EPL: Manchester United can't keep conceding goals, says Rooney

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney walks off after his team's 3-3 draw against Newcastle United in an Premier League match at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

Manchester: Wayne Rooney has warned Manchester United they cannot afford to keep throwing away points if they are to hit their targets this season.

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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney walks off after his team's 3-3 draw against Newcastle United in an Premier League match at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

United squandered 2-0 and 3-2 leads at struggling Newcastle on Tuesday evening to draw 3-3, in the process slipping to sixth place in the English Premier League table.

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Rooney, who edged to within eight goals of Bobby Charlton's club record of 249 with a double at St James' Park, admitted that his side had to find a balance between attack and defence.

'We were in control'
He told MUTV: "After going 2-0 up, we were in control of the game, and then we've let them back into it. To then get our third goal and concede again was disappointing from us. They were silly goals to concede on our behalf and they were avoidable. They have cost us two points so we're disappointed. We can't keep going on conceding three goals every game, so we have to work on that and create the chances without giving goals away.

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"You can score as many goals as you want, but if you keep conceding goals, then it's a problem. We have to get that balance right and keep creating chances, scoring goals and keeping them out."

Rooney scores brace
It all started so well for Rooney and his teammates when the England captain gave them a ninth-minute lead from the penalty spot, and when Jesse Lingard made it 2-0 seven minutes before the break, they seemed to be in control. But Georginio Wijnaldum pulled one back before half-time and Aleksandar Mitrovic levelled from the spot with 67 minutes gone.

Rooney's second looked to have secured the win, but Paul Dummett snatched a point when his 90th-minute shot was deflected past 'keeper David de Gea by the unfortunate Smalling.

Manager Louis van Gaal admitted the result was as good as a defeat. "Of course it feels like a defeat. We threw it away, I have told that to my players," said LVG.