This from the official site.
Howard's blunder
"A win's a win in this situation at this time of year. For the Newcastle goal it was a bad kick out by Tim. There was a bit of slackness there and I think it did sort of jolt us a bit, because up until that point it looked as if we were going to run away with it. We had some good chances, played some nice football, it certainly did affect them and in that situation a surprise goal can do that to you."
Rooney's goal
"It took a fantastic goal from Wayne Rooney to change the pattern of the game. I was ready to take him off actually because he was injured in the first half and he just hobbled on the remainder of the game. Whilst he's on the pitch he's dangerous and that's why we kept him on. The goal was phenomenal, especially when you consider he was injured. It was an absolutely fantastic goal. I don't know how far out he was, but he looked as if he was 30 yards plus."