The England captain opened the scoring from the penalty spot against Sunderland at Old Trafford in the 66th minute.
And he added a second in the later stages to seal three points for Louis van Gaal’s side, which also contained Rooney’s England squad-mates Chris Smalling and Ashley Young.
Elsewhere, it didn’t take Three Lions striker Saido Berahino long to break the deadlock at the Hawthorns, as he struck a stunning volley in the second minute to seal a valuable 1-0 victory for West Bromwich Albion against Southampton.
In the Championship, there was an eye-catching result at Craven Cottage as Fulham beat high-flying Derby County by 2-0 with Young Lion Cauley Woodrow scoring the second goal for Kit Symons’ men.
And another Under-21s player scored against one of the division’s front-runners as Will Keane got Sheffield Wednesday’s second goal with a diving header in a 2-0 win against Middlesbrough.