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Manchester United 5-0 Portsmouth
Match Reports, 17:34, February 6, 2010 ,
Manchester United returned to the top of the Premier League with a 5-0 victory over basement boys Portsmouth at Old Trafford.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side ran out easy winners, although it was the visitors who looked the more likely to score in the early exchanges with Jonny Evans alert enough to clear Nadir Belhadj's strike off the line.
Wayne Rooney, who had a very quiet afternoon, got the breakthrough when he rose to meet Darren Fletcher's cross and head past David James on 40 minutes. The England striker's 21st league goal of the season was followed before half time by the first own goal of the afternoon. Nani, superb last week, produced a fine piece of skill to sidestep Anthony Vanden Borre before his attempted cross deflected off the Belgian right back and eventually trickled over the line with James unable to react.
The second period began at an almost pedestrian pace but United eventually found their stride again just before the hour mark with a sweeping move up field ending with Michael Carrick's effort taking a wicked deflection off Richard Hughes before clipping the underside of the cross bar on its way in. The home crowd were chanting for more and their side obliged just three minutes later as Dimitar Berbatov drove home from the corner of the penalty area, redeeming himself for an embarrassing miss earlier on.
A hat-trick of Portsmouth own goals was confirmed on 69 minutes in comical fashion as Patrice Evra burst down the left to deliver a dangerous cross that Marc Wilson volleyed perfectly into the top corner of his own net. It just about summed up the bottom club's afternoon and also means that own goals are now United's second highest scorer in the league this season (9).
The result lifts United to the top of the Premier League before Chelsea face Arsenal tomorrow, they now have a better goal difference than the Blues too, while Portsmouth fall further adrift at the bottom.