(Updates with quotes, match details)
By Mike Collett
LONDON, Oct 6 - Champions Manchester United went
top of the Premier League for the first time this season when
they scored four times in the second half to crush Wigan
Athletic 4-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and one each from Carlos
Tevez and Wayne Rooney secured United's sixth successive league
win without conceding a goal and took them above Arsenal into
first place.
United have 20 points from nine games but Arsenal, who have
19 points from seven games, will go back on top if they beat
Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
United, who had been struggling for goals this season,
dominated the match against their near neighbours but did not
make the breakthrough until the 54th minute when Tevez opened
the scoring with a superbly taken effort.
He held off a strong challenge from the Wigan defenders
before making space for himself and firing low past Chris
Kirkland in the Wigan goal.
Ronaldo added the second five minutes later with a header
and he made it 3-0 after 76 minutes when Rooney's perfectly
placed low cross allowed him to score from the simplest of
chances.
Rooney scored his first league goal of the season with a
header to complete the rout eight minutes from time.
United's performance delighted manager Alex Ferguson,
especially as they lost French striker Louis Saha, who injured
himself in the warm-up, and were then forced into two first half
substitutions.
Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic and Irish defender John
O'Shea were both injured and substituted within the first half
hour.
"It was a our best scoring performance of the season, and I
was really pleased with the way we played after all the problems
we had. It was a fantastic win," Ferguson told reporters
afterwards.
Wigan have lost all 18 matches they have played against the
big four of United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea since being
promoted to the Premier League, and after a bright start to the
season they are slipping down the table with four losses in
their last five league matches.
The only other Premier League fixture on Saturday was the
1400 GMT game at Villa Park between Aston Villa and West Ham
United. Eight matches are scheduled for Sunday.