England international and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney rescued one point for his side with record-breaking free kick in the last seconds of the game against Stoke City in a 1-1 clash. The striker came from the bench to put the ball into the top corner of the goal in the 94th minute of the game. It was his 250th goal for the Red Devils, which makes Rooney the best goal scorer in the history of the club. The previous record was held by Sir Bobby Charlton.
Another draw for United
Jose Mourinho decided to make four changes from the last game against Liverpool at the Old Trafford, selecting Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Daley Blind, and Belgian tower Marouane Fellaini.
The hosts decided not to change anything. Stoke City started the game really well and they took the lead just after 19 minutes of gameplay. Marko Arnautovic passed the ball to Pieters, whose cross was deflected by Juan Mata. Unfortunately for United’s goalkeeper the ball went through his legs and into the goal.
After the goal, the hosts continued to put the pressure on Manchester United’s defence, but The Red Devils started to create their own chances. Juan Mata’s effort missed the target after a fantastic, unselfish play by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A few minutes later the Swede once again decided to deliver the cross instead of shooting at the target, when the former may have been the better decision, allowing Stoke’s defenders to block.
Second half
In the second half Manchester United continued to dominate the game in the middle of the pitch, but they couldn’t create a clear chance to level the score. Jose Mourinho decided to bring on Wayne Rooney twenty minutes before the end of the game, and, just a few seconds later, he delivered a perfect cross to Marcus Rashford, but his shot missed the target by a few inches.
In the last seconds of the game, Joe Allen fouled a United forward on the edge of the box, and Wayne Rooney took the free-kick. His shot found the top corner of the goal, as the opponents were likely expecting a cross to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.