United cut Chelsea's lead to six points

Revitalised Manchester United slashed Chelsea's Premier League lead to six points yesterday with a 2-0 victory at Aston Villa.

With the champions facing a tough trip to London rivals Arsenal today, United needed to keep up the pressure with a win and a goal in each half by strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney ensured they did so.

Chelsea have 43 points from 16 games with United on 37 points from 17 matches. Third-placed Liverpool, on 31 points, are in Japan taking part in the Club World Championship.

Elsewhere yesterday fifth-placed Bolton crushed Everton 4-0 at Goodison Park and Portsmouth marked manager Harry Redknapp's first home match back in charge with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion.

Senegalese forward Henri Camara hit a hat-trick to give Wigan a 3-0 home win over Charlton and England striker Michael Owen also scored three in Newcastle's 4-2 win at West Ham United. Fulham beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1.

United quickly took control at Villa Park and almost opened the scoring when South Korean midfielder Park Ji-sung fired against the post.

Two minutes later van Nistelrooy put them in front when he collected a Darren Fletcher pass, shrugged off his marker and lifted the ball over Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.

Rooney added a second with an emphatic low finish from Park's pass five minutes into the second half.

Villa's Milan Baros struck the bar but United finished the match in exhibition mode with Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo producing some party tricks to provide a cross that van Nistelrooy could not quite direct into the net.

United have now won all 21 of the matches in which England striker Rooney has scored for them and the victory was a further morale-boost to Alex Ferguson's side after their costly Champions League exit.

On Wednesday they thrashed Wigan Athletic 4-0.

"We're nine points behind Chelsea if they win their game tomorrow (today)," Ferguson said.

"It's a long way, but what we can do is to make sure we win our games and if we do and Chelsea slip up, hopefully we will be the team nearest to them."

Everton's mini-revival has ground to a halt, with Greek striker Stelios Giannakopoulos's double strike the highlight of Bolton's emphatic victory at Goodison.

His first was a deft finish after 75 minutes and his second a long-range piledriver as Bolton joined fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on 30 points.

Portsmouth earned their first home win of the season thanks to Bulgarian striker Svetoslav Todorov.

His 56th-minute winner assured Redknapp of a perfect reception in his first match back at Fratton Park since his controversial switch to their rivals Southampton.

The win pulled third-from-bottom Portsmouth to within three points of fourth-from-bottom West Brom.

Camara doubled his tally for the season with a sparkling treble against Charlton to end Wigan's poor recent run and lift them up to sixth place.

Newcastle's match at West Ham was subject to a delayed kick-off due to a traffic accident but it proved to be worth the wait for the visitors.

Three cool finishes by Owen and a spectacular strike by former England captain Alan Shearer left West Ham in tatters at Upton Park and eased further the pressure on Newcastle manager Graeme Souness.

Portuguese forward Luis Boa Morte netted what proved to be the winner in Fulham's much-needed win over Blackburn.

Upcoming fixtures...

Tuesday: League Cup QFs - 8.45 p.m. Birmingham vs Manchester United; Wigan vs Bolton.

Wednesday: League Cup QFs - 8.45 p.m. Doncaster vs Arsenal. 9 p.m. Middlesbrough vs Blackburn.

Monday, December 26: Premier League - 12.45 p.m. Charlton vs Arsenal. 2 p.m. Chelsea vs Fulham; Tottenham vs Birmingham. 4 p.m. Liverpool vs Newcastle; Manchester United vs WBA; M'boro vs Blackburn; Portsmouth vs West Ham; Sunderland vs Bolton; Charlton vs Manchester City. 6.15 p.m. Aston Villa vs Everton.

Wednesday, December 28: Premier League - 8.45 p.m. Arsenal vs Portsmouth; Birmingham vs Man. United; Fulham vs Aston Villa; Man. City vs Chelsea; Newcastle vs Charlton; West Brom vs Tottenham; West Ham vs Wigan. 9 p.m. Blackburn vs Sunderland; Bolton vs M'boro; Everton vs Liverpool.

Results

Premier League
Aston Villa 0
Man. United 2

Everton 0
Bolton 4

Fulham 2
Blackburn 1

Man. City 4
Birmingham 1

Portsmouth 1
West Brom 0

West Ham 2
Newcastle 4

Wigan 3
Charlton 0

Arsenal-Chelsea today, 5 p.m.
M'boro-Tottenham today, 2.30 p.m.

The Championship
Brighton-Hull (Friday) 2-1
Burnley-Watford 4-1
Cardiff-Derby 0-0
Leicester-Crewe 1-1
Luton Town-Stoke City 2-3
Millwall-Reading 0-2

Norwich-Southampton 3-1
Plymouth-Crystal Palace 2-0
Preston-Sheffield United (Friday) 0-0
Sheffield Wed.-Ipswich 0-1
Wolves-Leeds 1-0
QPR-Coventry tomorrow

Premier Scorers
13 goals van Nistelrooy (Man. Utd)
11 goals Lampard (Chelsea)
9 goals Bent (Charlton), Rooney (Man. Utd)
8 goals Henry (Arsenal), Aiyegbeni (Middlesbrough), Harewood (West Ham)

League One
Bournemouth-Gillingham 2-1
Bradford-Rotherham 1-2
Chesterfield-Oldham 1-1
Colchester-MK Dons 2-0
Doncaster-Swansea 2-1

Huddersfield-Southend 0-0
Port Vale-Bristol City 0-1
Swindon-Blackpool 0-0
Tranmere-Brentford 1-4
Walsall-Hartlepool 1-0
Yeovil-Barnsley 2-1

League Two
Boston-Cheltenham 0-0
Bristol Rovers-Torquay 0-1
Bury-Wycombe 2-1
Carlisle-Wrexham 2-1
Chester-Rushden 1-2

Darlington-Grimsby pp
Macclesfield-Barnet 1-1
Mansfield-Peterboro 0-0
Northampton-Shrewsbury 1-0
Notts County-Stockport 2-0
Rochdale-Leyton Orient 2-4

Standings: Swansea 42; Huddersfield, Brentford 40; Colchester 37; Barnsley, Southend 36; Chesterfield 35; Doncaster, Bournemouth 33; N. Forest 31; Walsall, Oldham 30; Bradford, Hartlepool 29; Scunthorpe, Port Vale, Yeovil 28; Gillingham 26; Rotherham, Tranmere, Blackpool, MK Dons, Bristol City 22; Swindon 19.

Standings: Wycombe 41; Grimsby, Carlisle, L. Orient 37; Northampton 35; Chester, Rochdale 33; Wrexham, Cheltenham 31; N. County 30; Peterboro, Boston 29; Lincoln, Bristol Rovers 28; Bury 27; Darlington, Shrewsbury, Oxford 26; Barnet 24; Mansfield 23; Rushden, Macclesfield 22; Torquay 19; Stockport 17.