jose - soccer

Manchester United has thrashed Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford as the English Premier League champion moved an ominous step closer to leader Liverpool. Nemanja Vidic headed United in front in first-half stoppage time and Wayne Rooney doubled its advantage on the hour with a close-range volley. Dimitar Berbatov completed the rout in the 87th minute to lift United into third place. Alex Ferguson's side is now just five points behind Liverpool and one behind a Chelsea side which was desperately lacking any spark and wilted alarmingly.

United has two games in hand of both its main title rivals. "(Chelsea) had a lot of good possession and they are a threat when they get possession.. .but I don't think they really got a clear-cut chance," Ferguson told Sky Sports. "We said before that we still had all the main teams at home and we really need to win those games. "Janauary is a big month for us with eight games but we've got the squad to cope."

United faces Wigan Athletic on Thursday morning (AEDT) and Bolton Wanderers next weekend. Should it win both, it will be top of the league before Liverpool faces Everton next Tuesday. Defeat was Chelsea's first on the road in the league this season and continued manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's poor record against the top sides since taking over at Stamford Bridge. "This has done big damage to us," the Brazilian said. "We came here to win and now we need to think about what happened with some players." Wigan won for the sixth time in seven league matches when Maynor Figueroa's late header earned a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, which is third from bottom.

United was dealt a blow before kick-off when central defender Rio Ferdinand was ruled out with a recurrence of a back injury that will require a visit to a specialist next week. However his absence was hardly noticed as keeper Edwin van der Sar barely had a save to make as United made it eight league games without conceding a goal. A yellow card for Frank Lampard after a foul that left Cristiano Ronaldo in a heap set the tone for a messy opening to a match that could be a pivotal point in the season.

United appealed for a penalty when Ashley Cole appeared to block a cross with his arm, but it took it half an hour to force Petr Cech into a save from a Berbatov shot. United began to ratchet up the pressure on the Chelsea goal just before the interval. John Terry was forced into one desperate block from a Park Ji-sung shot before Ronaldo had a headed goal disallowed after referee Howard Webb ordered a crafty United corner to be re-taken - much to the fury of Rooney.

Chelsea failed to learn its lesson and as Giggs delivered the ball again in stoppage time, Berbatov got a slight touch and Serbian defender Vidic crept in at the far post to nod the ball past Cech. The goal knocked the stuffing out of Chelsea and despite Scolari sending on Nicolas Anelka to partner Didier Drogba up front after the break, it was United which moved up a gear. A sweet movement on the hour mark saw Ronaldo's back heel release Patrice Evra and his pacey cross was met first time by Rooney to double United's lead. United could have scored on numerous occasions as Chelsea wilted before Berbatov supplied the final flourish, connecting with a Ronaldo free kick.

(source: www.abc.net.au)