Wed, 29 Oct 22:27:00 2008
Manchester United made short work of West Ham as they saw off the London side 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Two first-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo were more than enough to sink Gianfranco Zola's out-of-form Hammers, who now drop into the bottom half of the Premier League table.
It took just 14 minutes for Ronaldo to score his third league goal of the season, as the Portuguese forward was on hand to strike low past Robert Green after Nani's pass from the left rolled behind Darren Fletcher in the area. The 23-year-old - who received his trophy for being named FIFPro player of the year before kick-off - doubled his tally on the half-hour mark, but it was team-mate Dimitar Berbatov who created the goal from a seemingly lost cause. The Bulgarian chased down a ball destined to go out for a goal-kick, and with a dazzling turn kept the ball in play and took defender James Collins out of the game before rolling the ball across for Ronaldo to steer in from six yards out.
The defeat is West Ham's fourth consecutive loss in the league, and they have shipped eight goals and scored just one in that dismal run. Things got even worse for manager Gianfranco Zola after Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami had to be stretchered off during the first half after pulling up with a hamstring injury. By contrast, the victory was the home side's sixth in the 10-game unbeaten streak they have embarked on since losing to Liverpool in mid-September, and manager Alex Ferguson's decision to drop Wayne Rooney to the bench - as well as resting defender Wes Brown and midfielder Ryan Giggs entirely - proved to be well-judged.
Berbatov started alongside Carlos Tevez - the man who has adversely felt the impact of the Bulgarian the most since his summer arrival from Tottenham - for the first time, and the duo combined well with Poruguese duo Nani and Ronaldo to give the Hammers defence a torrid evening.
Winger Nani saw two shots sail past the far post in the first half, before Brazilian midfielder Anderson pounced on a sloppy Lee Bowyer pass on the edge of the area, only to fire a tame shot straight at Green. As half-time approached, Behrami slipped with no-one near him and fell to the ground clutching his leg. The Swiss was taken of on a stretcher and replaced by Luis Boa Morte.
The visitors fared no better in front of goal after the break, with the isolated Craig Bellamy reduced to desperate shots from distance, including one free-kick which he shot over the bar when several of his team-mates had pushed forward for the set-piece. At the other end, United continued to dominate, and the introduction of Rooney 15 minutes from time would have increased the deficit in the scoreline were it not for Green, who was called into action to save from the England international and Tevez on several occasions.
Manchester United made short work of West Ham as they saw off the London side 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Two first-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo were more than enough to sink Gianfranco Zola's out-of-form Hammers, who now drop into the bottom half of the Premier League table.
It took just 14 minutes for Ronaldo to score his third league goal of the season, as the Portuguese forward was on hand to strike low past Robert Green after Nani's pass from the left rolled behind Darren Fletcher in the area. The 23-year-old - who received his trophy for being named FIFPro player of the year before kick-off - doubled his tally on the half-hour mark, but it was team-mate Dimitar Berbatov who created the goal from a seemingly lost cause. The Bulgarian chased down a ball destined to go out for a goal-kick, and with a dazzling turn kept the ball in play and took defender James Collins out of the game before rolling the ball across for Ronaldo to steer in from six yards out.
The defeat is West Ham's fourth consecutive loss in the league, and they have shipped eight goals and scored just one in that dismal run. Things got even worse for manager Gianfranco Zola after Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami had to be stretchered off during the first half after pulling up with a hamstring injury. By contrast, the victory was the home side's sixth in the 10-game unbeaten streak they have embarked on since losing to Liverpool in mid-September, and manager Alex Ferguson's decision to drop Wayne Rooney to the bench - as well as resting defender Wes Brown and midfielder Ryan Giggs entirely - proved to be well-judged.
Berbatov started alongside Carlos Tevez - the man who has adversely felt the impact of the Bulgarian the most since his summer arrival from Tottenham - for the first time, and the duo combined well with Poruguese duo Nani and Ronaldo to give the Hammers defence a torrid evening.
Winger Nani saw two shots sail past the far post in the first half, before Brazilian midfielder Anderson pounced on a sloppy Lee Bowyer pass on the edge of the area, only to fire a tame shot straight at Green. As half-time approached, Behrami slipped with no-one near him and fell to the ground clutching his leg. The Swiss was taken of on a stretcher and replaced by Luis Boa Morte.
The visitors fared no better in front of goal after the break, with the isolated Craig Bellamy reduced to desperate shots from distance, including one free-kick which he shot over the bar when several of his team-mates had pushed forward for the set-piece. At the other end, United continued to dominate, and the introduction of Rooney 15 minutes from time would have increased the deficit in the scoreline were it not for Green, who was called into action to save from the England international and Tevez on several occasions.
Tony Mabert / Eurosport
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