Wayne Rooney scored the only goal at Eastlands and it was a tap-in after Joe Hart saved a Carrick shot.
And Rooney was absolutely ecstatic. He had not scored for seven games and this was his100th goal, so he roared away with 1,000% schoolboy enthusiasm, putting as much energy into his celebration as he puts into his sprinting, jumping and shooting.
Wayne Rooney is a gem. He has good games and bad games but he’s a diamond. He’s honest and competitive and enjoys it hugely. He understands the game and does the right things instinctively.
In a league full of moody mercenaries and dull journeymen, Wayne Rooney lights up most of the games he plays in. His boyish enthusiasm is irrepressible, almost volcanic. He’s like a player from another decade long ago. He plays every game as if it’s his first – or last. He is the polar opposite of Nicolas Anelka. And Wayne would be the same way whether he was on £20 a week or £200 a week.
In the 90th minute, with his team losing 1-0 at home, keeper Joe Hart came up for a corner but United cleared it and Hart stayed up while City tried to put the ball into the box again. But then it was played out to sub Ryan Giggs and he gave it Rooney on the left side as Joe Hart, a six foot five inch goalkeeper, sprinted back 70 yards with tiny Shaun Wright-Phillips racing back ahead of him.
Rooney was near the halfway line on the left side and hit a very long, high shot that was dropping into the net as SWP got back on the line – but Joe Hart just managed to plunge across and slap the ball past the post. It was honest excitement and really fun to watch.
You would not see that incident in any other league in the world.