Wayne Rooney: Derby Winner Was Best Goal I've Ever Scored

England man scores spectacular late overhead kick.
Wayne Rooney sealed victory for Manchester United over bitter rivals Manchester City with a sensational bicycle kick and claimed it was the best he's ever netted.

With the teams drawing 1-1 the England man struck ten minutes from time to send an unstoppable overhead effort from the edge of the area directly into Joe Hart's top corner.

The result cements United's position at the summit of the Premier League, leaving them eight points clear of their third placed rivals who have played a game more.

Rooney confirmed that the strike was the first of its type he has scored since turning professional and when asked about whether it was the best of his career he told Sky Sports: "Yeah I think so. I saw the ball come in the box and I thought why not.

"I tried to get in a good position from when Nani crossed it. Nine times out of 10 they go over the crossbar or wide. I tried it and thankfully it's gone in the top corner.

"You don't have time to think about what you're gonna do. It's the first one since I started playing professionally so I'm delighted, especially as it has given us three points."

Despite receiving plaudits for the spectacular nature of his winner, Rooney was quick to acknowledge the importance of the goal to his sides' effort in the title race, while expressing discontent with his overall performance in the derby.

"To be honest I was not too pleased with my overall performance today but I spoke to a few of the lads and they said 'stay up there, in the box and you will get your chance'. Thankfully I have done that and managed to put it away.

"For the importance of the league, after dropping three points last week [at Wolves], it was important that we kept that gap between ourselves and City.

"I thought it was a close game but we created the better chances and deserved to win. More importantly, it's three points which keep us top of the league."