Di Canio, for crying out loud

Tears of joy for Italian enigma as Paolo comes off the bench to preserve the Brooking dream

First it was Van the Man, then came Can the Man – that was the top and bottom of yesterday's remarkable action.

A third hat-trick of the season by Ruud van Nistelrooy at Old Trafford gave Manchester United a 4-1 win over Charlton Athletic that put them eight points clear of Arsenal and within touching distance of the title. Then Paolo Di Canio stepped off the bench at Upton Park and scored the goal that gave West Ham United a 1-0 win over Chelsea to keep alive their hopes of preserving their Premiership status, even though Bolton's draw at Southampton later put them back in the bottom three.

If the script at the Theatre of Dreams was believable, the story that unfolded at Upton Park belonged to the realms of fantasy. West Ham's stand-in manager, Trevor Brooking, holding the fort while Glenn Roeder recovers from a stroke, sent on Di Canio for his first appearance since February. Temperamental and out of favour with Roeder, the Italian seems to inspire drama wherever he goes. As Chelsea's manager Claudio Rainieri said: "When I saw Paolo go on to the pitch I said 'mmmm, he's a very dangerous man'." And so he proved. Trevor Sinclair's deflected cross spun into the air and seemed to seek out Di Canio to apply the finishing touch. Cue Italian tears. "He got very emotional in the dressing room afterwards," Brooking said. "If there was going to be a chance in the six-yard box then I am happy it fell to him."

Everyone connected with Manchester United is happy when chances fall toVan Nistelrooy. The Dutchman has applied more finishing touches than anyone this season and his latest three mean that United will be champions of England for the eighth time in 11 seasons if Arsenal fail to beat either Leeds United at Highbury this afternoon or Southampton in a preview of the FA Cup final on Wednesday.

Arsenal will be severely under-strength today. Sol Campbell and Patrick Vieira, their most important players in defence and midfield respectively, are both out for the rest of the season, while Fredrik Ljungberg, Lauren and Edu are all likely to be missing. Worse, Leeds are still desperate for a victory to make sure of avoiding relegation, thanks to Di Canio's goal. Next Sunday West Ham, Bolton and Leeds could all be facing a last-chance afternoon.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be relaxing at his grandson's birthday party rather than watching today's game. He was delighted with yesterday's win in which Van Nistelrooy celebrated his 100th game by taking his tally to 79 goals in two years.

United, unbeaten since Boxing Day, can still make sure of the championship by winning at Everton even if Arsenal manage to win this week's two home matches and then succeed at Sunderland. Charlton's manager Alan Curbishley believes the race is not yet run, though he concedes that the force is with United. "Momentum is a great thing. It was with Arsenal and now perhaps it is with United. No one gives you anything, as Arsenal found out at Bolton last week."