Rooney helps Manchester United to reach the Champions League Final

There isn’t much to say when it comes to criticizing the English striker Wayne Rooney for his performance against Arsenal last night, in the Champions League semifinals.

Rooney wasn’t able to score, but then, no one could really blame him for his inability to put the ball at the back of net, as he was pushed at the left hand side to play the role of a winger.

Though United’s formation showed changes, nothing prevented them from scoring two early goals.

Park was the first one to hit his target after only 8 minutes, and 3 minutes later, it was the moment for the home crowd to be blown away. Ronaldo’s free kick from about 25 yards gave Manchester United a 2-0 lead.

Amazingly, Rooney didn’t battle to get a goal; instead, his main objective was to ensure that his side was really heading to the final of the competition.

His nice passes were the sources of United’s composure, and his numerous recoveries were of great help to the Mancunians’ midfield.

In the second half, an unproductive corner from Arsenal permitted the Red Devils to break away. A smart true ball from Rafael gave Rooney the chance to try his luck, but as sign of unselfishness, the number 10 striker preferred to square the ball onto his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored his second goal of the night.

It was a brilliant finish from a clever building.

At the 66th minute, it was Rooney’s time to leave the pitch, as he was called off for the Bulgarian forward Berbatov. It wasn’t a negative moment for the 23-year old player; on the contrary, he could be proud of his influence and discipline throughout his game, as he escaped any punishment from the referee.

His departure was quite a disturbance for his side though, and it was all Arsenal until the end. Of course, the Gunners couldn’t manage to survive, nor were they able to make their dream of reaching the final come true, nevertheless, they could comfort themselves with the late penalty that was converted by Robin Van Persie.

As a result, Manchester United have now defeated their semifinals opponents Arsenal over the two legs, with the score 4-1; and such an extraordinary score line definitely shows the positive sides of their next Champions League game which is set to take place in Rome.

Written by Isaac Asante