The youngster’s behaviour was exemplary despite provocation from the crowd that once adored him, and though he missed chances to score, his performance contributed to a comfortable 2-0 victory.
It was a happy evening for Rooney’s new club, less so for his old one, who face a police investigation and scrutiny from Soho Square following a second-half incident in which United goalkeeper, Roy Carroll, was struck by a coin thrown from the home section in the Gwladys Street End of Goodison Park.
Having already warned Everton this season for failing to control their supporters following pitch invasions, when Portsmouth and Liverpool visited Goodison, the FA will demand that the club acts swiftly. Everton could be fined or made to play behind closed doors, but Adrian Bevington of the FA confirmed that they will be satisfied if the club takes an active stance. “We will be speaking to Everton and the police through our safety officer,” he said.
“The most important thing is that, through video evidence, the culprit is identified and served with a banning order.”
Everton are eager to comply. “We think that Carroll was hit by a coin thrown by a mindless yob from the Gwladys Street End. The BBC have made footage available to Merseyside police and there is CCTV film available as well. We hope that, as a result, the culprit can be apprehended and banned for life,” said spokesman Ian Ross.
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As for the game, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with Rooney’s performance. “All the talk about leaving him out was ridiculous because he had to come back at some point and play at Everton, so it was as well to get it out of the road,” he said.
Things had been equally as fractious at Highbury earlier in the day. Dennis Bergkamp, captaining Arsenal, was sent off by referee Neale Barry after a 10-man brawl interrupted the first half of a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United. Bergkamp is suspended from Arsenal’s next three matches, but to exacerbate the Gunners’ problems, there was television evidence that the gloved hand of forward Jose Antonio Reyes made contact with the face of Sheffield United’s Andy Liddell. This game, too, is likely to be investigated by the FA and a three-match ban for Reyes may be the result.
In the day’s other ties, Leicester City of the Championship won 2-1 at Premiership Charlton, League One Brentford drew 2-2 at Southampton and Bolton won the all-Premiership tie 1-0 at home to Fulham.