Wayne Rooney headed Manchester United to Wembley with an injury-time
winner to beat Manchester City in a pulsating 3-1 victory.
After Carlos Tevez had threatened to take the semi-final into extra-time
when he quite brilliantly turned home Craig Bellamy's cross 14 minutes
from time, up popped Rooney, who nodded home Ryan Giggs' cross to
secure a Carling Cup final meeting with Aston Villa on February
28.
In fact, the Red Devils thought they were already there.
Controlling possession against a City side which sat too deep,
they had carved out a decisive lead thanks to two precise finishes
from Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick either side of the interval.
Only Tevez's refusal to bow at the feet of his old club kept the
Blues going, but it was not enough. And though Rooney inexplicably
failed to grab a third before Tevez struck, he is too much a part
of United's fabric to merely accept defeat.
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