He may be a lightning rod for criticism off the field, but on the field Wayne Rooney has been magical.

After scoring a hat trick against West Ham United, Rooney has put Manchester United up 1-0, on Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge.

The goal came in the 24th minute after a fine assist from veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs.

Chelsea has had opportunities through out the match, but hasn't been able to capitalize off of them. The best chances came in the 45th minute when Frank Lampard wasn't able to score on two straight occasions.

His first opportunity came when Fernando Torres hit the post, but when Lampard pounced on the ricochet, he directed the ball right at Patrice Evra.

Lampard's second chance came moments later, when he measured up a right-footed blast from just outside the box that was deflected.

The Red Devils were able to weather the storm to end the half with a fortunate score of 1-0.

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