West Ham 0 Man Utd 4

PAUL SCHOLES came out of the doldrums to spark United's East End party.
The Manchester United midfielder felt he was not making much of a contribution in a stop-start season.

But he showed he is still well worth a place in the champions' line-up after a typical piledriver put the visitors on their way to a thumping victory.

Darron Gibson also gave boss Alex Ferguson food for thought with his third goal in two games.

Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney wrapped up the points with two goals in two minutes as the Hammers capitulated yet again.

The only concern for Fergie was his crocked backline, as he saw Gary Neville and Wes Brown succumb to injury. Michael Carrick came on as a centre-half and will probably play there in the midweek Champions League game at Wolfsburg.

STILL GOT IT....Paul scholes celebrate his
stunning goal with Anderson

United chief Ferguson returned to the touchline for United following his ban. But he was forced to put Darren Fletcher at right-back, with Neville partnering Brown in central defence.

West Ham should have gone ahead in the 10th minute when Zavon Hines picked up a stray pass from Ryan Giggs before surging forward. He crossed for Jack Collison and it looked as though he would break the deadlock before fellow Welshman Giggs managed to get back to scramble the ball clear.

A Gibson shot was blocked by Radoslav Kovac and a rasping Scholes volley was closed out by a mass of Hammers shirts.

Ferguson was hit by more defensive problems on 32 minutes when Neville was forced off with a groin injury. Midfielder Carrick was introduced and faced his former club as a centre-half in a straight swap.

But United kept pressing and the visitors duly grabbed the opener in first-half injury time as Scholes chested the ball past Radoslav Kovac before unleashing a stinging left-footed drive that Rob Green could only palm into his own net.




James Tomkins went close and should have done better after 51 minutes with a header he directed straight at goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.

Gibson sent the Hammers packing on the hour when he smashed home Giggs' square pass.

Kuszczak turned over Alessandro Diamanti's free-kick but Valencia finished off a flowing United move on 71 minutes before Rooney pounced for his 12th of the season a minute later.

West Ham: Green (Kurucz 73), Spector, Tomkins, Gabbidon, Ilunga, Collison, Kovac (Dyer 67), Parker, Stanislas, Franco, Hines (Diamanti 46). Subs not used: Faubert, Da Costa, Nouble, Payne.

Man Utd: Kuszczak, Fletcher, Neville (Carrick 34), Brown, Evra, Gibson (Berbatov 67), Anderson, Valencia, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney (Owen 72). Subs not used: Foster, Park, Nani, De Laet. Booked: Scholes. Goals: Scholes 45, Gibson 61, Valencia 71, Rooney 72.



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