He can, he will, and he just did. Wayne Rooney has opened the scoring after only two minutes at the Hawthorns in a feat not witnessed since last March against Bayern Munich in Champions League. The feat itself: scoring from open play.
Unlike United's last outing where they drew 1-1 against Birmingham City where Rooney was employed deeper and on the left, the England striker has moved higher up the pitch and more central in partnering the league's leading goal scorer Dimitar Berbatov.
The goal itself originated from a nice forward movement when Berbatov found Gabriel Obertan. Obertan, who is enjoying a rare start, produced a few seconds of nice footwork and then found Patrice Evra who decided to forgo the dancing and immediately crossed into the box where Rooney was waiting to head past Scott Carson who was slow in reacting to Rooney's trickling header.
It was a dream start for Rooney and United who haven't had the best away form this season although now that 2011 is upon us and Rooney has marked his 200th appearance in a Manchester United shirt with a goal in the game's third minute, maybe 2011 looks to be a better year for Rooney and United both.