Football: Sutton ordered off as United put pretenders firmly in their place

Manchester United 4

Blackburn Rovers 0

Under a darkening Stretford sky, Manchester United put daylight between themselves and the challengers for their Premiership crown yesterday. Victory would have taken Blackburn back to the top, but they already looked a ragged rump before Chris Sutton's dismissal three minutes before the hour mark.

Although the championship is seldom decided before May, let alone December, the manner in which United outclassed a team who had arrived at Old Trafford boasting the only unbeaten away record in all four divisions bodes ill for all who believe it is unhealthy for one club to dominate the domestic scene.

A year ago, United were lying fifth when they clinched qualification from the Champions' League and embarked on a run of 13 League games without defeat. This time, already through to the European Cup quarter-finals and starting from the summit itself, they are in such a rich vein of form that it will take a special side to stop them at home or abroad.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored twice, one with either foot, to confirm his return to the ruthlessness which brought him 19 goals in his first season. Blackburn's misery over Sutton's second yellow card was compounded when both Stephane Henchoz and Jeff Kenna put the ball past Tim Flowers to give the scoreline a true reflection of the chasm in class.

The own goals were symptomatic of the way Blackburn contributed to their own downfall. After building quite a reputation for innovative thinking since he exchanged the San Siro for Ewood Park, Roy Hodgson opted for a strategy which could only be justified as long as the game remained goalless.

Starting with Kevin Gallacher on the bench - a decision which betrayed a lack of confidence in the attacking style which has transformed Blackburn since their relegation scrape last spring - Hodgson left Sutton isolated up front. The Blackburn manager also went against his normal practice by fielding two wingers, Stuart Ripley and Jason Wilcox. In the event, neither came close to supporting Sutton and spent much of the afternoon marking United's marauding full-backs.

Blackburn's attempt to flood midfield backfired as early as the 17th minute, by which time United's one-touch football was already in sharp contrast with their visitors' one-dimensional approach. Solskjaer, who owed his recall to Paul Scholes' suspension, started and finished the move, playing a short ball to Teddy Sheringham before spinning away into the inside-left channel.

When the return pass came, deftly lifted over the defence, the Norwegian chested it down before burying a diagonal shot beyond Flowers as Kenna made a forlorn lunge.

With no other striker to share the workload and rotate challenges, Sutton clashed several times with former colleague Henning Berg. The bad blood between the teams intensified when Nicky Butt perpetrated a dreadful high tackle on Tim Sherwood late in the first half.

It was surely no accident that the abrasive Butt was later on the receiving end of the crude challenge which left Sutton facing a long, lonely walk and a one-match ban.

By then, however, United had doubled their advantage. The goal was born of a directness which would have been derided as route one had Wimbledon scored it. Peter Schmeichel's long kick, flicked on by Sheringham, found Solskjaer sprinting between the centre-backs before volleying his fifth goal of an injury-hit season.

Amid the disarray which beset Blackburn between Sutton's exit and the introduction of Gallacher, United put the outcome beyond argument. Phil Neville crossed from the left, whereupon the mere presence of the revitalised Andy Cole panicked Henchoz into diverting the ball into the net.

Flowers saved brilliantly to deny Cole the goal he deserved, yet United were not sated. Brian McClair, on for Sheringham, had been the object of good natured mockery from the stands, and he looked somewhat sheepish when a pass lacking the accuracy to find Solskjaer was turned past Flowers by Kenna.

It was the champions' 23rd goal in November, their 34th in nine fixtures and doubled the total Blackburn had conceded on their travels. Yet still Alex Ferguson was cautioning against getting carried away afterwards. United, he said, faced a tough and congested December. Hodgson, while describing Mr Wilkie's decision to banish Sutton as "remarkably harsh", refused to accept that he had been unduly negative.

The fact that Blackburn failed to force a save from Schmeichel until the 69th minute, when he blocked Gallacher's drive with his legs, tells a different story. Likewise the Premiership table.

"We're top without Cantona," gloated the red hordes, which was possibly the only occasion in recent weeks that the name of the man whose sudden retirement was supposed to signal a weakening of United's grip on the title has been mentioned. That, in itself, is a measure of how well they are playing. Next Saturday's visit to Liverpool provides another opportunity to sort the pretenders from the contenders.

Goals: Solskjaer (17) 1-0; Solskjaer (52) 2-0; Henchoz og (59) 3-0; Kenna og (84) 4-0.

Manchester United (4-3-1-2): Schmeichel; G Neville, Berg, Pallister (Poborsky 68), P Neville; Beckham, Butt, Giggs; Sheringham (McClair 75); Solskjaer, Cole. Substitutes not used: Johnsen, Clegg, Van der Gouw (gk).

Blackburn Rovers (4-5-1): Flowers; Kenna, Henchoz, Pedersen, Croft; Ripley (Bohinen, 63), Flitcroft, McKinlay (Gallacher, 60), Sherwood, Wilcox (Duff, 70); Sutton. Substitutes not used: Gallacher, Broomes, Fettis (gk).

Referee: A Wilkie (Chester-le-Street).

Bookings: United: Butt. Rovers: Sutton. Sending-off: Rovers: Sutton.

Man of the match: Solskjaer.

Attendance: 55,175.