Unstoppable Rooney grinds down to a halt

WAYNE ROONEY, who went into this match in the form of his life and hailed as ‘unstoppable’, ended it injured and in despair – and now Manchester United’s rivals, and in particular Saturday’s opponents Chelsea, must be wondering if the bubble has burst.

Rooney’s burgeoning reputation and irrepressible goalscoring streak which has left opponents almost paralysed with fear this season took a serious wobble in Munich – United staging a late collapse as things started to go badly wrong for the English champions and their talisman forward.

First the striker was unwittingly involved in Bayern’s equaliser as Franck Ribery’s free-kick deflected off his heels and into the net. Then, just seconds before the Germans scored a dramatic winner, he fell to the floor in agony after appearing to twist his ankle.