REACTION: United vs Rangers
"Wayne Rooney resisted the temptation to kiss the Manchester United badge after converting an 86th minute penalty to secure victory against Rangers, but relief was clearly bursting out of the 25-year-old as he sprinted towards the supporters who no longer chant his name.
"...Actions, rather than words, are what will repair the bridges broken by Rooney’s stand-off with his employers, but his Ibrox penalty may ultimately prove to be the foundation stone in his new relationship with the club and its supporters."
"It may only have been a penalty in a game United didn't have to win but the bear hug and the kiss on the cheek he received from the supporter who reached him first by the corner flag suggested forgiveness is nigh for a player who almost left a little over a month ago.
"In yet another TV interview ahead of last night's game, Rooney conceded that it may take a while before every United fan is singing his name again. After last night, the balance has tipped slightly in his favour. Football fans - for all their occasional bouts of principle - have hearts that can be easily won."
Rooney's 87th-minute penalty was the decisive moment of a 1-0 win that relegates Rangers into the Europa League and Ferguson believes the forward can now move on from the various controversies that led to a minority of fans booing him when he came on a substitute against Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
"There are no issues with that [the fans] at all," the United manager said. "Every time he scores he weds himself to the fans and the players and it's taken a lot of courage to take that penalty kick. I don't think he's ever been short of that – and it was a fantastic penalty.
"He's not had an easy night, he's missed a couple of chances but that's what we expected. He's rusty, he needs games; that's obvious, but it's a start for him. We need him to keep playing 90 minutes and that will continue now."
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