United in control of their destiny

SOCCER/Manchester Utd 4 Watford 0:Manchester United give the impression right now of a club who are totally at ease with themselves. The Premiership leaders have the air of a team in complete control of their own destiny, and last night they dismissed Watford with ease.

This freewheeling win consolidates their position, six points clear at the top of the Premiership, and Alex Ferguson was entitled to muse they should have won more handsomely, such was the imbalance of talent.

Even with Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes excused duty, the division's bottom club were subjected to long periods of near-unremitting pressure, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney particularly set on emphasising the gulf in class. It was to end with the chilly fingers of relegation tightening around Watford throats.

United were rarely at their most fluent yet an air of inevitability descended from the moment Ronaldo put them in the lead in the 20th minute. After that it was a question of how many they would accumulate and Ferguson will be disappointed they did not make more of an impact to their goal-difference column.

Ronaldo's 14th goal of the season, all in the Premiership, came from the penalty spot after Jay DeMerit had yanked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back by the arm as he moved on to Rooney's lay-off. DeMerit will wince when he sees the TV replays. Solskjaer may be an accomplished finisher but the ball was running away from him and DeMerit could have shepherded him away from goal.

Until that moment Old Trafford had witnessed more misplaced passes than in the previous six home games put together.

Kieran Richardson and John O'Shea could both be seen waving apologetically after losing control of the ball. Unusually, more refined players such as Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand also made unforced errors. In Rooney and Ronaldo, however, United are blessed with two attackers who can lift the players around them.

As the first half came to a close, Watford were looking increasingly frayed round the edges.

Tomasz Kuszczak, deputising for Edwin van der Sar in the United goal, had been a virtual spectator in the first half and it was a similar pattern after the interval. Richardson was finding plenty of space on the left while Ronaldo shimmered with menace every time he was in possession.

One run saw the Portugal winger slalom around three players before slipping the ball unselfishly to Rooney inside the penalty area. The England striker tried to skip past Richard Lee but Watford's stand-in goalkeeper - Ben Foster was not allowed to play under the terms of his loan agreement - was quick to come off his line and thwart the danger.

Ferguson could be seen getting increasingly frustrated by the frequency with which chances were being squandered. At times, his team were guilty of being too elaborate while on other occasions they were guilty of carelessness with their final ball. O'Shea is a diligent worker but it is nights like these when it becomes apparent how crucial Scholes is.

When the second goal finally arrived, after the hour mark, it owed to a moment of good fortune. Richardson's cross was fast and whipped, and with Ronaldo loitering with intent, Watford's defender Lloyd Doyley flashed a header into his own goal.

Watford suddenly looked vulnerable to every attack. Henrik Larsson replaced Solskjaer and had been on the pitch four minutes when he exchanged passes with Rooney to score a beautifully choreographed goal.

Then, a minute later, Rooney lobbed Lee for a goal he richly deserved.

MANCHESTER UTD:Kuszczak, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic (Silvestre 75), Heinze, Ronaldo, O'Shea, Carrick (Brown 75), Richardson, Rooney, Solskjaer (Larsson 66). Subs not used: Van der Sar, Park. Booked: Vidic, Heinze.

WATFORD:Lee, Mariappa, Doyley, DeMerit, Stewart, Smith (Williamson 72), Bangura, Francis, Powell (Hoskins 61), Bouazza, Henderson (Kabba 75). Subs not used: Chamberlain, McNamee. Booked: DeMerit, Henderson.

Referee:M Dean (Wirral).