Rooney back with a bang

Man United 2 Crystal Palace 0

But, while Young stole the post-match headlines for largely the wrong reasons, it was the performance of Rooney, coming back from an horrendous facial wound one week ahead of schedule, that will have offered new manager David Moyes the most satisfaction from an underwhelming display.

Rooney was not expected to return until this weekend’s Manchester derby after colliding with team-mate Phil Jones’s boot in training just over two weeks ago but, thanks to a facial guard that Moyes cheekily suggested would have been more fitting on a sumo wrestler, the England centre-forward put in a solid display.