Robin van Persie hit a first-half hat-trick as Manchester United strolled to an unprecedented 20th English league title with a 3-0 victory at home to Aston Villa tonight.
Manchester City’s 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday had handed the Red Devils a chance to regain the crown, and Alex Ferguson’s men needed no second invitation, swamping Villa to claim the championship with four games to spare.
Van Persie, United’s No20, was the man who brought them their 20th top-flight title, scoring inside 90 seconds and then scoring a breathtaking volley before completing his hat-trick 12 minutes before half-time.
With 13 Premier League trophies, United manager Ferguson and veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs, continu to set uncatchable records. Consider that Ryan Giggs has now won as many English league titles as Arsenal.
There was no case of nerves from United who blew Villa away in a brilliant opening 30 minutes. The game was let than 2 minutes old when Van Persie put United in front. Rafael da Silva’s delivery from the right appeared overhit, but Giggs rescued it by volleying a cushioned cross across goal for the Dutchman to tap in from barely a yard.
A chant of ‘Championey!’ rang out from Old Trafford’s Stretford End as United continued to press, Rafael hitting the post with a crisp strike from 20 yards.
Villa threatened to spoil things when Christian Benteke side-footed over from Andreas Weimann’s pass, only for Van Persie to double United’s lead with a strike to rival any goal scored in Europe this season. Wayne Rooney floated a 40-yard pass behind the Villa defence and Van Persie met the ball first-time, with a technically immaculate volley from outside the box that rocketed past goalkeeper Brad Guzan and into the net. This one will probably win the goal of the season. The pass from Rooney was perfect, while RVP’s volley was exceptional.
On a night rich with symmetry, Van Persie’s third goal arrived in the 33rd minute. Shinji Kagawa freed Giggs, who unselfishly squared to Van Persie, and the former Arsenal striker neatly side-stepped Guzan before lifting the ball into the roof of the net. With 24 goals, United’s £24m man now leads Liverpool’s Luis Suarez by one on the Premier League’s scoring chart.
Van Persie further illustrated his value by heading off the line from Weimann early in the second half, while David de Gea saved smartly from Benteke and Karim El Ahmadi. Kagawa spurned a glorious chance to make it 4-0 when he blazed over the bar, but by then the match, like the title race, had long been decided.
