Background: With new signing Wayne Rooney absent through injury until the end of September, United experienced an inconsistent start to the campaign, drawing five of our opening nine Premier League games. The 2-0 win at Old Trafford, which ended Arsenal’s 49-game unbeaten run, was followed by defeat at Portsmouth and a stalemate in the Manchester derby, leaving the Reds seventh in the table, 11 points behind Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
The goal: Rooney, who netted in the victory against the Gunners, didn’t have to wait long for his second Premier League strike for United. With seven minutes gone, Darren Fletcher’s lofted cross found the 19-year-old forward in space between defenders Steven Taylor and Titus Bramble on the right-hand side of the Newcastle area.