Ronaldo kicks off a Rooney show at Old Trafford

It was supposed to be Cristiano Ronaldo vs Kaka, but it was Wayne Rooney who finished an exhilarating evening with his name echoing around Old Trafford...

It was supposed to be Cristiano Ronaldo vs Kaka, but it was Wayne Rooney who finished an exhilarating evening with his name echoing around Old Trafford and the praise of his manager Alex Ferguson ringing in his ears.

Rooney8217;s injury-time winner means Manchester United will travel to Italy next week with a 3-2 lead to defend in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, and Ferguson is confident his side can emerge from the San Siro with a ticket to next month8217;s final in Athens.

Rooney8217;s late goal 8212; a fierce first-time drive from Ryan Giggs8217;s through ball that caught Milan8217;s goalkeeper, Dida, on his heels and out of position 8212; was his second of the evening, matching the opportunistic double that Kaka had claimed to give Milan a half-time lead following Ronaldo8217;s early opener.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Rooney8217;s strike had left United as marginal favourites to progress to the final, but he refused to blame the poor positioning of Dida, who was also at fault when he failed to hold Ronaldo8217;s early header and then helped the ball over the line.

Milan were unfortunate to lose both Paolo Maldini, who failed to emerge for the second half because of knee problem, and their midfield enforcer Gennaro Gattuso, who went off ten minutes after the restart but is expected to be fit for next week.

Ronaldo gave United the lead with a header from a Giggs corner that cannoned into Dida8217;s chest before spinning towards the top corner of the net.

The goalkeeper might still have been able to clear the danger but in his haste to claw the ball away succeeded only in deflecting it into his own net. The Brazilian was to make amends with a string of high-quality stops and, at the other end, Kaka ensured the match had swung in Milan8217;s favour by the break.

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Clarence Seedorf8217;s diagonal pass into the box set him up for the equaliser, the Brazilian8217;s superb first touch carrying him past three United defenders surrounding him to the corner of the six-yard box, from where his second swept the ball beyond Edwin van der Sar8217;s left hand and into the far corner of the net.

Eight minutes from half-time, the Brazilian muscled Fletcher off the ball on the left of the box and turned inside, generating a panic in United8217;s makeshift defence which resulted in Gabriel Heinze and Evra running into each other, leaving Kaka with the simple task of side-footing the ball past van der Sar.

Milan8217;s playmaker might have completed his hat-trick as his side threatened on the counter attack early in the second half.