England striker Wayne Rooney scored twice to help Manchester United edge Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at White Hart Lane in the Premiership on Monday. Rooney bagged a brace in the first half before Jermaine Jenas pulled one back for the hosts in the second period. The victory ensured United will stay in the running for the Premier League title after bagging 79 points. Tottenham are in fourth place on 64 points. The Red Devils will be looking for Everton to produce a miraculous win over Chelsea later on Monday to tighten the gap with the league leaders who have 85 points. Former Everton strike Rooney stunned the hosts with an 8th minute opener when he slid home from a Cristiano Ronaldo pass.
Ronaldo latched on to a Ruud Van Nistelrooy's brilliant through pass in the left flank before sending a low-cross to Rooney who tapped in into the empty net. Jermain Defoe had an attempt to level the score in the 15th minute when he rounded United defender Mikael Silvestre inside the area before firing a low shot that was denied by keeper Edwin Van der Sar. Rooney doubled the lead in the 36th minute when he capitalized on a dreadful error by Spurs Korean defender Young-pyo Lee, who gave away the ball inside the area to the United striker, before blasting home from close-range into the net. Jenas gave a life line Tottenham seven minutes after re-start when Nemanja Vidic's clearance deflected off teammate Rio Ferdinand before going to the path of Jenas who poked home. Four minutes later, Nistelrooy wasted a golden opportunity to extend the lead as he went face to face with Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson before rounding him but Michael Dawson's challenge denied him.
