Played at Venue: Old Trafford Date: Saturday, 6 February 2009
Manchester United went back to the top of the Premier League without breaking into a sweat as Portsmouth left Old Trafford on the wrong end of a 5-0 thrashing.
Manchester United vs Portsmouth Match Report
Pompey themselves helped hammer some of the nails into their coffin with own goals by Anthony Vanden Borre and Marc Wilson, while a deflection off Richard Hughes assisted United's third goal.
Yet the Premier League's bottom club had two good chances before United opened the scoring.
United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar made a fine save from Anthony Vanden Borre's fierce 13th minute shot, while Jonny Evans cleared Nadir Belhadj's 28 minute drive off the line.
But, in the end, it proved to be a case of champions against the seemingly doomed and men against boys.
Portsmouth's marking was woeful in the 40th minute when Darren Fletcher crossed from the right and Wayne Rooney nipped in between two defenders and goal keeper David James to head home from four yards.
It was Rooney's 21st league and 23rd goal of the season and the England star played his part in the second goal in the dying seconds of the first half.
Rooney's crisp pass found Nani on the left side of the Portsmouth box and his speculative shot from ten yards was deflected off Vanden Borre into the net, with James also getting a touch before the ball crossed the line at the near post.
Things went from bad to worse for Pompey in the 59th minute when Michael Carrick's 22-yard shot was deflected in off Hughes, with the ball going in off the underside of the bar.
United's best goal of the game was their fourth after 62 minutes.
Dimitar Berbatov, who missed a first-half sitter from six yards, showed magical skillwhen he toyed with Tal Ben Haim in the Pompey penalty area before scoring with a low shot from 15 yards.
Pompey's troubles were encapsulated in United's fifth goal in the 69th minute.
Nani headed on Patrice Evra's cross from the left and Wilson hammed the ball into the roof of his own net from six yards.
Manchester United vs Portsmouth Highlights Video
39:40 GOAL - Wayne Rooney:Man Utd 1 - 0 Portsmouth
Wayne Rooney finds the net with a headed goal from close range.
44:46 GOAL - Anthony Vanden Borre:Man Utd 2 - 0 Portsmouth
Nani tricks his way past Vanden Borre and his deflected cross wrong foots James who can only deflect it into his own net.
58:23 GOAL - Richard Hughes:Man Utd 3 - 0 Portsmouth
another sweeping move ends with Berbatov feeding CARRICK to sweep into the bottom corner.
61:03 GOAL - Dimitar Berbatov:Man Utd 4 - 0 Portsmouth
Dimitar Berbatov scores a goal from outside the penalty area to the bottom right corner of the goal.
68:52 GOAL - Marc Wilson:Man Utd 5 - 0 Portsmouth
Evra advances down the left and his relatively harmless cross is deflected into the net by Marc Wilson. Very unlucky.
Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"We had a lot of pressure and possession of the ball but we were patient enough.
"That's important when teams come and sit in the way they did here today. Portsmouth were there to make it difficult but we got the goal just before half-time.
"We were a bit fortunate with the second one. Nani beat his man and was trying to play a cross across the box.
"It got a deflection and went past James and into the net. It was fortunate but nonetheless you have to take them. That opened the game for us in the second half.
"We went looking for goals and managed to get three more, the one from Berbatov was brilliant."
Portsmouth manager Avram Grant:
"Positive thinking is always better than negative thinking and as long as we have the chance we will fight.
"We created two good chances and one came off the line. Then after 40 minutes they scored and got some own goals but Manchester United are a better team than us.
"We need to do our job even if it feels like things are going against us. We cannot think like this."
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