Utd Kids Wife

Wayne Rooney was United’s hero yet again with a 91st-minute header which secured a 3-1 victory over deadly rivals City at Old Trafford. The result took the holders through to a League Cup final clash with Aston Villa on 28^th February.

The in-form forward struck with a close range header from a precise Ryan Giggs cross following a well-worked short corner and clinched a 4-3 aggregate semi-final victory,. It denied City what would have been a place in their first major final for 29 years.

On another intense derby match, former United forward Carlos Tevez – who scored both City goals in the first leg- was again on the scoresheet as his 75th minute goal tied the aggregate scores at 3-3 setting up a great finale.

After a goalless first half, Rooney sent Giggs clear in the 51st minute and, after City appeared to have stopped the attack, Carrick’s pass found Paul Scholes who finished clinically into the bottom right hand corner.

In the 70th minute, United got the much-needed second goal after Darren Fletcher laid a Nani pass into the path of Carrick who coolly passed the ball into the corner of the City goal. A few minutes later Rooney could have finished the game off when a rampaging run by Evra into the box fall straight to Rooney unmarked. His feet got tangled up and amazingly the shot went wide with just the keeper to beat.

Tevez struck a few minutes later, flicking the ball into the goal with the outside of his boot after United failed to deal with the perennial moaner (yep, I went there!) Craig Bellamy’s cross.

With all the talk of the past week being about the spat between the goading Tevez and Gary Neville, the game started at a frenetic pace with United playing Rooney as a lone striker ahead of a five-man midfield.

Nani, so impressive in helping Rooney score four in the weekend league victory over Hull, was again trying his best to torment the City defence. Could this usher in a new chapter for him at Old Trafford? Only time will tell.

Tevez was predictably jeered by the United supporters every time he touched the ball and particularly so when he went down theatrically after Rio Ferdinand appeared to accidentally catch the Argentine under the chin with his trailing arm.

Later on Tevez was booked for a reckless hack at Rafael, and the mood intensified further when Bellamy appeared to be hit by a coin thrown by United fans as he took a City corner (it’s not like he needed the money!)

A late Carrick shot and weak header from substitute Emmaneul Adebayor both failed to threaten the keepers and the semi-final appeared to be heading for extra-time until Rooney came to United’s rescue to break City’s hearts with yet another injury time winner. Wembley here we come!