LONDON — Cristiano Ronaldo and substitute Wayne Rooney scored in the last nine minutes and Manchester United ousted Aston Villa from the FA Cup 2-0 on Saturday.
Entering 11 minutes from the end, in a game watched by England’s new coach Fabio Capello, Rooney inspired United’s fourth successive FA Cup triumph over Villa in seven years.
Rooney started the move that ended with Ronaldo sliding home Ryan Giggs’ cross in the 81st minute. After providing another expert crossfield pass to the Portuguese star, Rooney fired home first time from the edge of the area after Ronaldo’s shot had been blocked by a defender.
"I think he’s a fantastic footballer," United defender Rio Ferdinand said of Rooney. "He’s been out for a couple of games. He looked very, very fresh when he came on. He’s a player who’s got bundles of energy."