Rooney fires United to derby victory

Last week, in a New York bar named Mad Hatter, City chief executive Garry Cook delivered the best team-talk Sir Alex Ferguson could have wanted as he declared this Carling Cup tie as good as over with the Blues leading 2-1 from the first leg at Eastlands.

Cook should know better than to write off United. And true to form, after Carlos Tevez had threatened to take the semi-final into extra-time when he quite brilliantly turned home Craig Bellamy’s cross 14 minutes from time, Rooney nodded home Ryan Giggs’ cross to secure a Carling Cup final meeting with Aston Villa on February 28.

Controlling possession against a City side which sat too deep, United had carved out a decisive lead thanks to two precise finishes from Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick.

Tevez was the clear focal point for City from the start.

He flung himself at a Bellamy cross and Edwin van der Sar needed Jonny Evans’ help to ensure there was no goal.

The firecracker went off seven minutes after the restart as Carrick prodded the ball back for Scholes, who drove his shot into the bottom corner.

Carrick added the second, and if Rooney had tapped home Patrice Evra’s cross when he was completely unmarked three minutes later, the tie would have been over.

Inexplicably, he put it wide.

It was virtually certain Rooney would be made to pay almost instantly. After playing a pass out to Bellamy, Tevez continued his run and somehow managed to squeeze the ball beyond Van der Sar from the most unlikely angle.

But Rooney still had one more trick up his sleeve. And with it came a very large slice of humble pie for Cook.