Wayne Rooney’s injury-time penalty gave Manchester United an uninspiring 1-0 win over Sheffield United in the FA Cup third round at Old Trafford.
The captain’s spot kick, earned after Memphis Depay was brought down by Dean Hammond in the 93rd minute, came at the end of a game severely lacking in clear-cut opportunities.
Louis van Gaal’s side had to wait until the 69th minute for their first shot on target, through Matteo Darmian, which was met with ironic cheers from the home crowd.
League One Sheffield United, 46 places below their opponents in the English football pyramid, had just one shot on target of their own.
The hosts had the majority of the possession in the first half, but had little in the way of cutting edge and failed to force a save out of Sheffield United goalkeeper George Long.
Their only half-chance of the opening 45 minutes came when Rooney rounded Long after a superb through ball from Darmian, but the England striker could not net from an acute angle eight yards out.
It meant Van Gaal’s side went into the half-time break without a goal for the 10th match in a row at Old Trafford in all competitions.
