Rooney wins it for United

LONDON – Wayne Rooney came off the bench to give Manchester United a 2-1 win over Portsmouth while third division Bristol City stormed back to draw 2-2 with Premier League Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.

Rooney, who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the hour mark, finished off a neat Ryan Giggs pass in the 77th minute and then chipped a spectacular second in the 83rd. Portsmouth got an 87th minute consolation goal when a shot by Portuguese midfielder Pedro Mendes, who had earlier sparked controversy with a goalmouth clearance, took a deflection off substitute striker Nwankwo Kanu and hit the net.Boro’s draw, after leading 2-0 at halftime, was a rare surprise in Saturday’s action.Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and Reading eased through after top-flight class proved too much for second division opponents, while Watford beat West Ham United 1-0 in the all-Premier League clash at Upton Park.Spurs beat Southend 3-1, Matt Derbyshire scored two and made another as Blackburn Rovers trounced Luton Town 4-0, on-loan striker Vincenzo Montella engineered Fulham’s 3-0 win over Stoke City and Reading were 3-2 winners at Birmingham City.The controversy was sparked at Old Trafford in the 12th minute when a header by United’s Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic seemed to cross the line before being hooked back out by Mendes.The irony of the clearance will not have been lost on United fans.United were out of luck and their fortune did not improve when a superb volley by on-loan Swedish striker Henrik Larsson was narrowly ruled out for offside.United’s domination was finally rewarded with Rooney’s double, the second strike a fantastic chip by the England striker from outside the area that left keeper David James stranded.Four second division clubs reached Monday’s fifth-round draw after wins for Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Ipswich Town and Derby County.Norwich City were held 1-1 by third division Blackpool.Nampa-ReutersPortsmouth got an 87th minute consolation goal when a shot by Portuguese midfielder Pedro Mendes, who had earlier sparked controversy with a goalmouth clearance, took a deflection off substitute striker Nwankwo Kanu and hit the net.Boro’s draw, after leading 2-0 at halftime, was a rare surprise in Saturday’s action.Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and Reading eased through after top-flight class proved too much for second division opponents, while Watford beat West Ham United 1-0 in the all-Premier League clash at Upton Park.Spurs beat Southend 3-1, Matt Derbyshire scored two and made another as Blackburn Rovers trounced Luton Town 4-0, on-loan striker Vincenzo Montella engineered Fulham’s 3-0 win over Stoke City and Reading were 3-2 winners at Birmingham City.The controversy was sparked at Old Trafford in the 12th minute when a header by United’s Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic seemed to cross the line before being hooked back out by Mendes.The irony of the clearance will not have been lost on United fans.United were out of luck and their fortune did not improve when a superb volley by on-loan Swedish striker Henrik Larsson was narrowly ruled out for offside.United’s domination was finally rewarded with Rooney’s double, the second strike a fantastic chip by the England striker from outside the area that left keeper David James stranded.Four second division clubs reached Monday’s fifth-round draw after wins for Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Ipswich Town and Derby County.Norwich City were held 1-1 by third division Blackpool.Nampa-Reuters