Twitter Reacts to Wayne Rooney's Performance vs. Newcastle

Wayne Rooney has a habit of shining on Boxing Day. The Manchester United star entered Friday's match against Newcastle having found the net twice on the international holiday and did it again in 2014. 

Just as important for Rooney and Manchester United, the the Red Devils were able to get three points with a 3-1 win and remain within shouting distance of Manchester City for the No. 2 spot in the English Premier League standings. 

Rooney provided the offense for Man U in the first half scoring two goals on two shots. In fact, per Squawka Football, the 29-year-old star was magnificent in the opening half:

According to the Misterchip English account, Rooney has scored on three separate Boxing Days for the Red Devils in his career putting him one shy of tying the record:

In addition to his proficiency on Boxing Day, Rooney has been masterful at Old Trafford in Premier League matches, per The Sun's Football account on Twitter:

Speaking of Old Trafford, which Squawka Football noted, Rooney's performance against Newcastle helped him tie a mark from last season with plenty of time still left to eclipse it:

In keeping with the theme of holiday spirit, ESPN's Max Bretos noted on Twitter that Rooney put himself in the good graces of Santa Claus and his Man U teammates because they were doing all they could to set him up for pretty goals:

However, just because Rooney was the star of the day, he wasn't basking in the glory all on his own. He made sure to include Radamel Falcao after the the star forward set up his second goal of the first half, via Squawka Football:

While Rooney was able to get the credit for finishing off Manchester United's first two goals, he set up Robin van Persie with a magnificent diagonal pass in the second half to take a 3-0 lead, per Jamie Jackson of The Guardian:

All told, Rooney dominated the match for Manchester United. He was all over the pitch to take advantage of scoring opportunities and was able to set up van Persie on a tremendous goal coming out of the break to seal the victory. 

It was also a crucial performance for Rooney, as Manchester United has a chance to gain six points in short order with Tottenham on the schedule Sunday. Chelsea is leading the EPL with 45 points, though there's still plenty of time to make up the difference. 

The Red Devils have left plenty of points on the board with five draws. including one against an unimpressive Aston Villa squad on December 20. Newcastle provided an excellent opportunity to get back on track that Man U was able to take advantage of, led by the efforts of Rooney.