Manchester United thump Charlton to pressure Arsenal: Chelsea end 50-year league title drought

LONDON, May 1: Teenage striker Wayne Rooney helped Manchester United to a thumping 4-0 win over Charlton Athletic on Sunday to close within a point of Arsenal in the sprint to next season’s Champions League. A day after Chelsea won the Premier League title with a 2-0 win at Bolton Wanderers, the chase for European soccer continued with United’s win and a 5-1 victory for Tottenham Hotspur over Aston Villa which moved Spurs into a provisional UEFA Cup slot.

Paul Scholes opened the scoring for United after Charlton keeper Stephan Andersen spilled a Rooney shot in the 34th minute and Darren Fletcher rifled in the second just before halftime.

Both United’s second half goals came on the break, with Alan Smith adding a cool finish and Rooney getting on the scoresheet with a gentle flick past a stranded Andersen. Chelsea have won the league with 88 points, Arsenal are second on 74 points before their game in hand at West Browmich Albion on Monday and United are third on 73 with three games left to play.

Spurs were 3-0 up inside the opening half hour after two goals from Mali international striker Frederic Kanoute and one from captain Ledley King, while Gareth Barry pulled one back from the penalty spot for Villa just before the break. Andy Reid added the fourth with a superb 20-metre strike and Stephen Kelly completed a miserable afternoon for Villa’s stand-in keeper Stefan Postma with a close-range effort on 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, Chelsea were crowned English league champions for the first time in 50 years. Their Saturday’s triumph, funded by their Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, confirmed Chelsea as the new dominant force in English football and brought the era of power-sharing by Arsenal and Manchester United to an abrupt end. Chelsea, whose only previous league title was in 1955, have lost just one league game this season and have conceded only 13 goals in 35 games. Manager Jose Mourinho has also guided the London club into the Champions League semi-finals in his first season in England, less than a year after steering Porto to the European crown.

In a remarkable centenary year for the club, Chelsea take their Treble hopes to Liverpool next week for the Champions League semifinal second leg after a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.

The Portuguese coach has been the tactical brains behind Chelsea’s success while a spending spree of well over 200 million pounds ($380 million) since Abramovich’s takeover in 2003 has provided a stream of top players.

The keys to Chelsea’s success have been a formidable defence under captain John Terry, the footballers’ union Player of the Year, and an ability to strike at goal from any position.

England midfielder Frank Lampard, who scored both goals at Bolton on Saturday, is the club’s top scorer with 18 goals ahead of strikers Didier Drogba and Eidur Gudjohnsen, while wingers Damien Duff and Arjen Robben have also netted regularly.

United and Arsenal, who had won the previous nine titles, will contest the FA Cup final in three weeks’ time.

Premier League results:

Played on Sunday:

Tottenham Hotspur 5 Aston Villa 1

Charlton Athletic 0 Manchester United 4

Played on Saturday:

Birmingham City 2 Blackburn Rovers 1

Bolton Wanderers 0 Chelsea 2

Fulham 2 Everton 0

Liverpool 1 Middlesbrough 1

Manchester City 2 Portsmouth 0

Newcastle United 0 Crystal Palace 0