Premier League: Wolves 0 Manchester United 5

Manchester United cemented their position on top of the Premier League and sent Wolves to the bottom with a 5-0 thrashing at Molineux.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were already a goal to the good after Jonny Evans opened the scoring when Ronald Zubar was sent off for a second yellow card shortly before the end of the first half.

Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck made it 3-0 with a quickfire double before the break and Javier Hernandez’s second-half brace put a gloss on a dominant performance which has put the champions four points clear of title rivals Manchester City.

Wolves had held their own until Zubar’s red card but were woeful thereafter. Terry Connor’s team have now suffered three consecutive defeats and find their place in the top flight under serious threat.

Wolves conceded the opening goal in the 21st minute when Wayne Rooney’s corner from the left was centred at the back post by Michael Carrick, with Evans was on hand to steer the ball beyond Wayne Hennessey for his first Manchester United goal.

Steven Fletcher had headed narrowly wide shortly before Evans’ opener and Wolves did not look overwhelmed by their top of the table opponents, although David De Gea remained largely untested.

But they were the architects of their own downfall when Zubar followed up a late challenge on Rooney with a similarly mistimed slide on Welbeck that earned him a second yellow.

And it did not take Manchester United long to seal the points. First, Rooney initiated a devastating counter-attack following a Wolves corner by chipping a pass into the path of Valencia, who raided down the right wing. The Ecuadorian had Welbeck for company when he reached the penalty area but did not need him, thumping his finish across Hennessey.

Minutes later Valencia was more generous when he was left with the simple task of rolling a low cross into the feet of Welbeck. The 21-year-old was left unmarked after dropping into space 10 yards out and sent a first-time finish into the bottom corner.

The match was not much of a contest heading into the second half. After Hennessey had palmed away Rooney’s shot, the resulting corner was played out to Rafael. The right-back picked out an entirely unmarked Hernandez, who nodded in from close range.

The goal was not a significant one given that the outcome of this match had long been decided but the nature of it will have had Connor questioning exactly what impact he is capable of having on this team. The interim manager can do little about the sort of defensive breakdown that left Hernandez in acres of space in the centre of the penalty area.

The next blow was more to do with the quality of the Manchester United attack. Valencia broke into the box after playing a superb one-two with Welbeck, who flicked a pass back into the winger’s path. He smartly ignored the congested goalmouth and stood up a cross that Hernandez lashed home at the back post.

Just before the fifth goal, Michael Kightly had been introduced for the home side and he did, to his credit, have some impact. First, the winger tested De Gea from the edge of the box before delivering a free-kick from the right that somehow was not bundled in by an orange shirt.

Only a good save from Hennessey prevented Welbeck from making it six as United strolled to an easy three points and piled the pressure on title rivals Manchester City, who face Chelsea on Wednesday.