Manchester United 1-0 Birmingham City

By foxsports

Published Aug. 16, 2009 3:57 p.m. ET

Wayne Rooney scored to ensure Manchester United began the defence of their Premier League title with a 1-0 win over Birmingham at Old Trafford.

After playing second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo for so long, and spending too much time on the wing for his liking, Rooney returned to centre stage in every sense, rising to meet Nani's cross, then tapping home when his 34th-minute header bounced back off a post.