West Ham United 2 Manchester United 4: Rooney’s rant under review by FA, says Brooking

Wayne Rooney can expect to discover today whether he will face disciplinary action for his foul-mouthed hat-trick celebration at Upton Park on Saturday.

The Manchester United forward’s three goals helped his team come from two goals down to win and they ended the day seven points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

But, after completing his treble, the striker uttered an audible expletive into a television camera as he celebrated.

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The Football Association’s director Sir Trevor Brooking yesterday confirmed the governing body will be investigating Rooney’s behaviour at Upton Park.

“(Today) there will be a decision,” he said. “It was a surprise, after scoring a hat-trick, to react that way. It is something we will have to look at.”

Rooney has apologised for swearing. His outburst, beamed around the world by Sky Sports, prompted an on-air apology from the broadcasters.

In a statement released by United, Rooney said: “I want to apologise for any offence that may have been caused by my goal celebration, especially any parents or children that were watching.

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“Emotions were running high, and on reflection my heat-of-the-moment reaction was inappropriate. It was not aimed at anyone in particular.”

There is recent precedent of disciplinary action against a swearing sportsman, England cricketer Graeme Swann having been fined 10 per cent of his match fee in the World Cup defeat by Bangladesh in Chittagong last month – although on that occasion, the player did not direct his words deliberately towards a camera or stump microphone.

In football, the disciplinary procedure in such circumstances is less obviously established.

But FA rules state: “A participant shall at all times act in the best interests of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour.”

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Rooney upset England fans during last summer’s World Cup when he turned to a television camera and verbally attacked them at the end of the dismal goalless draw with Algeria.

The apparent frustrations of both players and managers are under the spotlight, after Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore launched a campaign to target “unacceptable” criticism of and behaviour towards referees.

Rooney’s boss Sir Alex Ferguson has already had his say on the issue, and yesterday former United defender and Sunderland manager Steve Bruce admitted he is sometimes taken aback by his own behaviour when he sees it on television highlights. “Sometimes on a Saturday night I look at myself and say ‘Steve, what are you doing there?’

“But you become involved, and the game takes over.

“It is part and parcel of the spectacle. I don’t think it is that bad. If you see players in games abroad, for me that is much worse.”

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Bruce believes the best way to keep emotions in check is to allow technology to help referees with tight calls.

“I’m all for technology,” he said.

“Week-in, week-out, we keep seeing difficult decisions cost games.”

Rooney scored a hat-trick to edge Manchester United closer to the Barclays Premier League title before declaring: “Our season starts now.”

At this point last season, Rooney gad scored 35 times in 46 matches for club and country before injury struck in United’s Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.

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He was never the same again for the remainder of 2010, enduring a miserable World Cup, unseemly revelations about his private life and a run of only three goals in 28 games.

But the turn of the year seemed to rejuvenate Rooney and signs he was slowly getting back to his best began to emerge.

Vital strikes against West Brom and Aston Villa were followed by his jaw-dropping overhead kick in the Manchester derby, but even that was arguably eclipsed by his virtuoso 14-minute treble at West Ham on Saturday.

His 99th, 100th and 101st Premier League goals for United almost single-handedly turned a 2-0 defeat, which would have opened the door for Arsenal and Chelsea, into a 4-2 victory that appeared to drain all confidence from their title rivals and left Ferguson’s men a clear run at a record-breaking 19th championship.

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Ferguson called it “a championship-winning performance” – the latest in a long line of turnarounds that has become one of the hallmarks of his reign, never more so than this season.

United have been 2-0 down to Villa, Blackpool and West Ham and have taken seven points.

United’s victory arguably owed as much to luck as to Rooney and their sheer bloody-mindedness.

Returning captain Nemanja Vidic could easily have been sent off while it was still 2-0 and the penalty award which allowed Rooney to complete his hat-trick was debatable.

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West Ham midfielder Gary O’Neil claimed Vidic should have walked, more for persistent yellow card offences than for a straight red for hauling back Demba Ba.

Asked if the Hammers would have held on against 10 men, O’Neil said: “Yeah, I would’ve thought so. It makes it easier to hold on, obviously.

“But I think the main difference was the changes they made. They were positive changes.

“They didn’t cause us too many problems in behind, first half, but as soon as (Javier) Hernandez came on and they brought (Dimitar) Berbatov on as well, it made a massive difference.”

Mark Noble had scored twice in the first half for West Ham from the penalty spot – the first after a handling offence by Patrice Evra and the second after a foul by Vidic on Carlton Cole .