Alex Ferguson's boys give Benitez's claims a fitting reply as United wallop Chelsea 3-0
Dimitar Berbatov celebrates after scoring Manchester United's third goal during their 3-0 win over Chelsea yesterday
Alex Ferguson's boys give Benitez's claims a fitting reply as United wallop Chelsea 3-0
PIC/AP
Manchester United's grip on the Premier League trophy tightened significantly yesterday as Sir Alex Ferguson's side put Chelsea to the sword in front of a jubilant Old Trafford.
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Super display
It was a performance which suggested that Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez may come to deeply regret his claim that United had been unsettled by the resilience of his side's challenge, particularly when it is set against the disjointed display that Benitez's men produced in Saturday's goalless draw at Stoke.
In terms of territory and possession, Chelsea's best spell was the opening half-hour.
United woke up after receiving a corner with what appeared to be a cleverly conceived training ground ploy with Rooney tapping the ball off the corner before walking away as if he had decided to leave it for someone else.
Chelsea's defence bought the bluff allowing Ryan Giggs to pick up the ball and send in a chip that Cristiano Ronaldo headed in at the near post, only for the linesman to flag mistakenly that the corner had not been taken legitimately.
It was an incident with almost limitless potential for debate but its impact was neutralised when United scored from the retaken corner.
United strike
This time, Giggs sent the dead ball into the area, Berbatov flicked-on and Vidic's diving header squeezed past Cech at his back post.
Scolari's response was to withdraw Deco at the interval and send on Nicolas Anelka.
But it was to be United's night. Evra, revelling in his return from a four-match suspension imposed following his bust-up with a groundsman after the 1-1 draw between the two sides at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, played a central role.
Released by Ronaldo's backheel, the Frenchman whipped in a dipping cross that both Terry and Ashley Cole might have cleared before Rooney prodded it past Cech from close range.
With Chelsea demoralised, Berbatov was able to add a third in the closing minutes, drifting between Michael Ballack and Terry to prod home Ronaldo's low cross from the left of the box.
Meanwhile, in the only other game of the day, Harry Redknapp questioned the character of his Tottenham Hotspur side after a 1-0 defeat away to Wigan yesterday.
"If you look at the results of Tottenham over the last year you have to be concerned," he said. "Look back to the end of last season after the Carling (League) Cup where Spurs beat Chelsea in the final and see how many points they have got.
More joy for Real
Real Madrid captain Raul celebrated his 500th league appearance in the famous white shirt with a goal as the champions climbed to second with a comfortable 3-0 win at Real Mallorca yesterday. Incredibly it was Real's first away win in the league since October 18.
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