Chelsea 0 Manchester United 1: Rooney allows his play to do the talking as United down Chelsea

Wayne Rooney was the focus of attention again last night – this time for all the right reasons as his clinical first-half goal gave Manchester United a Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Rooney went into tie still not knowing what his punishment will be for his four-letter outburst at West Ham on Saturday.

But the uncertainty did not affect him as he took full advantage of a superb piece of skill by Ryan Giggs to give United their first win at Stamford Bridge since 2002 and put them in pole position to reach the semi-final ahead of Old Trafford next week.

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Chelsea are not out of it, of course. Indeed, a repeat of the 2-1 success on their last trip to Old Trafford 12 months ago would be enough to send them through.

However, they will have to do far better in front of goal – and £50m man Fernando Torres, in particular, must start scoring after yet another ineffective display ended with a deserved stoppage-time yellow card for diving.

At Upton Park on Saturday, Rooney completed his hat-trick, then headed straight towards a TV camera to deliver his ill-advised reaction that threatens his place in the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City.

As his first-time effort caressed the base of Petr Cech’s left-hand post and rolled gently into the back of the Chelsea net, he again ran towards the lens.

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This time, he stopped short, slid to his knees and waited to be mobbed by ecstatic team-mates.

Giggs’s contribution was outrageous. Now 37, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed the veteran Welshman could go on for a couple of years yet. How the United boss must hope that proves true.

Having watched Michael Carrick deliver a pinpoint crossfield pass that was stunning in itself, Ferguson could only sit back and admire Giggs’s sublime first touch, which took him careering past the stranded Jose Bosingwa, and the coolness of his second, which left Rooney with his chance.

The England striker opened his body to guide the ball home. Cue delirium among the United contingent, satisfaction for Rooney, and the precious away goal Ferguson had demanded.

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Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti could only urge his team – who had started the brighter – into some kind of response.

It might have come in the final minute of that opening period. Didier Drogba went for goal from an acute angle but his shot lacked power. Torres closed in, yet somehow completely missed the ball from a central position on the edge of the six-yard area.

As the ball bounced back off the post, Frank Lampard – playing his 500th game in Chelsea colours – went to tap home, only for Patrice Evra to clear off the line.

Given Saturday’s draw at Stoke, it is hardly overestimating the situation to say Ancelotti’s job hangs on reaching the European Cup final, and for that Torres needs to do the job for which owner Roman Abramovich paid all that money.

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United suffered a hammer blow within minutes of the restart when Rafael went down after a tangle with Drogba.

The young Brazilian boldly tried to continue but the pain in his left knee made it impossible, a stretcher carrying him away.

Ferguson’s response was typical. With no obvious right-back replacement, instead of introducing a defender, in Chris Smalling or Jonny Evans, he went for Nani, asking Antonio Valencia to plug the gap in defence.

Chelsea were able to get up a head of steam though.

Ramires wasted an excellent chance when he glanced Drogba’s effort wide of the far post.

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The Ivorian himself was not too far away with a speculative overhead kick.

United’s defence – which has not conceded an away goal in this competition this season – held firm and went agonisingly close to grabbing a second when Nani drilled a cross to the far post that would have allowed Javier Hernandez to head into an empty net had Cech not gambled in a desperate attempt to claw the ball away from the Mexican.

The departure of Drogba for Nicolas Anelka 20 minutes from time placed even more weight on Torres’s shoulders just after Michael Essien had gone close for the hosts.

And the Liverpool man so nearly responded when he rose to meet Bosingwa’s far-post cross and sent a header curling towards the corner that Edwin van der Sar, troubled by a groin problem, was at full stretch to claw away.

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Torres received a yellow card for diving under Valencia’s challenge, punishment which should have been administered when he tried a similar piece of deception under a challenge from Nemanja Vidic in the first period.

United then breathed a sigh of relief in stoppage time when Patrice Evra sent Ramires tumbling but referee Alberto Mallenco failed to award what seemed to be a clear penalty. United’s captain Ferdinand said: “It’s in the balance. It was a good result but we need to go to Old Trafford, defend well, stay on our feet and if we don’t concede we go through.”

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa (Mikel 78), Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Zhirkov (Malouda 70), Drogba (Anelka 71), Torres. Unused substitutes: Turnbull, Benayoun, Ferreira, Kalou.

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva (Nani 51), Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Park (Smalling 90), Hernandez (Berbatov 78), Rooney. Unused substitutes: Kuszczak, Scholes, Evans, Gibson.

Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain).

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Barcelona all but secured their spot in the semi-finals, and a probable showdown with their fierce rivals Real Madrid, after building a 5-1 first-leg lead over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Andres Iniesta, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Seydou Keita and Xavi were on the mark, Shakhtar’s sole reply coming from Yaroslav Rakitskiy when they were already 3-0 down.