Zo much better as Luk turns for Blues
LUKAS JUTKIEWICZ’S ninth goal of the season gave Gianfranco Zola’s Birmingham a deserved replay against high-flying Newcastle.
The Italian is still without a win five games into his St Andrew’s reign.
But he had every reason to look happy after a battling performance from his side.
Zola said: “We had good chances to win it but next time they will go in.
“It was important that we got something out of it. It will give big belief to the players.
“At the beginning we were a bit edgy but I am now more optimistic.”
Rafa Benitez’s Toon failed to take advantage of Daryl Murphy’s early goal and in the end were lucky to earn a second chance.
Murphy bustled home a right-wing corner from Achraf Lazaar in the sixth minute to give his side the lead.
But it came at a heavy price as Aleksandar Mitrovic was hurt in the move and had to be carried off.
Deandre Yedlin should have increased the Magpies’ lead but screwed his shot wide, while Mitrovic’s replacement Yoan Gouffran tested Blues keeper Adam Legzdins with a raking drive.
And the visitors paid for those misses in the 38th minute. Jonathan Grounds forced a low ball across the face of goal and Jutkiewicz fired home from close range.
Benitez sent on Isaac Hayden and Matt Ritchie to try to lift his side in the second half – and it nearly paid off as Ritchie’s fast, low cross was just missed by Murphy and Gouffran.
At the other end Jutkiewicz should have sealed the tie for the home side but his glancing header from Josh Cogley’s cross went wide in the 83rd minute.
Benitez said: “A replay is not ideal, for them or us.
“I always approach every game looking to win. For me, the FA Cup is a massive competition. I won it with Liverpool in 2006. And I will try to do it with this squad.”
A cross from the left by Juan Mata and the United captain kneed it on and into the net.
But it did not matter. It was goal No.249 for Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton’s record, which has stood for 44 years, was finally equalled.
The outright record will come in due course, too – and it could have happened yesterday.
He had a close-range chance in the 56th minute but shot against the body of Reading keeper Ali Al-Habsi.
So Rooney had to settle for one highly significant goal yesterday in the Third Round of the FA Cup, with the Red Devils’ other efforts coming from Anthony Martial and a Marcus Rashford double.
And this result made it eight wins in succession for United, who are now unbeaten in 14 matches.
Boss Jose Mourinho said of Rooney: achievement is amazing and I just wanted one more goal from him.
“I was hoping until the last minute that it would come, but it is just a matter of time.
“Wayne is an amazing guy in this group. Sir Bobby Charlton is Sir Bobby Charlton – but Wayne is something special, too.”
Holders United went into the tie on the back of their best winning run in all competitions for six years – when Sir Alex Ferguson was manager.
And despite making a raft of changes to “His maximise his squad, United boss Mourinho saw his side continue their dominant form. England manager Gareth Southgate, at Old Trafford to watch Rooney and Rashford, saw both players go close in the first two minutes. Rashford shot just wide after 36 seconds and Rooney was then denied by Al-Habsi’s smart save. But after only seven minutes Southgate was joining in with the applause from a directors’ box which included Charlton (below, with wife Norma) and Fergie, as Rooney scored his record-equalling goal. Martial cut in from the left and found Mata, whose cross was diverted into the net by the United captain. The Reds’ rampant start brought a second goal six minutes later, with Rooney again involved. Martial worked a neat one-two with Rooney before slotting the ball into the far corner of the net for a typically precise finish. Reading boss Jaap Stam – still a hero at United following his playing days there – knew then that he was not going to have a glorious return to Old Trafford. There should have been more goals before the half-time break – one of them for Reading but Liam Moore failed to make contact with the ball from point-blank range with the goal at his mercy.
And at the other end, Rashford went wide of Al-Habsi only to shoot into the side netting.
Then from another good position he hit the keeper’s legs with a right-foot effort.
It was a day when United could and should have scored many more, with Rashford particularly wasteful.
But when Michael Carrick went close with a fine strike, he was denied by an excellent full-length save by Al-Habsi.
Rashford, however, finally finished with a flourish with two goals in four minutes.
In the 75th minute he slotted the ball home in a one-on-one situation with Al-Habsi, after Carrick had supplied the pass.
Then the Reading keeper horribly miskicked when trying to clear to present Rashford with a simple tap-in goal.
Mourinho added: “It was a great performance, a professional job from minute one.
“And it was good for me to see the players who haven’t been playing get a game and showing me they are ready when needed.
“But there is no time to rest. We have a cup semi-final against Hull on Tuesday and we want to go back to Wembley.”
Stam, who revealed that former United defender Paul McShane missed the match after having a hand operation, said of his return to Old Trafford: “It was nice to hear the crowd here singing my name again.
“But I hate losing and we were too easy going at the start. It was still great experience for my players, though.
“You get experience from losing as well as winning.”