UEFA Champions League 2013 Manchester United vs. Bayer Leverkusen: United Defeats Leverkusen; Rooney Scores a Brace; Statistics; Result
Manchester United got the better of Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League.
Striker Wayne Rooney started the festivities with a goal at the 22nd minute, assisted by left-back Patrice Evra with a swirling cross.
Leverkusen midfielder answered after the break with a bending strike just outside of the box, coming from a Son Heung-Min pass, to make the score level.
Robin Van Persie, however, countered with an acrobatic shot at the 59th minute from an Antonio Valencia cross.
Thereafter, Rooney was able to collect a long ball from keeper David De Gea at the near post. The striker composed himself and blasted the ball past Leverkusen's keeper Bernd Leno.
Valencia sealed the game, with a beautiful lay-off from Rooney when United broke away with a counter attack to make it 4-1.
Omer Tropak scored a consolation goal at the 88th minute for Bayer, making it 4-2.
Wayne Rooney was definitely "the man" because of the impact he made in the match.
Red Devils boss David Moyes was pleased with how the England strike performed amid the controversies that surrounded him during the summer.
"Wayne [Rooney] played really well tonight. He scored his goals and his pass to put Antonio [Valencia] in was terrific. We want him to keep that scoring record up. I think there are only three or four Manchester United players that have ever achieved 200 goals," Moyes told uefa.com.
"I remember saying that he could go on to become one of the all-time greats here by his goals, I thought his performance tonight was excellent. I think everything he did was worthy of two goals, and maybe more."
Meanwhile, Levekusen manager Sami Hyypia admitted that United was a force to reckon with but thinks that his team lost concentration as the game progressed.
"Before the game, we talked a lot about the mental aspect of these matches because it's a very important factor in football," said Hyypia.
"I think we were lacking some elements of that today. We have to continue working hard in order to improve in that area. However, you should not forget that we lost to a very good team today."
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