Manchester United desperately needed a goal. Fittingly, Wayne Rooney delivered.
Rooney, a 67th-minute substitute, produced the equalizer United was seeking in the final seconds of stoppage time against Stoke City, firing a free kick past goalkeeper Lee Grant into the top corner. The goal salvaged a 1-1 draw on the road to extend the Red Devils’ unbeaten streak to 17 games.
It was also historic as Rooney finally notched his 250th for the club to become United’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing the 249 of legend Sir Bobby Charlton.
In his post-game interview, Rooney called the achievement “a huge honor for me, something I never expected.”
“I’m very proud,” the 31-year-old added. “Hopefully, there’s more to come.”
If it wasn’t for Rooney’s heroics, Saturday’s visit to the bet365 Stadium was going to be forgettable for United. The Red Devils dominated possession (65 percent) and outshot Stoke (25-6, 8-1 on goal) but appeared to be headed for their first Premier League defeat since a 4-0 drubbing at Chelsea in late October. Even worse, United was going to drop points because of its own doing.
In the 19th minute, a Stoke counter had the Red Devils scrambling back to defend. Juan Mata, who lost his man, tried to chase down Erik Pieters, but the Spaniard ended up deflecting Pieters’ cross into his own net, the ball hitting goalkeeper David De Gea before crossing the line.