Bolton 0 Manchester United 4: With a raging gale sweeping down from the Pennines, Manchester United blew Bolton apart last night to establish a four-point gap at the top of the Premiership.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's simple hat-trick and a late strike by Ruud van Nistelrooy nipped the champions' latest dodgy spell in the bud - consecutive defeats constitute a mini-crisis, after all - and there was even time for Diego Forlan, United's £7.5 million sterling purchase from Independiente, to make a cameo debut appearance at the end. Bolton, for all their early-season exploits against the big boys, are sinking fast.
Wanderers' startling success at Old Trafford in October is quickly becoming the stuff of legend, if only because Sam Allardyce's side has struggled so badly to win in the Premiership ever since. Their only victory since came in mid-November while season-ticket holders unwilling to take to the road had not celebrated a three-point plunder since Liverpool self-destructed here in August.
Despite that depressing statistic, rather than because of it, Allardyce felt compelled to rip up Djibril Diawara's contract yesterday. The Senegal international, on a year's loan from Torino, breached club rules on curfews and drinking by staying out until 4 a.m. prior to an FA Cup tie at Stockport earlier this month and has returned to Italy.
That left Bolton's defensive options, already limited by injury, even thinner. By half-time that was all too apparent, though their break-neck start hardly suggested they had defence on their minds.
Michael Ricketts's muscular presence was soon upsetting Mikael Silvestre with the Frenchman dumped on the touchline. The striker advanced to fire low across the six-yard box where Fredi Bobic, starting his first home game after joining on loan from Borussia Dortmund, inexplicably prodded his shot wide.
Ricketts preferred to go on his own moments later, sprinting from inside the centre-circle before battering a shot goalwards which Fabien Barthez did well to save. Kevin Nolan's blazed attempt merely maintained the frantic pressure on the visitors' goal.
Yet United's defence, so maligned all season, remained firm and their midfield eventually prospered.
Roy Keane, as effervescent as ever, had already dragged a shot wide when Van Nistelrooy wrestled possession from Anthony Barness - illegally, Bolton complained - and by-passed Nicky Southall with the cutest of passes.
Ryan Giggs sprinted on to the ball and charged headlong into the home half before squaring for Solskjaer, unmarked in the centre, to prod in off a post.
The goal deflated Bolton, who back-peddled and were increasingly subjected to a battering. Giggs might have added a second, turning on to Silvestre's pass and seeing a shot well tipped aside by Jussi Jaaskelainen, while the Finn did well to keep out Paul Scholes's 25-yard drive.
Cruelly, the goalkeeper's luck did not hold. Southall dallied when he should have shot at the other end and was left trailing in Gigg's jet stream and the Welshman's cross was hit goalwards by Keane. Jaaskelainen kept that out, but Bolton were rocking and dithered fatally at the resultant corner. Solskjaer promptly darted untracked across goal to flick David Beckham's cross home.
Had Kevin Nolan taken an opportunity, the Wanderers fans in the stadium's best ever crowd - 27,350 - might have found more comfort in their half-time Bovril. Instead any chance of a comeback soon died a death as United plundered a third of such simplicity as to leave Allardyce fuming.
Jermaine Johnson's push on Beckham earned a free-kick which the England captain whipped towards the near post. Solskjaer, again unmarked, nipped in to complete the easiest of hat-tricks.
Guardian Service
BOLTON WANDERERS: Jaaskelainen, Southall (Charlton 45), Bergsson, Whitlow, Gardner, Hansen (Johnson 59), Nolan, Barness, Farrelly, Bobic (Holdsworth 75), Ricketts. Subs Not Used: Poole, Pedersen.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Barthez, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, Blanc (O'Shea 72), Silvestre, Beckham, Keane (Butt 73), Scholes, Giggs, Solskjaer (Forlan 76), van Nistelrooy. Subs Not Used: Carroll, Brown. Goals: Solskjaer 15, 39, 64, van Nistelrooy 84.
Ref: A D'Urso. .
