HEADLINES:
R/€ 
R/£ Ronaldo puts United on top
November 12, 2007 Edition 1
Cristiano Ronaldo took over from where Wayne Rooney had left off as Manchester United continued their impressive assault on the Premier League title in a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford yesterday.
With Rooney out for at least four weeks after an ankle injury sustained in training on Friday, United's rivals had clung to the hope that the absence of the in-form England centre-forward might provide Sir Alex Ferguson with problems.
However, two goals in as many minutes from the Portuguese winger in the first half were a remarkable testimony to the strength in depth available to the United manager as he embarks upon his 22nd year in charge of the club.
Frenchman Louis Saha was handed a starting role by Ferguson, partnering Carlos Tevez in attack, although he turned in a performance that suggested he may not be the long-term answer to Rooney's absence.
But with Ronaldo showing such an unerring eye for the goal, and taking his season tally to six from just nine league starts in the process, United had little cause for concern.
Ronaldo won the 33rd-minute corner that led to the opening goal with a left-footed shot that deflected off David Dunn and missed the Blackburn goal by inches.
Ryan Giggs's resulting corner kick found Ronaldo, whose powerful header was helped into his own goal by David Bentley, covering on the line.
United's next attack doubled their lead as Rio Ferdinand's long pass was helped into the path of Tevez by Saha. As the Reds broke furiously upfield, Tevez's far-post cross was met by Ronaldo who finished magnificently, albeit with the help of a touch from keeper Brad Friedel.
The two-goal salvo was tough justice on returning United hero Mark Hughes and his Rovers side who, like his former club, have enjoyed a solid start to the season.
The afternoon may have panned out differently had Christopher Samba not been denied by the woodwork with a tremendous blast from 22 yards, after Ronaldo had been caught in possession by Dunn.
But Hughes's hopes of preventing United's progress disappeared early in the second half when his team was reduced to 10 men as Dunn collected his second bookable offence, a yellow card for fouling Saha after a first-half caution for a hack at Tevez.
In truth, the 53rd-minute dismissal probably had little bearing on an outcome that had already been decided by Ronaldo's flurry.
Even before his two-goal burst, Ronaldo had signalled a warning of his intent with a shot that Bentley cleared off the line from a Giggs corner, while Tevez had busied himself in the opening exchanges with some testing runs.
Rovers might have earned a lifeline late in the first half when Morten Pedersen found Bentley in the area, only for the highly rated winger to plant a weak shot directly into the body of goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
Soon after the restart, Giggs placed a cross-shot onto the roof of Friedel's goal while the loss of Dunn placed the visitors under even more intense pressure.
Ronaldo threatened to claim a hat-trick as his trademark trickery created space on the edge of the Rovers area and saw him unleash a venomous left-foot strike that flew just off target.
Pedersen summed up Blackburn's frustrations with a woeful strike at the keeper as he connected with a headed clearance from Nemanja Vidic, and there was a late header from Samba which Van der Sar scrambled off his line.
But, as United toyed with their beaten visitors, there were bookings for Aaron Mokoena, Samba and Ryan Nelsen, who upended Giggs after an outrageous piece of skill from the Welshman which summed up the level of United's domination.
The victory could have been even more emphatic if not for Friedel, who denied Ronaldo a first United hat-trick with a near-post save, then dived superbly to keep out a Ferdinand shot from Tevez's 83rd-minute corner.
o Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart frustrated Portsmouth with a series of fine saves in his side's 0-0 draw at Fratton Park yesterday.
Hart, 20, was making only his ninth appearance for City, but he belied his youth with a mature display that consolidated Sven Eriksson's side in third place in the Premier League.
Portsmouth had won five of their previous six league matches, but were unable to find a way past the inspired Hart and had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Hart modestly gave the credit for his clean sheet to City's defenders. "It's a massive result for us, but we've done it as a team and I don't take any credit for it," he said.
"We dug in and defended well, and I was happy to make some good saves."
Eriksson added: "Joe is a big talent and has already showed it with the England Under-21s. He will get better and better."
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp said that Hart was the match's key figure.
"I didn't think we did too much wrong," he said. "We hit the post and I thought the shot from Glen Johnson in the first half was in, but the 'keeper made a fantastic save."
City's success has been built on a superb home record, but they have been less impressive away from Eastlands, with their only league win on opposition territory coming on the opening day at West Ham.
© 1999 - 2010 Mercury & Independent Online (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved.