Wayne Rooney asked Fabio Capello last night to be allowed to play in his preferred position through the middle, although his performance against Kazakhstan on Saturday provided a more compelling argument than his well-chosen words. The Manchester United striker was transformed at the start of the second half, when he was moved from a peripheral role on the left to a position in support of Emile Heskey up front, scoring two goals and contributing to a third when he pressured Alexandr Kuchma into heading into his own net.

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