Rooney’s elbow opens door for Hernandez

FAR from elbowing Manchester United out of the title race, Wayne Rooney’s latest failure to control himself on the pitch may have helped Alex Ferguson’s quest for a 12thPremier League title.

The United and England striker faces an anxious wait to discover if referee Mark Clattenburg has included his ugly elbow incident on Wigan’s James McCarthy in his official match report. Television replays showed that Clattenburg missed the eighth-minute incident at the DW Stadium, even though he awarded Wigan a free-kick.

If the 35-year-old official admits he made a mistake in his official match report after studying replays again then Rooney faces an FA charge which could see him serve a suspension at a pivotal moment in United’s season.