United beats Wolves 3-0 to level with Chelsea

Wayne Rooney scored the opener on the half-hour when he struck his 13th goal of the season from the penalty spot after defender Ronald Zubar blatantly hand-balled in the area from a Darron Gibson corner.

The defending champion doubled the advantage two minutes before the break when Nemanja Vidic rose highest to head another Darron Gibson corner.

Antonio Valencia sealed the victory in the 66th minute after Dimitar Berbatov delivered a brilliant overhead kick into his path.

‘Wolves made it difficult for us,’ United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said following his 900th league game in charge of the Red Devils.

‘They tackled everywhere, they pressed the ball and made it hard for us to get our continuity,’ he added.

Wolves’ manager Mick McCarthy, however, insisted that he was forced to make 10 changes in his lineup.

‘I played the best team available to me tonight; the fittest, best and strongest team I could pick,’ McCarthy said.

‘I can understand the fans but that is my first team. I've got 21 players to pick from and they are all first team players, they are my first team squad,’ he added. ‘I would hope they understand that because my decisions will be judged on whether we stay in the Premier League.’

‘I probably made some bad decisions last year and we had some bad performances but nobody remembers those because we won the Championship. If we stay up, everything is suddenly okay,’ he further explained.

The result means United and Chelsea lead the 20-team standings with 37 points, but the Blues can move three points clear again on Wednesday when they host bottom club Portsmouth.

Tuesday match results:

Manchester United 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Aston Villa 2-0 Sunderland

Birmingham 2-1 Blackburn Rovers

Bolton Wanderers 3-1 West Ham United

Source: presstv.ir