CAPTAIN Wayne Rooney’s injury-time penalty rescued Manchester United from FA Cup embarrassment as the side squeezed past third-tier Sheffield United 1-0 in the third round Saturday.

    Arsenal and Manchester City both had little trouble reaching round four, but United looked destined for an unwanted replay until Rooney struck in the 93rd minute after a foul on substitute Memphis Depay.

    It was only the second shot on target that United had mustered, against a team 47 places below them in the English league system, but manager Louis van Gaal was typically bullish about his side’s display.

    “An escape from jail? I don’t think so,” the Dutchman told BT Sport. “It’s always difficult to play against such an opponent. They are defending with 10, 11 players behind the ball.”

    United’s fans made their feelings plain, however, with mocking applause whenever their team registered an effort at goal and Van Gaal was being loudly goaded by Sheffield United’s fans until the late drama.

    His team seemed to have turned a corner last weekend when they beat Swansea City 2-1 to end an eight-game winless run, but they looked desperately short of ideas at Old Trafford.

    It took them 69 minutes to hit the target, Matteo Darmian shooting tamely at George Long, and they did not threaten Long’s goal again until Dean Hammond was penalized for lunging in on Depay in added time.

    The United winger reacted with an exaggerated dive, but there had been contact and Rooney made no mistake by sending Long the wrong way from the spot.

    (SD-Agencies)