Rooney accelerates title March as United return to the summit

Manchester United fans celebrate as they hear the score from the Swansea game.

As if the football fates were not conspiring enough against Manchester City in their quest to prove they belong at the top table of world football’s elite, here was a news flash that should send shudders through Eastlands.

Wayne Rooney is playing at his lethal, goalscoring best and United manager Alex Ferguson fully expects the England centre-forward to reach 40 goals before his productive season ends.

His tally, after this routine victory that lifted United back to the summit for the first time — apart from 24 hours in February — since October 15, now stands at 26.

A superb first-half finish and second-half penalty kick took his tally to nine goals in his last six league games, the United man peaking at precisely the right moment as the defending champions aim to put the noisy neighbours in their place.

“As long as he gets to 40 I’ll be absolutely delighted because we are in business then,” said Ferguson. “He’s on a hot streak — he does these things.

“The first goal was fantastic today, I thought he was offside he was so far clear but the timing of the run was fantastic and a really good finish.”

Ferguson, of course, is the man who coined the phrase “squeaky bum time,” a reference to clubs falling to pieces at the last hurdle when the pressure tells.

At the turn of the year, after defeats to Blackburn and Newcastle, United looked as if they lacked the power to even make the title race last until those nervy closing stages.

But since those results, United have taken 22 out of the 24 league points that have been available while City, defeated three times in that period, have just 15 points to their credit.

Little wonder Ferguson could be so blasé about his side’s status. “I don’t mind being top,” he said. “But I don’t care about being top of the league just now.

“I’m happy to be there because only a few weeks ago we were seven points behind at one time, now we are one point ahead so we have turned around eight points. Credit to the players and the resilience of the squad because everyone knows we have had a lot of injuries.”

The fixture list, too, would appear to be kinder to United than their rivals, whose next league game is at home to Chelsea and there is no doubt, after those uncharacteristic wobbles over new year, that the Red Devils are back to their best in sweeping aside weaker opponents.

Rooney struck his first after 35 minutes, ending a strong opening to the game by the visitors, with an audacious piece of goal poaching.

Paul Scholes broke up play as West Brom attempted to clear and found Javier Hernandez on the right wing, allowing the Mexican to cut inside his marker and fire goalwards from 15 yards, Rooney then appearing to instinctively steer the ball past the goalkeeper from six yards.

His second came in the 70th minute, five minutes after Albion had been reduced to 10-men following the dismissal of Jonas Olsson, when United were awarded a penalty for a push on Hernandez by Keith Andrews. Rooney easily beat the goalkeeper low into the bottom left-hand corner from the spot.

Albion had started brightly and David de Gea had saved well early from a Keith Andrews shot following a well-worked 16th-minute free-kick.

But Ashley Young’s direct play down the left started to wear down a well-organised Albion and, even though the second goal took so long in coming, there looked little danger of United squandering points. Olsson’s rash fouls — on Hernandez and Rooney within 20 minutes of the restart — resulted in a red card and killed off lingering Albion hopes.

“He’s certainly playing well,” said Albion manager Roy Hodgson of the match winner.

“Alex works with him week in, week out and can tell you if his form is near the top or slightly away from the top but he always looks to be a player in form to me because he’s a world class footballer.

“His goal was a mark of that. He came from nowhere and it’s the type you don’t concede too often in the Premier League unless you are playing against a player of his calibre.”