Rooney says Man United are in the title race

Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring a goal against Newcastle with team-mate Radamel Falcao. PHOTO: AFP.

Manchester, England: Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has declared his side are in the title race after their 3-1 win over Newcastle.

Rooney struck two first half goals as United enjoyed a comfortable afternoon at Old Trafford.

They still sit seven points behind neighbours City in second place, and a full 10 points behind pace-setters Chelsea, but the Red Devils don't have the distraction of Champions League football in the new year.

The win over Newcastle was their seventh in the last eight games, and the United and England skipper believes they can chip away at Chelsea's lead.

"There is still a long way to go, we know that,” Rooney said. “We have chased leads down before and we’ve lost leads ourselves before, and by a big number of points.

“So anything can still happen, especially in the next week or two, there are a lot of games, and if we can come out of these games with the right results then we’ll be in a good position.”