Swansea 1 United 1

forward in an attempt to press home the advantage.

But just as United appeared to have gained control of the contest, Spanish striker Michu pounced to tap in from close range after De Gea could only parry Jonathan De Guzman’s stinging effort.

The equaliser came just before the half-hour mark and prompted a spell of sustained Swansea pressure. Michu, Routledge and De Guzman all shone as the match swung in the home side’s favour.

Still, the Reds never yielded any clear-cut chances and could even have gone into the break 2-1 up when Evra burst down the left, reached the by-line and found Rooney 10 yards out. The striker didn’t quite catch his low, left-footed effort cleanly, however, and Vorm did enough to keep the ball out and ensure parity at half-time.

The start of the second period proved similarly frustrating for Rooney, whose every misplaced pass or blocked shot was met with cheers by the home crowd.

He did release Ashley Young inside the area, though, after a Swansea mistake gifted the Reds possession in the final third. Young’s shot was well blocked by Ashley Williams and the Swans breathed a sigh of relief.