Wayne Rooney was quoted as saying one of Man City’s most famous Premier League title wins “should have been looked into” while fielding questions on The Overlap Fan Debate alongside Jamie Carragher this week.
City‘s stoppage-time comeback on the final day of the 2011/12 season remains arguably the most famous moment in Premier League history.
Sergio Aguero’s 94th-minute winner at the Etihad saw City beat QPR 3-2 in the dying seconds, against a backdrop of Martin Tyler’s iconic call and emotional bedlam among Man City fans, cruelly snatching the title away from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils.
United, who had just beaten Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light, held off celebrating until confirmation of QPR’s 2-1 win had filtered through, but Rangers, down to 10 men following Joey Barton’s red card for an all-out assault, collapsed in added time as their safety from relegation was confirmed.
The match continues to live long in the memory more than a decade on, but came to light in a different context recently as 115 charges were brought against the Citizens for alleged breaches of financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.
Rooney made his feelings on the “tough” Aguero moment clear during the debate as Carragher quipped it should be the “116th charge.”
A member of the audience asked: “What about 2012, Wayne, was that a good one? Aguero goal, mate.”
Initially stone-faced, a less-than-impressed Rooney offered no response, but eventually smirked and replied: “Obviously that was a tough one that.”
He continued: “Didn’t Paddy Kenny turn the ball in, two goals, QPR knew they were safe, and City get it to 2-2, then they just boot the ball back to them.
“They had [Djibril] Cisse on the pitch, Joey Barton got sent off for acting stupid. Who else was it? Shaun Wright-Phillips and Nedum Onuoha diving about.”
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Rooney’s comments sparked debate among fans on the social media platform X, with renewed accusations that R’s goalkeeper Kenny had previously admitted to “letting the ball in.”
Kenny, who made 12 saves from 15 shots on goal, has previously denied the allegation. City fashioned 44 chances in total compared to QPR’s three.
Never missing a chance to rile a Utd co-host, Carragher joked: “So you’ve got over it?” before Rooney replied: “That should have been looked into.”
Carragher laughed and added: “It’s not just 115 now, it’s 116. That’s the headline – Wayne Rooney wants Manchester City looked into for the QPR game.”
City have largely dominated English football since securing that first Premier League title in 2012, lifting the trophy six times under Pep Guardiola.
But the ongoing charges, which relate to breaches of financial fair play rules and a failure to co-operate with the Premier League, continue to cast a shadow over their era of success.
A verdict on the charges isn’t expected until August at the earliest.
