Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney lobbed West Ham's goalkeeper from the halfway line and scored another from close range to give the struggling champions a 2-0 victory in the Premier League on Saturday.

A rare comfortable victory for David Moyes' seventh-place side came despite using a makeshift defense and with Robin van Persie sidelined for at least a month.

Rooney thrived in Van Persie's absence, rising to third on the club's all-time scoring leaderboard, 37 goals behind Bobby Charlton's record 249.

Rooney's wonder goal game came in the seventh minute when he spotted Adrian off his line and the goalkeeper seemed helpless to stop the volley rising over him.

Rooney slotted in again in the 33rd after Mark Noble failed to fully clear Ashley Young's low cross.