, faces No. 3 Rafael Dos Anjos in the co-main event. Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter ' ' '