Rooney equals record as United beats Reading 4-0 in FA Cup
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Wayne Rooney scored his 249th goal for Manchester United on Saturday to match Bobby Charlton as the club's joint leading scorer.
The 31-year-old Rooney came close to taking the record outright as the defending FA Cup champion swept aside second-tier Reading 4-0 in the third round of the tournament.
Rooney, the record scorer for England's national team, struck in the seventh minute at Old Trafford.
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Rooney, who joined United in 2004 as an 18-year-old prodigy from Everton, almost grabbed his 250th goal when he was denied from close range in the second half of a one-sided contest.
United is in a hot vein of form for manager Jose Mourinho after winning its eighth straight match in all competitions and dominated Reading, managed by former United defender Jaap Stam.
Rooney, who spurned a great chance inside two minutes, did not have long to wait to reach his milestone, guiding the ball home from Juan Mata's clipped cross five minutes later.
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Rooney then turned provider as United doubled its lead on 15 minutes, playing in Anthony Martial who slotted a right-footed shot into the corner.
Marcus Rashford made it 3-0 with 15 minutes to go, his first goal in 18 matches, and quickly added a fourth after a mistake from Reading goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi.
Three all-Premier League FA Cup third-round matches take place Saturday with Everton hosting Leicester, Sansea going to Hull and Sunderland taking on Burnley.
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Arsenal plays Preston in the late game.