Manchester, April 25:

Wayne Rooney scored his second goal of the match in the first minute of injury time and Manchester United rallied for a 3-2 victory over AC Milan in the Champions League first leg semi-final.

Rooney’s right-footed strike from the top of the area beat AC Milan goalkeeper Dida just inside the near post for his fourth goal in three European games and completed United’s comeback from a 2-1 deficit.

“We kept going to the end,” Rooney said. “We knew if we could get a victory here, it will be easier when we go to the away leg.” The late goal reinforced thoughts of an all-English final. Chelsea plays Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in London in the other first-leg semifinal on Wednesday. AC Milan will host the second leg against Manchester United on May 2.

Manchester United led in the fifth minute when Cristiano Ronaldo headed a corner off Dida’s shoulder. The ball deflected up and Dida scrambled back only to get a finger tip to it before it dropped into the goal.

Kaka sparked AC Milan, scoring in the 22nd and 37th minutes to put the Rossineri ahead by halftime. The Brazilian, the competition’s top scorer, ran onto a through ball from Clarence Seedorf, avoided a sliding tackle from Gabriel Heinze and struck a left-footed shot past Edwin Van der Sar.

Kaka added his ninth European goal of the season by capitalizing on a defensive mistake. He rounded Darren Fletcher, headed the ball forward and scored unmarked after Heinze collided with Patrice Evra.

Rooney equalised after Paul Scholes chipped the ball over the defense. It was only the third away goal Milan had conceded in the competition this season. “It’s a bitter defeat but now we hope that at home our public helps us to get to the final,” Kaka said. “We did something wrong. Now we have to correct it.”