Yeah Baby!
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23454755-29437,00.html
From correspondents in Manchester, England
March 30, 2008
CRISTIANO Ronaldo continued his outstanding campaign with a goal and three assists as Manchester United cruised to victory over Aston Villa to open up a six-point gap at the head of the Premier League.
Wayne Rooney, twice, and Carlos Tevez were the players to benefit from the winger's service in a game that confirmed the scale of the task facing Arsenal and Chelsea if they are to overhaul the reigning champions.
This was the perfect response to Arsenal's impressively resilient victory at Bolton earlier in the day that appeared to revive the London club title claims.
That win meant United kicked off just three points ahead of Arsene Wenger's side and, with Chelsea set to face Middlesbrough the following day, anything less than three points would have given the three-way battle at the head of the table a new twist.
As it was Ferguson's side didn't just get the job done, they triumphed in a style that will undoubtedly suggested there is little chance of them throwing away such a commanding lead at this stage of the season.
So comfortable was this win that Ferguson could afford to make three substitutions early in the second half when his side was already leading 3-0 to ensure fresh legs for the trip to face Roma in the Champions League quarter-final first leg in the Italian capital on Tuesday.
An impressive early start from Villa suggested Martin O'Neill's side could make a contest of the game and possibly boost their own hopes of qualifying for next season's UEFA Cup.
But from the moment Ronaldo produced an impudent back-heel flick from ten yards out to divert the ball through Martin Laursen's legs and beyond Scott Carson for the 17th minute opener, United were almost completely in control.
The home side's supremacy was confirmed 12 minutes before the interval when an exhilarating move took the ball from United's right hand flank to the left and back again before Ronaldo delivered a perfectly weighted far post cross that Tevez headed home.
Villa already looked a beaten side but they did at least rally after half-time, applying a brief period of pressure and, after Rooney had missed a sitter at the other end, should have scored when substitute Shaun Maloney pulled the ball wide when clear on Tomasz Kuzsczak's goal.
But that simply stirred United back into life and it took a superb reaction save from Villa keeper Carson to divert Ronaldo's volley onto the cross bar and deny the Portugese a second goal.
That was only a brief reprieve for the visitors and within 60 seconds United had their third when Ronaldo again turned provider, flicking a long pass into the path of Rooney who rounded Carson and rolled the ball into an empty net.
And the England striker claimed his second, again courtesy of his in-form team-mate, when he collected Ronaldo's neat reverse pass and finished from close range.
