Ruud hat-trick sends United top

LONDON: A Ruud van Nistelrooy hat-trick fired Manchester United to a 3-0 victory over Fulham and top spot in the premier league for the first time in a year yesterday.

The convincing win at Old Trafford gave United 64 points while champions Arsenal, who play Everton at Highbury today after two consecutive defeats, have 63. Bobby Robson’s Newcastle United kept their title challenge on track by romping to a 5-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at St James’ Park to stay third but move on to 61 points. Chelsea consolidated fourth place, which would mean a place in the Champions League qualifiers, with a 5-0 demolition of Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, where the visitors’ Chinese defender Sun Jihai was red-carded in the last minute.

Van Nistelrooy converted a penalty in the 44th minute after Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been hauled down by Fulham’s French defender Martin Djetou. The Dutchman sprinted away for his second in the 68th minute, beating three Fulham men before slotting past keeper Maik Taylor and brought up his hat-trick in the 90th minute with a deflected shot from a pinpoint Ryan Giggs cross. Newcastle, who were knocked out of the Champions League in midweek, bounced back with a victory sealed with three goals in the last five minutes as their pace ripped the Rovers defence apart on the break.

Southampton’s James Beattie became the Premier League’s top scorer with his 20th of the season during their 2-2 draw with Aston Villa and Charlton Athletic finished 1-1 at Middlesbrough. In the relegation battle, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion, respectively bottom and second-from-bottom, were both beaten and now look destined for the first division.  Sunderland lost 2-0 to a West Ham United side who moved out of the bottom three for the first time since early November, while Birmingham City eased their own relegation fears with a 1-0 win over West Brom in the Midlands derby.