Rooney inspires champions with Hammers brace

Wayne Rooney produced another match-winning performance for Manchester United as he took his tally for the season to 27 by bagging a double in a 3-0 win against West Ham.

By The Newsroom

Published 24th Feb 2010, 09:35 BST

Updated 24th Feb 2010, 09:36 BST

Michael Owen scored for the first time since his hat-trick at Wolfsburg in December as the Red Devils closed to within a point of Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea.

But Owen's late effort was a mere footnote compared to Rooney's contribution.

The 24-year-old has been set a conservative target of 30 by Sir Alex Ferguson. At this rate he will eclipse the 42 that helped turn Cristiano Ronaldo into the world's best player two years ago.

Rooney was the main man, beating Robert Green with close-range headers either side of the interval.

"Wayne was tremendous," enthused Sir Alex Ferguson.

Rio Ferdinand missed out after picking up a back injury in training and will miss Sunday's Carling Cup final.