The resonance of any magic trick lies in the initial deception. The curator will create the set-up, develop the spectacle before reaching the most improbable of crescendos. It is what precedes the finale that makes it all the more incredible.
Those who have followed Wayne Rooney's spectacular rise and fall over the past year may be better placed to see the relevance of the aforementioned sorcery.
Almost a year since Rooney's life, on and off the pitch, capitulated the striker delivered an emphatic moment of self expression to claim all three points against Manchester City.
Nullified for most of the match by a superb Vincent Kompany - who marvelled in his role as the magicians assistant by keeping Rooney on a tight leash throughout the game - it took until the 78th minute for the Manchester United striker to pull the biggest rabbit from his hat.
After shanking a pass into the air, a passage of play that typified Rooney's so-far miserable day, Paul Scholes delivered a driven pass to the flanks where Nani was occupied.
The winger's cross was hoisted further into the air, the pace of the ball, crucially, dissipating, having skimmed Pablo Zabaleta. Rooney, cloaked in red, sensed his opportunity, leaping into the air and with his back to the goal unleashed a violent scissor kick into the far top corner. Joe Hart stood rooted in the middle of his goal, spellbound.
Sir Alex Ferguson recalled Dennis Law when he described it as the best goal he had seen scored at Old Trafford. As flattering as it was for Rooney to be compared to The King, the goal was more akin to something another former red, Mark Hughes, might have scored. Sprinkled with the exuberance of Eric Cantona.
Much of the prelude to Rooney's goal will have been confined to distant memory by the time The striker was reeling away but United were, for large swathes of the game, especially the second half, on the back foot.
City should have been up in the opening minutes when David Silva, permeating the gaps behind midfield and defence, lacked curl on his close range effort to find Edwin Van der Sar's bottom corner. The Spaniard, a constant fixture in City's nest spells, had another attempt blocked by Patrice Evra.
If Silva was City's biggest threat it was his Iberian counterpart Nani who shone for United. The Portuguese winger tormented Zabaleta throughout, cutting and weaving into shooting positions.
He as rewarded with a goal just before half time. Ryan Giggs, selected in a 5 man midfield, slid the ball into Nani's path who easily out-paced Aleksandar Kolarov to side foot pass Hart.
Roberto Mancini would have been right to feel slightly hard done by as his side were the more probing of the two. It was unfortunate for the Sky Blue's that their attacks were stubbed out by Nemanja Vidic and a classy Chris Smalling who stepped into replace the injured Rio Ferdinand.
The way Smalling contained Carlos Tevez would have delighted Ferguson especially given Johnny Evans' continuing nightmare and upcoming fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool in the league.
City though were rewarded for their positive approach. Shawn Wright-Phillips, yes, him, cut in from the right flank and squared a ball to substitute Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian's strike clattered against Silva and fell into the net.
But with only twelve minutes remaining Rooney's perfectly executed scissor kick left United with all three points and City's title hopes disappearing in a puff of smoke.
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