Portsmouth own goals gift United victory
Reuters - Saturday 06 February 2010, 21:52
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Manchester United striker Wayne
Rooney was on target again to help the hosts crush bottom club
Portsmouth 5-0 and temporarily return to the top of the Premier League.
The England international pounced just before half-time
before three own goals and a strike by Dimitar Berbatov took United to 56 points.
Liverpool overcame the dismissal of Sotiros
Kyrgiakos to beat Everton 1-0 in a fierce Merseyside derby at
Anfield to move into the top four for the first time since
October.
Dirk Kuyt headed the winner 10 minutes after halftime.
Tottenham Hotspur slipped to fifth in the table after a
goalless draw at home to resilient Aston Villa.
Spurs created
most of the chances but could not find a way to break down one
of their rivals for a Champions League qualification place.
Tottenham have 43 points from 25 games, leaving them a point
behind Liverpool and six adrift of Arsenal.
Villa stay seventh
with 41 points from 24 games but are now level with Manchester
City, who suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at Hull City.
OWN GOALS
Portsmouth weathered the inevitable early onslaught from
champions United at Old Trafford but came unstuck after 40
minutes when the irrepressible Rooney netted his 21st league
goal of the season.
The south-coast side conceded another just before halftime
when Anthony Vanden Borre turned a Nani cross between his own
posts.
Carrick struck a deflected shot past England goalkeeper
David James, Bulgarian Berbatov atoned for a first-half miss
with an excellent long-range strike and Marc Wilson helped
Patrice Evra's pass into his own net to complete the rout.
"It took us a while to get the first goal but we had a lot
of pressure, a lot of possession and we were patient enough,"
United mananger Alex Ferguson told MUTV.
"I think that's important, especially when teams come and
sit there, like they did today. We were fortunate with the
second one, but that was important. It opened the game for us
and in the second half we had a good peformance."
Big-spending Manchester City slipped up in their pursuit of
fourth place when they lost at lowly Hull, leaving them three
points behind Liverpool albeit with two games in hand.
Visiting manager Roberto Mancini was left rueing his side's
failure to match Hull's determination and said they must change
their mental approach on the road to secure a top four finish.
"Hull were more aggressive but if you understand why you
lost sometimes it's better. We must change our mentality and
play away games like we play at home," the Italian told Sky
Sports.
Burnley battled to a 2-1 win over West Ham United to take
them out of the relegation zone, Stoke City beat Blackburn
Rovers 3-0, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham played out a 0-0 draw
and struggling Sunderland and Wigan Athletic drew 1-1.