Blinded By Brilliance

Form is temporary; class is permanent.

An old cliche but one that rang true at Old Trafford on Saturday as Wayne Rooney's spectacular overhead kick left Joe Hart stranded and made sure that bragging rights stay with the red half of Manchester until next season at least.The 77th minute goal was the final meaningful act of a closely fought Manchester derby that was arguably the most important for years.

And what a moment it was: flinging himself into the air, Rooney finally wriggled out of Vincent Kompany's back pocket and connected perfectly with an overhead kick to deliver a quality finish to Nani's cross - and a killer blow to City's already fading title chances.

David Silva's fortuitous goal that epitomised the old adage of taking a goal scored off of someone's backside had cancelled out Nani's opener and gave Manchester City hope of a win at Old Trafford that had the potential to blow the title race wide open once more in a season which has ebbed and flowed since Blackpool topped the table on the opening day.
Rooney, however, had other ideas.

It was the type of goal most can only dream of scoring so it is perhaps appropriate that a strike of such quality was to be scored at the Theatre of Dreams.

Rooney strikes to break Manchester City hearts

Given his form for both club and country this season, it was surprising to see Rooney attempt such an ambitious effort on goal. For a man who has only 6 goals all season, he did not look short on confidence when he sent the ball into the top corner to put all inside Old Trafford into a state of shock/jubilation/anger (delete as appropriate) at what they had just witnessed.

Should we be amazed at the quality of the goal? Yes, of course. It is a contender for goal of the season, without doubt. Rooney, himself, has said it is the best of his career to date. Sir Alex Ferguson struggled to recall a better goal post-match. However, the reaction from fans and the media to the goal should not go overboard.

Whilst the goal is indicative of the quality that Rooney possesses in abundance, suggestions that the 25 year old is back to his best are, for me, premature.

Following his two goals against Birmingham City at Old Trafford a few weeks ago, you could see signs that the Rooney of last season - who left a devastating mark on most games he played in - was returning.

The facts, however, do not change.
Dimitar Berbatov has been the main man at Old Trafford this season with 19 league goals to his name already; leading the Premier League goalscoring chart from Manchester City's Carlos Tevez, who was shackled well by Chris Smalling and Nemanja Vidic on Saturday lunchtime.

Rooney's bad form has even seen him take a back seat to the young Mexican, Javier Hernandez, who, more often than not, has seized the opportunity with both hands; scoring his own variation of goals ranging from the spectacular to the downright bizarre.

Rooney's form this season has been poor in comparison to his 34 goal season in 2009/10

Rooney has struggled after a poor World Cup and has come under intense scrutiny from some parts for his performances this season. He has looked nothing like the player who scored prolifically last season.

After his superb goal, there is no doubt that he will have re-endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful. However, it is vital that Rooney remains firmly grounded - though not literally if it means we will see more goals like the one of yesterday. If there is one man to give him this reality check it is Sir Alex Ferguson, who has been there and done it many times before.

If Rooney does indeed return to somewhere near his best then it spells trouble for Premier League defences and I doubt it will be too difficult to find the turning point in his season.