Wayne Rooney made the record books with his goal against Liverpool, with the Manchester United striker now having scored more goals for a single club than any other player in Premier League history.
Netting the ball in the 78th minute to make it 1-0, Rooney broke the record previously held by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, having now scored 176 goals for Manchester United throughout his career. While neither club’s performance was ideal, it does continue Rooney’s run of goal-scoring form following a poor first half of the season, and brings the club closer to the top four with them residing in fifth place in the league table.
The goal came during an otherwise uneventful match that nonetheless saw them netting the full 3 points from their Merseyside rivals, with Man U now sitting just behind Tottenham in the table. Rooney’s goal proved to be the decisive factor in his team’s victory, with him capitalising on a headed attempt on goal from Fellaini, launching the ball into the top of the net after it bounced off the crossbar. It was the side’s only shot on target.
While the match was hardly a decisive victory for Man U, it does see them starting 2016 in a stronger position than they found themselves in 2015, and should buy manager Louis van Gaal some time amid speculation that the club is looking to remove him from his post due to their underwhelming season thus far.
Although Liverpool largely dominated the match, neither team managed to create many threatening attacking opportunities, with United’s goal largely coming as a result of Liverpool’s continued inability to adequately defend set pieces. But while Man U’s victory was hardly a convincing one, the club and its fans will be pleased that they are starting 2016 in better form, and that they are now challenging the Premier League’s top four.
