The Hindu : Sport / Football : Man U drubs Bolton

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Sunday, Mar 18, 2007
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Man U drubs Bolton

LONDON: Park Ji-sung and Wayne Rooney each scored twice to give Manchester United a 4-1 win over Bolton on Saturday to keep the Red Devils' advantage over Chelsea in the Premier League title race.

United took a 3-0 lead in the first 25 minutes at Old Trafford to set up its 24th league victory of the season.

United, which already was without goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, strikers Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, midfielder Darren Fletcher and defender Mikael Silvestre because of injuries, lost captain Gary Neville in the eighth minute with a twisted ankle. Neville will miss England's European Championship qualifiers against Israel and Andorra this month.

United, which hosts Middlesbrough in an FA Cup replay on Monday, was also without the suspended Paul Scholes, but Cristiano Ronaldo still created three goals in the opening spell.

Ronaldo shines

Ronaldo ran 40 metres in the 14th minute and pulled the ball back to Park, who scored with a low shot. Three minutes later, United won possession in its own half from Bolton's long throw and Ronaldo went on a counterattack.

He picked out Rooney with a pass and then took the return ball before crossing for the England striker to chip the ball over goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Custodian's mistake

The goalkeeper was at fault for the third goal in the 25th when he failed to hold a 20-metre shot from Ronaldo and Park tapped the rebound into an empty net. Bolton's Nicolas Anelka fired just wide in the second half and then missed the target from close range before United scored a fourth in the 74th.

Alan Smith, who replaced Ronaldo, put Rooney clear with a lobbed pass and the striker raced clear to score.

Bolton's reply came three minutes from the end when Nemanja Vidic fouled Abdoulaye Faye in the area and Gary Speed scored the resulting penalty. — AP

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