Van Persie treble fires United to 20th title
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) –
Manchester United players celebrate after beating Aston Villa 3-0 and winning the Premiership title following their English Premier League football match at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on April 22, 2013.
Robin van Persie hit a first-half hat-trick as Manchester United cantered to an unprecedented 20th English league title with an emphatic 3-0 victory at home to Aston Villa on Monday.
Manchester City‘s 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur a day earlier had handed United a chance to regain the title and Alex Ferguson’s men needed no second invitation, swamping Villa to claim the championship with four games to spare.
Van Persie, United’s number 20, was the man who brought United their 20th top-flight crown, netting inside 90 seconds and then scoring a breath-taking volley before completing his hat-trick 12 minutes before half-time.
“I am very happy, but it is weird. I had to wait so long for my first title. It is a great feeling,” van Persie told Sky Sports.
“This is our 20th title. It is deserved.”
Manchester United’s Dutch striker Robin van Persie celebrates scoring his team’s first goal against Aston Villa during the English Premier League football match at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on April 22, 2013. Manchester United won 3-0.
With 13 Premier League titles, United manager Ferguson and veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs, creator of two of van Persie’s goals, have now each won as many English league crowns as Arsenal.
Eternal rivals Liverpool, meanwhile, now trail United by two championships on the all-time honours board.
Wayne Rooney, who was making his 400th appearance for United, said the achievement partially atoned for the pain of losing last year’s title to City on the season’s final day.
“When you lose the title, it is hard to take,” he said.
“It wasn’t a nice feeling last time. We have all dug in deep and done fantastic to put ourselves in this position.
“You can never take anything for granted in football and thankfully it is now done. The manager has great desire and a winning mentality. We all buy into that and want to do well for the club.”
Villa never threatened to poop the party and remain under threat from third-bottom Wigan Athletic, who could suck Paul Lambert’s side into the relegation zone if they win their game in hand.
Manchester United’s Dutch striker Robin van Persie (2nd R), during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on April 22, 2013. Manchester United won 3-0.
The evening’s outcome was never in doubt from the moment, just one minute and 23 seconds into the game, 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.
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.
“It was one of the best goals,” van Persie said. “I only had to time it right.”
On a night rich with symmetry, his 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 £24 million ($37 million, 28 million euros) man now leads Luis Suarez by a goal in the top scorers’ chart, to further blacken the Liverpool striker’s mood after he was charged by the Football Association for biting Chelsea‘s Branislav Ivanovic on Sunday.
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.