Football
Reuters 16y

UPDATE 1-Soccer-Top three all win as United retain top spot

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By Martyn Herman

LONDON, Jan 19 - Manchester United hung on to top
spot in the Premier League with late goals from Wayne Rooney and
Cristiano Ronaldo sealing a 2-0 victory at Reading on Saturday.

United failed to put any daylight between themselves and
Arsenal, however, with Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor scoring
twice as the Gunners returned to form with a 3-0 rout of Fulham
at Craven Cottage.

Third-placed Chelsea also dug out an away victory, beating
Birmingham City 1-0 thanks to Claudio Pizarro's header. They
stay four points behind the top two who have 54 points from 23
matches.

There is a yawning gap to fourth-placed Liverpool who are
one of four clubs on 39 points. They play away at sixth-placed
Aston Villa on Monday.

While the top three all won, the bottom three all lost.
Fulham's defeat makes them increasingly likely to join Derby
County through the relegation trapdoor.

Bottom club Derby took the lead at Portsmouth before a
Benjani Mwaruwari hat-trick ended a nine-hour goal famine for
Pompey at home to seal a 3-1 win.

Sunderland stayed in the bottom three after a 2-0 defeat at
Tottenham Hotspur, for whom Robbie Keane scored his 100th goal.
Middlesbrough drew 1-1 at Blackburn Rovers.

LATE GOALS

United were stifled by Reading on the opening day of the
season when they drew 0-0 at Old Trafford and goals were at a
premium again, although there was no lack of chances.

The country's top scorer Ronaldo wasted several chances for
United while Reading also had opportunities, the best of which
fell to Dave Kitson who lobbed wide when through on goal.

With 15 minutes remaining, Rooney broke the deadlock,
producing a cool finish after an instinctive pass by Carlos
Tevez. Ronaldo broke away in stoppage time to take his league
tally to 17.

"We kept making chances but you start to worry if you are
going to get the goal," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky
Sports News. "We got the goal at the right time and hung on."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was a happy man after his side
clicked into top gear against Fulham having dropped points
against Birmingham in their last league game.

Two textbook headers from Adebayor and a Tomas Rosicky
volley underlined their superiority and gave Wenger an afternoon
free of worry.

"We were in control for 90 minutes...the game was never in
doubt and that's down to the spirit and talent of the players,"
Wenger told Sky Sports News.

Kevin Keegan began his second stint as Newcastle United's
manager with a late kickoff at home to Bolton Wanderers.
(Editing by Rex Gowar)

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