United thrash Spurs to retain pole position

Manchester United moved a step closer to the Premier League title after coming from two goals behind to beat Tottenham 5-2 in a superlative second-half performance at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, having seen Liverpool move top of the table on goal difference with victory at Hull earlier in the day, put a lacklustre first-half display behind them in a stunning 15-minute spell that brought them their first four goals – two each for Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

But it was the half-time introduction of substitute Carlos Tevez, the Argentine international who was quoted this week in his homeland bemoaning his lack of first-team opportunities, which was the catalyst for the crucial victory.

And the win was not without its controversy, as referee Howard Webb seemed to err when he awarded United a 56th-minute penalty for a foul by goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes on Michael Carrick, Ronaldo converting the kick impressively.

Ten minutes later, former Spurs striker Berbatov started a move which ended with Tevez finding Rooney inexplicably unmarked at the far post, the England forward?s shot helped into the net by the palm of Gomes.

Tottenham, so disciplined in the first half, were in complete disarray and the 68th minute saw Rooney’s cross converted by Ronaldo’s diving header, the noise generated by 75,458 inside Old Trafford now reaching a crescendo.

The deluge was not over. Just three minutes on and United counter-attacked effectively, Berbatov springing Ronaldo clear for the winger to pick out Rooney whose strike was blocked by Jonathan Woodgate only for the officials to judge that it had crossed the line.

At 4-2, the contest was finished although United were not. In the 78th minute, Rooney’s left-wing cross picked out the head of Berbatov with Gomes initially saving the attempt before the United striker forced the ball home to make it five goals in 22 minutes.

There had been little hint of the drama to come in the opening half hour as United seemed to take control of affairs.

But the game shifted unpredictably just before the half-hour mark when Darren Bent and Luka Modric both benefited from Aaron Lennon’s dominance down the right wing.

First, Lennon’s short pass opened up the angle for Vedran Corluka to cross into the area where Rio Ferdinand was slow to detect Bent’s presence.

Having failed to connect with one header, Bent still had time to gather the loose ball and drive it past Edwin van der Sar.

Just three minutes later, Patrice Evra again failed miserably to deal with the threat of Lennon and the England winger’s cross was missed by the entire United defence, allowing Modric the time and space to take a touch and finish emphatically.

Finally provoked into life, United responded with Gomes saving well from Rafael Da Silva’s running shot and then the keeper producing a quite stunning, one-handed save to keep out a Ronaldo half-volley, attempted after the United man’s initial free-kick had struck the Tottenham wall.

But Ferguson acknowledged the dire situation by bringing on Tevez as a half-time substitute for the ineffective Nani.

The switch paid off almost immediately with the Argentinian picking out Rooney in a crowded area, only for the former Everton star to try and place his shot into the far corner, succeeding only in putting the ball behind.

Tevez himself raced clear on goal and was denied by a brave Gomes save, but United’s strong opening to the second half was a mere prelude to the devastating blitz that was to come.