<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="document jq_ColDocument jq_ShareArea"> <div class="tooltipContent"> <div class="scrollContent jq_Content jq_langdir tinyscrollbar doctooltip-y fontsize_0"> <div class="viewport"> <div class="overview"> <h3 style="text-align: justify">Wayne Rooney eased the pressure on Louis van Gaal as the Manchester United captain's superb backheeled strike secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over Swansea City on Saturday.</h3> <p style="text-align: justify">Rooney's 77th-minute moment of magic took him ahead of Denis Law to become the second-highest goalscorer in United's history and he is now also the second-highest scorer in the Premier League era with 188 goals.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">But even more significantly the England forward's first league goal since October gave United their first win in nine matches and moved them up to fifth place.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">It was a badly needed three points for United manager van Gaal, who had been forced to deny he was considering quitting over Christmas.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Four defeats and two draws in December had contributed to a barren run which had seen United go out of the Champions League and slip out of the Premier League's top four during the club's worst run since 1990.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">They could ill-afford another setback and Anthony Martial headed United in front as they scored only their 11th goal in 15 games.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">United's goal and points tally had been their lowest ever in the first half of a Premier League season and when Gylfi Sigurdsson headed Swansea level with 20 minutes to go another winless afternoon threatened.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">But van Gaal's men managed to find the route to goal once more thanks to Rooney's third league goal of the season as relief flooded around Old Trafford.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">As they had done against Chelsea in their previous home stalemate, United tried to show more attacking intent from the start with van Gaal employing a three-man defence and Ashley Young and Anthony Martial as wing-backs in a bid to set up a first home win since November.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Young helped provided an attacking threat but with only one out-and-out striker in Rooney, United still found genuine chances hard to come by before half-time.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Morgan Schneiderlin made a rare foray forward inside the first minute to get in a shot which was blocked by Federico Fernandez, but it was another 20 minutes before United had another sight of goal as Rooney fired into the side-netting.</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify">Frustration</h2> <p style="text-align: justify">Having kept the home side at bay, Swansea winger Wayne Routledge tested David de Gea with a volley and frustration began to grow around Old Trafford.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">But two minutes into the second half United finally went in front to change the context of the afternoon.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Again Young was involved in a telling capacity as his cross was perfectly delivered for Martial, who had drifted into a more central position, to score with a powerful downward header from eight yards which bounced up and past Lukasz Fabianski to give the young Frenchman his eighth goal of the season.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">With nothing to lose, Swansea began to impose themselves.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Andre Ayew's header against a post from Sigurdsson's cross raised the anxiety levels and with 20 minutes to go United were pegged back.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Substitute Modou Barrow gave Swansea an extra cutting edge and, from his cross, Sigurdsson glanced home the equaliser with a header which looped beyond David de Gea.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Suddenly United were back to square one but just when they needed him Rooney delivered.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">When Martial beat Angel Rangel and drove the ball low across the six-yard box, Rooney flicked the ball home with the inside of his foot to claim one of the more important goals of his long United career.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">United still had 12 minutes and four of stoppage time to hold out, but with de Gea making a fine save from Ashley Williams and goalkeeper Fabianski coming up from a corner to head just wide with the final touch of the match, van Gaal was at last able to celebrate a win.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>By AFP</strong></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> . </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>