Wayne
Manchester United stormed to the top of the Premier League after crushing bottom club Portsmouth. Wayne Rooney met Darren Fletcher’s cross to head the opener and the lead was doubled when Nani’s low cross was deflected in by Anthony Vanden Borre. Michael Carrick’s drive hit Richard Hughes and thumped in off the bar and Dimitar Berbatov’s shot made it 4-0. Portsmouth misery was complete when Marc Wilson tried to clear a cross but smashed a volley into his own goal. It was a ruthless performance from United but the reality was they barely had to break sweat to beat a Portsmouth side in freefall. Three own goals in one game, I cannot recall that ever happening before, and especially as they are all ‘scored’ by the same team.
United went in to the game knowing a win would see them leapfrog Chelsea to sit at the Premier League summit, with the Blues hosting third-placed Arsenal on Sunday. And on paper it seemed they could not get an easier opportunity, with crisis club Portsmouth having won only once in eight matches, as well as attracting unwanted headlines for their financial difficulties and allegations about their manager Avram Grant’s behaviour. United’s off-the-field problems were of the more traditional kind – Rio Ferdinand was out suspended and fellow centre-back Nemanja Vidic was still not fit to return to action. Not that United’s backline needed to be at its strongest, with Portsmouth chasing shadows for much of the game as Nani, Antonio Valencia and Rooney ran riot.
Predictably, the visitors’ defence folded under pressure, with Portsmouth contributing two of United’s goals. Grant’s men did well to reach half-time having conceded only two goals as they found themselves struggling to repel wave after wave of United attacks. Rooney had a decent penalty claim turned down after being pushed by Frederic Piquionne, while Berbatov missed a sitter from six yards after being picked out by Gary Neville. Portsmouth did manage to carve out one chance and it took an alert Jonny Evans to clear Jamie O’Hara’s goal-bound effort. But it was a very rare effort from Portsmouth and they soon went behind. When Fletcher’s cross was left, inexplicably, by keeper David James, Rooney headed in from close range. James was again left cursing soon after when he was wrong-footed by a deflection off Vanden Borre from Nani’s cross.