Wayne Rooney’s stoppage-time header dramatically sent Manchester United into the Carling Cup Final at their city rivals’ expense after a terrific second half at Old Trafford.

Rooney headed home a fine Ryan Giggs cross from a well-worked short corner, atoning for a rare miss which threatened to be the tie’s turning point.

Two-one down from the first leg, United turned matters around thanks to goals from midfielders Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick and should have gone three-up only for Rooney to miss a near-sitter from six yards.

Three minutes later, City levelled the tie on aggregate, thanks to the inevitable Carlos Tevez, before Rooney’s decisive intervention.

The game only caught fire after half-time. Six minutes in, United were ahead when Scholes found the net with a trademark right-foot strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Michael Carrick coolly side-footed United in front from a tight angle with twenty minutes left after Darren Fletcher set him up ten yards out.

Tevez neatly flicked home Craig Bellamy’s inviting cross with his right-foot on 76 minutes.

And with a minute left in stoppage-time Shay Given pulled off a wonder save from Fletcher before an unmarked Rooney nodded home the winner from close-range.