Rooney gives United winning start

Aug 16, 2009, 14:31 GMT

London - Wayne Rooney struck the only goal as Manchester United got their season off to a positive start with a 1-0 win over Birmingham City.

United controlled the bulk of the game, without looking entirely comfortable, but after home draws on the opening weekend in each of the last two seasons, their priority was to collect the three points.

The winner came after 34 minutes, Rooney tapping in after his header had come back off the post.

United were without centre-back Rio Ferdinand, who returned form England duty in midweek with a back problem, and then tweaked his calf in training.

He will have a scan to assess the extent of the damage on Monday.

Birmingham set up with a deep-lying five-man midfield, but they struggled to contain United in the early stages.

They forced a couple of penalty-box scrambles, and then Rooney drew a fine save from Joe Hart with a dipping 25-yarder, but gradually Birmingham began to establish a foothold.

United's breakthrough came 11 minutes before the break. Rooney nodded down a long diagonal for Berbatov, who spread the ball wide to Nani.

Rooney's initial header from his cross hit the foot of the post, but with Hart wrong-footed, he was able to knock in the rebound.

That woke Birmingham up, Cameron Jerome sending a low drive just wide, and then Franck Queudrue seeing a header cleared off the line by Patrice Evra.

United, though, soon took control again, and in the final minute of the first half, Darren Fletcher sliced wide after being teed up eight yards out by Evra.

Rooney had a dipping shot beaten away by Hart early in the half, but United were never at their most fluent, and although they were on top, there was always a sense that Birmingham might steal an equalizer.

Keith Fahey sent a long-range drive skidding just wide, James McFadden hit a shot straight into the body of Ben Foster, before the England goalkeeper made an excellent stretching save from substitute Christian Benitez.

Michael Owen, on as a substitute, was denied in a one-on-one in injury-time, but United had done enough, and will expect to improve as the season progresses.