Red Devils carve up Cottagers

Man Utd ensured that the gap separating them from Man City at the top of the table at Christmas will remain at two points following a 5-0 win at Fulham.

Giggs maintains scoring record as Man Utd secure away win

Manchester United ensured that the gap separating them from arch-rivals Manchester City at the top of the table at Christmas will remain at two points following a 5-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage. The Cottagers never got to grips with the rampant Red Devils in the first half and their over-worked back four was breached by Danny Welbeck, Nani and Ryan Giggs. Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov wrapped up a convincing win late on as Fulham finally ran out of legs. It took United just five minutes to open the scoring, with Nani racing down the left before squaring for Welbeck to sweep the ball into the back of the net. The visitors doubled their lead on 28 minutes as Nani glanced home a Giggs cross, with Rooney failing to get a touch despite his best efforts. Giggs then maintained his record of having scored in every Premier League season two minutes before the interval. The veteran Welsh midfielder saw a well-struck shot loop up off Philippe Senderos and over the head of a helpless David Stockdale. Fulham improved markedly after half-time, with the Red Devils forced onto the back foot at regular intervals, but they were unable to find a route back into a game which had slipped away from them early on. The Cottagers' festive spirit was broken for good two minutes from time when Rooney sent a swerving drive from distance crashing in off the inside of the post. Berbatov then got in on the act in the dying seconds, with a clever back-heel summing up what the enigmatic Bulgarian is all about. While he will be delighted to have seen his side pick up another three points, and in comprehensive fashion, injuries to Phil Jones and Ashley Young will offer concern to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Alterations

Fulham manager Martin Jol named an unchanged starting line-up, while Ferguson made minor alterations to the United side that overcame Queens Park Rangers in the first stage of their West London double-header on Sunday. Anders Lindegaard started in goal for United and Giggs came in for Rio Ferdinand, who was left out of the squad altogether. Jones dropped into defence as a result but was on the deck inside two minutes after being caught by a Clint Dempsey's wayward arm. The England international was back on his feet after some treatment and soon had something to cheer about as United broke the deadlock. Nani burst down the left flank, galloping the length of the Fulham half before producing a superb low cross that unmarked Welbeck tucked away with ease. Fulham - playing their 32nd competitive match of the season - eked out their first opportunity in the 20th minute when Bryan Ruiz was put through by Dempsey. The pair linked up for both of the Cottagers' goals in Saturday's 2-0 defeat of Bolton but were denied another thanks to an incredible Jones challenge, thwarting the Costa Rica international in the six-yard box. The tackle was Jones' last action of the match as he immediately left the field, seemingly due to the earlier challenge with Dempsey. Young came on but United looked unfazed and looked to extend their lead, soon grabbing the goal that their pressure had threatened. Giggs played a short corner to Antonio Valencia and after receiving a return pass floated in a superbly-weighted cross, which Nani directed past Stockdale in the 28th minute.

Struggled

United continued to press forward in numbers as the Cottagers struggled to cope, with Senderos looking particularly out-of-sorts and almost giving away a penalty for a mistimed challenge on Welbeck. The former Arsenal defender was guilty of leaving Welbeck free for the opener and saw a first half to forget compounded two minutes before the break. Nani was given acres of space to deliver the ball to Giggs, whose low drive deflected off Senderos' legs and looped over the backpedalling Stockdale. The home side were booed off the pitch at half-time and, whether it was that or a half-time pep talk from Jol, Fulham looked resurgent after the restart. Lindegaard and Patrice Evra combined to prevent a Dempsey header sneaking in, before Moussa Dembele and John Arne Riise came close with long-range drives. Fulham's added impetus saw tensions begin to rise and the home support felt aggrieved that Dickson Etuhu was adjudged to have fouled substitute Young in a 50-50 challenge. While referee Mark Halsey's decision irked the majority inside Craven Cottage, the England winger undoubtedly came off worse and had to be replaced by Ji-sung Park. Valencia stung the palms of Stockdale as United pressed for a fourth goal, before Chris Smalling blocked former team-mate Dempsey's goal-bound effort at the other end. Play swung from one end to another as the match entered the final 20 minutes, before Rooney capped a fine performance with a superb 30-yard effort two minutes from time. Substitute Berbatov finished the rout with a nonchalant back-heel from Valencia's cross in the 90th minute.

Fulham	Team Statistics	Manchester United
0	Goals	5
0	1st Half Goals	3
5	Shots on Target	8
5	Shots off Target	3
5	Blocked Shots	7
3	Corners	10
7	Fouls	8
0	Offsides	2
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
81.7	Passing Success	88.1
20	Tackles	23
95	Tackles Success	78.3
43.4	Possession	56.6
52.4	Territorial Advantage	47.6
420	Total Passes	547
12	Total Crosses	20
133	Lost Balls	137
49	Recoveries	68
33.2	1st Half Poss.	66.8
55	2nd Half Poss.	45