I don't understand the issue here, his passing was awful, his performance overall quite poor. His contribution was high and his goals helped us win, but it seems odd that we can't talk about some of it. The majority of comments have only been about how is passing was so off, not about any real wider ranging issue, or comparing him to that bracket of player.
I would sort of understand your post if Rooney had had a normal game, and the criticism was unfounded, but it wasn't, it was a poor one by his high standards. Of course he can't perform on all levels, but when his passing, an aspect so important in his game is that off form, it will obviously be mentioned. As it is it isn't that important, which is what most have said, considering he still chipped in with two very valuable goals.
I'm not sure being realistic in our expectations has anything to do with the majority of comments posted here since the game finished. In fact it definitely doesn't.