If Wayne Rooney was to break the Manchester United goalscoring record, this was the way to do it. It was, first of all, a fabulous finish, a free-kick delivered from the left-hand edge of the box that curled into the top corner of Lee Grant’s net. It was also a typical Manchester United goal in that it arrived at the death and salvaged a match that appeared lost.

Goal number 250 arrived in front of the watching Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson who had brought him to Old Trafford 12-and-a-half years ago. As he said afterwards “it meant a hell of a lot.”

"It means a hell of a lot. It is a great honour and I am very proud. It is difficult at the minute to be over-pleased because of the result but in the grand scheme it is huge honour. It is not something I expected when I joined. As I said before, I am proud and I hope there is more to come.”

In a way, Rooney has hauled himself over the line – his last league goal had come in August. But this was a reminder of a glorious talent.

It also brought a measure of justice to the day. This season Manchester United have dropped four points to Stoke in two matches they have dominated. To have lost, as seemed likely before Rooney took aim, would have been unusually cruel.

They have become prettier to watch, the names they have been able to attract have become bigger but Stoke away is still the great test. Weak teams do not win here. Ferguson’s sides used to but, since the great helmsman’s retirement, Manchester United had not picked up three points in the Potteries.

By dropping Michael Carrick, who had been given some rough treatment during the 1-1 draw with Liverpool, in favour of Marouane Fellaini, Jose Mourinho seemed to be suggesting that Manchester United required some toughening up.

Ten minutes after half-time, Mourinho withdrew him for Marcus Rashford. His side were behind and what United required was not toughness but goals. They had possession, they had chances but Manchester United did not get their equaliser until the death.

It was dark, dank and the air was threatening a frozen drizzle. It was Stoke as football cliché. When Marko Arnautovic was booked for a challenge on Ander Herrera, the stadium exploded with indignation. Nothing would be given away.

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Aranautovic was the focus of much that was good about Stoke’s early moves and he was involved in the one that decided the pattern of the afternoon. The ball was played inside to Erik Pieters, who had pushed up from full-back. Pieters tried to pull the ball back across the face of David De Gea’s goal, two Manchester United boots belonging to Chris Smalling and Juan Mata went to intercept it and Mata’s turned it into his own net.

This was not a day he would have wanted to linger long over. Midway through the first half, Paul Pogba clipped a ball on the run for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is probably the Premier League’s most dangerous and in-form striker. This time he chose not to shoot but to clip a pass across the area for Mata to run on to. However, under pressure from Bruno Martins Indi, the Spaniard scooped the ball into the stands. Had not played badly just unluckily and in the 67th minute Mata made way for Rooney.

Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Lee Grant – 7 out of 10 Made a couple of smart stops but never did anything more than expected of him. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Glen Johnson – 6 out of 10 Was allowed to take advantage of United’s narrow midfield but kept busy defensively. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Ryan Shawcross – 7 out of 10 Did well to combat the combined muscle of Ibrahimovic and Fellaini in the aerial battles. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Bruno Martins Indi – 6 out of 10 Was strong defensively, even if he was caught out of position at times. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Erik Pieters – 7 out of 10 Marauded forward well and got his reward when his cross was turned in by Mata. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Charlie Adam – 6 out of 10 Made his presence in the centre of midfield felt as he harried United’s stars. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Glenn Whelan – 6 out of 10 Watched Pogba well throughout and made sure his impact on the game was limited to the deeper positions. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Marko Arnautovic – 6 out of 10 Cynical yellow card for pulling down Herrera on the break and was not too influential in an attacking sense. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Xherdan Shaqiri – 5 out of 10 Had a decent effort from a cut inside shot, but should have fed Crouch better when Stoke had a two on two in the first half. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Joe Allen – 6 out of 10 Neat touches and effortless passing as his glided around the field but nothing much more meaningful than that. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Peter Crouch – 5 out of 10 Was a nuisance for Jones and Smalling and always a danger in the air. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings David De Gea – 6 out of 10 Nothing he could do about the goal and had little to do other than that. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Antonio Valencia – 6 out of 10 Was called the best right-back in the world by his manager but other than his usual overlaps, did little to reinforce that view. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Phil Jones – 6 out of 10 Looking more and more like the player Sir Alex Ferguson once predicted he would be and won some crucial tackles and interceptions. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Chris Smalling – 6 out of 10 Preferred to Rojo in defence and took the armband but had his work cut out with Crouch. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Daley Blind – 5 out of 10 Had plenty of space to get forward but lacked the pace to turn it into any sort of danger for United. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Ander Herrera – 7 out of 10 His usual high-octane performance and fast becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Paul Pogba – 5 out of 10 Saw his effectiveness reduced as his was played in a deeper role and saw his snap-volley punched away well by Grant. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Marouane Fellaini – 6 out of 10 Had plenty of chances in the air and brought a couple of decent saves from Grant. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Juan Mata – 6 out of 10 Mata did his usual stuff but got the unfortunate final touch to divert the ball past De Gea and then missed a golden opportunity to equalise at the other end, skying his shot over from two yards. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6 out of 10 Missed a golden chance to equalise when he launched his shot into row Z in the first half, but created a great effort for Ibrahimovic before that. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 5 out of 10 Had a number of chances to score but twice tried to pass when a shot looked the better option. Man Utd via Getty Images

Manchester United were now gradually ratcheting up the pressure and the clock on Stoke’s electronic stadium would to three-quarters of the ground be appear to be moving very slowly. Fellaini’s one positive contribution was a wild drive into the ground that Lee Grant tipped into the Boothen End. The referee, Mark Clattenburg, fussed over where Daley Blind should take it from but when the ball did arrive Pogba met it on the full and, had the volley gone anywhere other than straight at Grant, Manchester United would have equalised.

In both their games against Stoke, they have suffered from an absence of ruthlessness in front of goal. In the second half a cross from Rooney was chested down from Rashford – and you half expected to follow the ball into the net. It flashed wide. Five minutes from the end, Jesse Lingard clipped the top of the crossbar.

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Before the interval, Henrikh Mkhitaryan was picked out somewhere near the penalty spot and delivered what looked like an attempted drop goal. In recognition, the Stoke fans began a chorus of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”.

Stoke City: (4-2-3-1) Grant; Johnson, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Whelan, Adam (Affelay 62); Shaqiri (Ngoy 74), Allen, Arnautovic (Imbula 88); Crouch. Substitutes: Given (g), Bardsley, Muniesa, Bojan.

Manchester United: (4-3-3) De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Blind; Fellaini (Rashford 56) Pogba, Herrera; Mata (Rooney 67), Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan (Lingard 73). Substitutes: Romero (g), Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Darmian.

Referee: Mark Clattenburg