League of 20 now not even a two-horse race

It's just as well it's interesting at the bottom of the Premiership. At the top Manchester United are disappearing into the horizon. Arsenal's inability to do justice to their collective talent means that as of January 2nd, 2001 this league of 20 teams is not even a two-horse race.

After Arsenal had got lost in the Valley in the afternoon United last night took the opportunity to extend their lead to 11 points over their nearest rivals. In effect, if Arsenal are to challenge United, then United must lose four of their remaining 16 games. That's twice as many as United have lost so far.

On last night's scintillating evidence there is about as much chance of that as Shaka Hislop leaving Old Trafford with a smile on his face. Last season he let seven.

Hislop could not be blamed last night, however, in fact he was West Ham's best player by some way. But, let down by his central defenders in particular, one of whom, Stuart Pearce, scored an own goal, Hislop was pummelled like a boxer's punchbag as Alex Ferguson's side produced their most compelling football of the season to date.

With Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane excelling before their joint 61st minute substitution - five minutes after Dwight Yorke had scored United's third - United simply overwhelmed a team that could have gone seventh had they won. But West Ham have not beaten United in the Premiership since its inception and there were spells last night when it was nearly embarrassing to consider the two inhabit the same division.

The rot set in early for Harry Redknapp's men, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scoring his tenth of the campaign in the third minute. Pearce's own goal came just past the half hour, though it was obvious the contest was over long before then, the air of finality added to by some other statistics: Keane's 300th game in a United shirt, David Beckham's 200th league match, Ferguson's 59th birthday the day before. Then there was the record crowd figure, 67,603.

And they all think it's over.

Redknapp certainly thinks so. Asked if he thought United would be champions again, Redknapp replied: "Without a doubt." There was then a familiar lament from a visiting manager here. "We wanted to have a go. But on the night, they were frightening."

Ferguson had made only one change from the side that was held by feisty Newcastle United on Saturday, but it was not a heartening one from West Ham's perspective: Paul Scholes, who came in for Nicky Butt, scored a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season.

If that was worrying enough for the visitors they were not aided by the fact that Paolo Di Canio was not amongst their numbers. That meant we were denied seeing a player Ferguson has lavished praise upon over the past week - Ferguson even mentioned the possibility of buying Di Canio - but there was a start for another Hammer talked up by Ferguson, 19 yearold Michael Carrick.

Sadly for Carrick, he had about two touches before United scored. And after that, as for all the West Ham players, it was time to look and learn.

In Rigobert Song's case the education was necessary. It was Song's bizarre attempts at defending that gifted Solskjaer his opener. Twice in the space of a couple of seconds Solskjaer was allowed by Song to take possession on the edge of the Londoners' area. On the second occasion Solskjaer took aim, drilled the ball through Pearce and into the far corner. Minutes earlier on the radio Ferguson had described as Solskjaer as "one of the best finishers ever." The timing was impeccable.

So was his team's. It quickly became apparent that this was going to be of those evenings when United were irresistible. No less than six times before the second United goal did Hislop make valuable saves. Two, one from Beckham in the 16th minute and another from Giggs in the 28th, were superb.

Giggs's shooting was almost as impressive as his high-speed dribbling. The flying Welshman actually began the game relatively quietly compared to some of his colleagues but by the time of his delicious half-volley, the one Hislop tipped over, Giggs was the shining star in a United sky illuminated by some electric football.

The build-up to the second goal showed that. Passing patiently and accurately, it was Phil Neville who finally delivered the ball into the box. Pearce stuck out one of his 38-year-old toes and diverted the ball past the wrong-footed Hislop.

After the interval United went straight back to work, Yorke supplying a bullet header to Keane's driven cross. But the United pace dropped then, Joe Cole's introduction gave the Hammers a lift and in the 71st minute Frederic Kanoute nodded in a Pearce corner.

"We're gonna win 4-3," sang the visiting supporters. No, they weren't. Just to remind them that the game was still on Yorke hit the crossbar in the dying seconds.

That's the Premiership's dying seconds.

Manchester Utd: Barthez, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Brown, Silvestre, Beckham, Keane (Wallwork 62), Scholes (Butt 80), Solskjaer, Yorke, Giggs (Greening 61). Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Clegg. Booked: Brown. Goals: Solskjaer 3, Stuart Pearce 33 og, Yorke 58.

West Ham: Hislop, Stuart Pearce, Song, Winterburn, Sinclair, Carrick, Lomas, Moncur (Tihinen 46), Lampard, Kanoute, Camara (Cole 46). Subs Not Used: Potts, Diawara, Forrest. Booked: Stuart Pearce, Camara. Goals: Kanoute 72. Attendance: 67,603.

Referee: P Jones (Loughborough).