LONDON, 4 May 2003 — Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson urged his players to put their celebrations on hold after a superb hat trick from Ruud Van Nistelrooy in a 4-1 win over Charlton Athletic powered them to the brink of Premier League glory yesterday.
David Beckham scored the other goal as United surged eight points clear of second-placed Arsenal with just one match left to play. Champions Arsenal, who play Leeds United at home today, must now take all nine points from their final three games and hope United lose to Everton on the final day of the season in order to retain their crown.
United, gunning for their eighth league title in 11 years, were irresistible in the first half as they laid siege to the visitors goal in front of a raucous, 67,721 full-capacity crowd at Old Trafford, a record for the Premier League.
But a delighted Ferguson refused to accept that the title race was now over, saying: “Normally for the last home match the players do a lap of honor, but at this moment in time we don’t think it’s important. What is important is next Sunday at Goodison Park.
England captain Beckham put United in front with a deflected shot but Charlton stunned the home side with an equalizer when Claus Jensen lobbed in from 30 yards after keeper Roy Carroll fluffed his clearance.
Van Nistelrooy, playing his 100th game from United, scored in his seventh game in succession when he struck from close range, adding a second shortly before half-time when he smashed home Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s flick-on.
The Dutchman took his season’s tally to 43 and his overall total for United to 79 when he raced onto Beckham’s superb ball from deep and crashed a low shot inside the left hand post.
Elsewhere, Paolo Di Canio came off the bench to fire West Ham to a 1-0 win over London rivals Chelsea and revive their hopes of pulling off a remarkable escape from relegation. The Italians strike lifted the Hammers out of the drop zone for the first time this season, one point ahead of Bolton who were set to play Southampton in an evening kick-off match.
Newcastle clinched a Champions League place after a 1-0 win over in-form Birmingham City, who had defender Matthew Upson sent off for a first half foul. Portuguese winger Hugo Viana scored a stunning goal from the resulting free kick.
The final Champions League place will go to either Liverpool or Chelsea, who meet each other at Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season.
Liverpool’s run of good form came to a dramatic end when Manchester City came from a goal down to seal a 2-1 win at Anfield. Czech striker Milan Baros put the home side in front with a ferocious volley, but Nicolas Anelka snatched an equalizer from the penalty spot against his former club and then slotted a late winner.
Everton’s hopes of playing in next season’s UEFA Cup suffered a blow when they crashed to a 2-0 defeat at lowly, manager-less Fulham after both Richard Wright and Alan Stubbs conceded own goals. Middlesbrough finished their home matches with a flourish as they romped to a 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, who had defender Chris Perry sent off early in the first half.
Stuttgart Big Winners as Dortmund, Berlin Fail to Win
VfB Stuttgart were the big winners in the Bundesliga yesterday, as they won 2-1 at Hanover, while rivals Dortmund and Hertha Berlin both dropped valuable points in their attempts to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Stuttgart’s victory takes them to 56 points, three ahead of Dortmund and five ahead of Berlin. With only three points remaining and with second place guaranteeing Champions League qualification, Stuttgart, who were considered relegation candidates at the start of the season, seem well on course to cause a real sensation. Bayern Munich, who last week won the title, left it late in their game to snatch a 1-0 victory through Sammy Kuffour’s goal against a Kaiserslautern side that is not yet guaranteed safety.
Juventus Closer to Title After Draw at Lazio
Serie A leaders Juventus took home a precious goalless draw from their game in Rome against a strong Lazio side yesterday, stepping closer to a title which is now only two points away.
The title holders stay first on 68 points, eight clear of Inter Milan, who missed a chance to reduce the deficit as struggling hosts Atalanta held them to a 1-1 draw. AC Milan remain third on 58 points after a 2-0 win over demoted Como.
Chievo came from behind to beat third-from-last Piacenza 3-1. The win moves them into fifth place above Parma, who lost a regional derby against Bologna 2-1. Roma also rallied from one goal down to edge beleaguered Reggina 3-2, while Perugia and Brescia drew goalless.
