Rooney scores on return as United wins at Burnley to close in on City
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WAYNE Rooney scored on his return to the Manchester United starting line-up as Jose Mourinho’s side enjoyed a 2-0 win at Burnley in the English Premier League yesterday to close in on the top four.
The win moved United (63 points) to within a point of fourth-placed Manchester City ahead of the pair’s derby clash on Thursday and extended United’s unbeaten run in the EPL to 23 matches.
City was taking on Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in their FA Cup semifinal last night.
After a week in which United lost top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Argentine defender Marcos Rojo to serious knee injuries, the return of Rooney to the side and to scoring form was a much need tonic.
Rooney, who last started a game on March 4, was given the start for only the second time in 2017 with Mourinho opting to start with in-form 19-year-old Marcus Rashford on the bench.
The 31-year-old England international could have scored as early as the 9th minute when he had a close-range shot blocked by Ben Mee and Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton was able to clear up at Turf Moor. Then Rooney was found on the left by Jesse Lingard but his lofted shot sailed just over the bar.
It was Rooney’s French strike partner Anthony Martial who opened the scoring in the 21st minute, breaking decisively from midfield and then finishing in style after swift exchange with Ander Herrera.
The goal will reportedly activate a clause in Martial’s contract where United must pay his former club Monaco around 8.5 million pounds (US$10.89 million) when he reaches 25 goals for the club.
Rooney then made it 2-0, with his 251st goal for United, in the 39th, reacting well to poke home from close-range after Heaton had failed to hold on to a low shot from Martial.
Burnley had plenty of possession in the second half but was unable to create any real chances apart from a diagonal shot from substitute Dan Agyei in the final moments.
United, happy to manage the game, had come close to a third in the latter stages when Paul Pogba fired just wide of Heaton’s right-hand post after a strong run from midfield.
On Saturday, Eden Hazard had a rare view from the Chelsea bench, and it wasn’t comfortable viewing.
Twice Willian scored, but each time Tottenham Hotspur struck back in the FA Cup semifinal.
Approaching an hour in with a sharper, slicker Spurs seizing the initiative at Wembley Stadium, Chelsea coach Antonio Conte finally deployed Hazard.
“When you play football you want to play every game,” Hazard said, “but he made a great choice.”
A selection gamble that could have backfired now looked like a masterstroke as Hazard halted the Tottenham momentum and sent Chelsea into the final.
Tottenham’s fightback was shut down in a potent five-minute spell. Hazard shot the ball through a crowded penalty area into the net in the 75th and then he teed up Nemanja Matic for a powerful strike off the inside of the crossbar.
It secured a 4-2 victory and potentially a psychological blow on the final stretch of the EPL. Chelsea’s lead has been slashed to four points by Tottenham with six games remaining but Conte is still in contention for a double in his first season in charge.
While Chelsea hasn’t won the FA Cup in five years, Tottenham’s drought goes back to 1991 and it has lost seven successive semifinals since then.
It was a dismal start, conceding after five minutes when Willian curled in a free kick but Harry Kane leveled in the 18th when he darted in front of Nathan Ake to flick Christian Eriksen’s cross into the net.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino’s curious decision to play Son Heung-min at left wingback looked a costly one just before halftime when Son slid and tripped Victor Moses in the penalty that Willian converted. But Spurs replied again seven minutes into the second half after Dele Alli latched onto Christian Eriksen’s long pass.
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