LONDON, 18 March 2007 — Park Ji-sung and Wayne Rooney each scored twice yesterday to give Manchester United a 4-1 win over Bolton that keeps the Red Devils’ six-point advantage over Chelsea in the Premier League title race.
Jose Mourinho’s Blues beat Sheffield United 3-0 at Stamford Bridge with goals by Andriy Shevchenko, Salomon Kalou and Michael Ballack. Chelsea now has eight games left to make up six points although it is still to play the Red Devils at home.
Also yesterday, it was: Middlesbrough 0, Manchester City 2; Reading 0, Portsmouth 0; Tottenham 3, Watford 1; and Wigan 0, Fulham 0. United took a 3-0 lead in the first 25 minutes at Old Trafford to set up its 24th league victory of the season.
However, United, which already was without goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, strikers Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, midfielder Darren Fletcher and defender Mikael Silvestre because of injuries, lost captain Gary Neville in the eighth minute with a twisted ankle.
United, which hosts Middlesbrough in an FA Cup replay tomorrow, was also without the suspended Paul Scholes, but Cristiano Ronaldo still created three goals in the opening spell.
Sheffield United lost striker Rob Hulse, who was carried off with a serious ankle injury, before Kalou made it 2-0 in the 16th when he fired home after Shevchenko had helped on a cross by Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Ballack came off the bench to score the third in the 58th minute.
England goalkeeper Paul Robinson scored a rare goal in Spurs’ 3-1 victory over Watford at White Hart Lane. Manchester City climbed two places to 15th after a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough thanks to second half goals by Sylvain Distin and Emile MPenza.
Rangers Crush Aberdeen
Thanks to Boyd Treble
In Glasgow, Kris Boyd’s first-half hat trick helped Rangers tighten their grip on second spot in the Scottish Premier League with a 3-0 home win over third-placed Aberdeen yesterday. The Scotland striker grabbed his first in the eighth minute with a fine header from 10 meters following Allan Hutton’s cross.
Boyd crashed in a low shot in the 25th minute and six minutes later a fine move involving Barry Ferguson and Nacho Novo set him up for his third.
Hearts crashed 4-0 at home to Dundee United thanks to Barry Robson’s second-half hat trick and a goal from Noel Hunt.
Bottom club Dunfermline Athletic won 3-1 at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, recording their first league victory in 16 matches despite having Tam McManus sent off in the last minute.
Leaders Schalke Beat
Stuttgart, Bayern Lose
In Berlin, Schalke 04 beat title rivals VfB Stuttgart 1-0 yesterday to stretch their Bundesliga lead to six points, but Bayern Munich lost ground with a 1-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Schalke, on top throughout, made the breakthrough when Stuttgart keeper Timo Hildebrand failed to clear a corner and allowed Mladen Krstajic to poke in a shot.
It was a first win in five games for Schalke, who are seeking their first German championship in 49 years. The result gives them 53 points from 26 games and leaves Werder Bremen needing to win at home to Mainz today to cut the lead back to three. Stuttgart stay third on 46 points.
Bayern are fourth on 44 points, outside the Champions League places, after a goal from Christoph Preuss 12 minutes from time consigned them to defeat in Frankfurt.
It was a brilliant, first time overhead flick from Preuss, his first Bundesliga goal of the season, and it means Bayern will need to win next weekend’s home game against Schalke to get back in the running for a third successive league title.
Sochaux’s Grax Scores Twice to
End Toulouse Unbeaten Run
In Paris, striker Sebastien Grax scored two goals and set up another to help Sochaux beat Toulouse 4-2 in Ligue 1 yesterday.
The victory put an end to a five match unbeaten run by Toulouse who slipped from fourth to sixth in the standings with 43 points from 29 matches.
Sochaux snatched their first success after two consecutive defeats and moved up from sixth to fourth leapfrogging Girondins Bordeaux who visit bottom club Sedan later in the day.
Grax volleyed home a cross from Mickael Isabey to put the hosts in front on 21 minutes while midfielder Jerome Leroy made it 2-0 with a close-range shot just after the half-hour.
Grax out-sprinted Toulouse’s last defender to score his second 10 minutes into the second half before setting up Isabey who wrapped up the match.
The visitors scored two late consolation goals from striker Fode Mansare in the 88th-minute and an Achille Emana during stoppage time.
