Rooney ruins Grant´s big day

Wayne Rooney’s first Manchester United hat-trick in three years inspired the champions to a 4-1 win over Portsmouth and reduced Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Premier League to two points.

Rooney, whose last treble in a red shirt was during a 4-0 win at Bolton in October 2006, converted two penalties either side of a fine finish from a Ryan Giggs pass as United ensured Avram Grant’s first match in charge of Pompey ended in defeat.

Giggs, in yet another masterful display a day shy of his 36th birthday, completed the punishment with a late free-kick for his 100th Premier League goal.

Ferguson made eight changes from the side which suffered a shock midweek Champions League defeat to Besiktas, among which, was the forced inclusion of Tomasz Kuszczak for his first Premier League start of the season as Edwin Van der Sar was unable to travel.

An early Rooney foray down the left-hand side caught Younes Kaboul off-balance but the French defender did enough to put him off his stride as he progressed toward the by-line.

United continued to stretch the home defence and a corner by Giggs was rolled into Paul Scholes on the edge of the penalty area but the midfielder’s first-time drive was placed a yard over Asmir Begovic?s crossbar.

Moments later, Portsmouth nearly stole the lead as Jamie O?Hara and Boateng combined to feed Aruna Dindane but the Ivorian’s scrambled effort was kept away by the outstretched frame of Kuszczak.

Portsmouth continued to flourish and a long ball floated forward on 15 minutes was controlled by O’Hara before the on-loan Tottenham midfielder forced Kuszczak into an acrobatic save.

With both sides pressing forward in an entertaining opening it was United who grabbed the lead. Rooney played a one-two with Antonio Valencia and as the United striker moved away from goal found his heel clipped by Michael Brown.

There was a degree of protest from the Portsmouth players on the legitimacy of Mike Dean’s decision but Rooney converted the penalty high above Asmir Begovic’s right-hand.

If there was some debate about United’s penalty, the whole of Fratton Park stood in bemusement as the home side were awarded their own spot-kick eight minutes later, assistant Simon Beck having apparently caught Nemanja Vidic tugging Frederic Piquionne?s shirt as he challenged Kuszczak.

The decision looked harsh but Kevin-Prince Boateng, who missed from 12 yards last week against Stoke, drove the penalty under Kuszczak?s right arm and the contest was all square.

Portsmouth could even have found themselves in-front going in at half-time, Dindane having connected with Boateng’s cross only to place his header wide.

Such wastefulness tends not to go unpunished by United and just two minutes into the second half Valencia’s measured pass found Giggs in behind Marc Wilson. The Welsh winger in turn picked out Rooney, who converted from eight yards out.

The three points were secured six minutes later as Giggs and Piquionne battled on the by-line. The Frenchman looked in control but allowed Giggs to steal the ball and then compounded his initial error by tripping the United player.

Rooney made sure driving low to Begovic’s left and soon the Premier League champions were threatening a rout. Valencia?s pace took him through a gaping hole in the Portsmouth defence and the Ecuadorian was inches wide with his shot.

Begovic was then forced to dive low to his near post to keep out a Giggs drive but the veteran was not to be denied and there was little Pompey’s Bosnian goalkeeper could do about the 20-yard free-kick he swung into the corner with three minutes left.