Rooney scored in injury time, saving Man Utd from defeat against Stoke.

The captain and striker proved his worth with a spectacular free-kick to equalize 1-1 for Man Utd in the fourth minute of added time.

Rooney rescued Man Utd when Stoke had one hand on victory. Photo: Reuters.

Man Utd gave their fans another emotional draw after sharing points with Liverpool in the previous round. Stoke had the lead until the fourth minute of added time, but a moment of brilliance from Rooney snatched a point for the visitors.

It had been quite a while since Rooney had scored a spectacular goal, but it seems he was saving his best for his 250th goal for the Red Devils. Starting from a free kick on the left wing, no one expected Rooney to decide to shoot straight with just over a minute left in the game. However, the Manchester United captain made a bold decision and was rewarded with a beautiful goal, allowing him to reclaim the top spot for goalscorer after a long period held by legend Bobby Charlton.

A second consecutive draw kept Man Utd's spirits from dropping, but they risk falling behind the top four. Man Utd are currently sixth with 41 points, three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal but having played a game more.

Meanwhile, the home team Stoke have reason to regret their missed opportunities, as they came very close to securing their third consecutive Premier League victory. The home side took an early lead thanks to an own goal from Juan Mata and defended well for the remainder of the match, but they couldn't anticipate Rooney's decisive moment.

Stoke's typically aggressive style of play made things difficult for Man Utd. Photo: Reuters.

Man Utd extended their unbeaten run to 17 matches across all competitions, but as manager Mourinho stated before the game, only a win would be meaningful. The unbeaten streak continued, but two consecutive draws unexpectedly halted Man Utd's progress just as they were closing in on the top teams.

In the match against Stoke, Man Utd had several good opportunities to equalize early, or even secure three points. However, on a day when their strikers were particularly wasteful, Man Utd were unable to break through the opponent's defense before injury time. Mourinho's team pressed their opponents from the end of the first half to the end of the second half and had at least three clear scoring chances.

The most regrettable moment was Juan Mata's shot that went over the crossbar with an empty net in front of him. The Spanish midfielder was the culprit for scoring an own goal, but he couldn't redeem himself. Ibrahimovic was playing unselfishly, but on the second encounter, the Swedish striker still chose to pass to Mata. If he had been more decisive, Ibrahimovic could have easily scored the equalizer in the first half.

Manchester United's crosses from the flanks proved ineffective against Stoke. Photo: Reuters.

Stoke's aggressive, physically demanding style of play left Man Utd with few options. Man Utd launched numerous long balls into the penalty area, but Ibrahimovic and Fellaini never found a comfortable position to shoot. Meanwhile, Pogba and Mkhitaryan, despite their efforts, were unable to dribble past the numerous Stoke players who were providing cover for each other.

Towards the end of the match, manager Mourinho brought on three new attacking players and employed through-ball tactics. Lingard even hit the crossbar once before Rooney scored to equalize the score at 1-1.

Next week, Man Utd will play the first leg of their League Cup semi-final away at Hull. This is a crucial match, and Man Utd could end their streak of draws against bottom-of-the-table Premier League opponents.

According to VNE