Cristiano Ronaldo offered an immediate reply to Sir Alex Ferguson's challenge to score 25 goals this season with a first-half double to sink West Ham 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo took his tally for the campaign to five, first profiting from Nani's precise cross before tapping home from two yards, an effort that was partly owed to Dimitar Berbatov.
After Saturday's slip-up at Everton, the three points were all Sir Alex Ferguson wanted as his side looks to keep pacesetter Liverpool in view.
In leaving out Rooney, Ferguson was omitting a man, one visit to Everton apart, at the top of his game.
James Collins must have thought he was in control as he shadowed Berbatov to the by-line in the lead-up to the opening goal as the pair chased Anderson's pass.
But the young Wales international was in for a shock. Berbatov turned, rolled the ball beyond Collins and was gone, hugging the white line before presenting Ronaldo with a tap-in.
There was nothing that West Ham's England star Matthew Upson could do to deny Ronaldo his opener as the Portugal superstar crashed home from eight yards after one of Nani's pinpoint crosses had rolled into his path.
Any faint hopes of a West Ham revival were dealt a grievous blow just before the break when Valon Behrami went down in agony with no-one near him. The immediate fear was a serious knee injury and the Swiss was in obvious pain as he left the field on a stretcher.
The second period brought more worries for the newly-installed Hammers chief Giancarlo Zola.
Tevez might have had a penalty when he was hauled down by Herita Ilunga before Nani's rushed his shot when Berbatov laid a neat pass and smashed it over.
Rooney had gone for the bald look again and a delicate chip straight after his arrival might have shaved the crossbar if Robert Green had not touched it over.
There was nothing delicate about Rooney's next effort, a thunderous shot from 30 yards that Green was forced to beat away.
The keeper might have expected to work harder when Patrice Evra set up Ronaldo but with a hat-trick beckoning, the winger's shot was disappointing.