Soccer: Solskjaer double sends Man Utd top

Manchester United went back to the top of the Premier League with an Old Trafford demolition job on Newcastle United overnight (NZ time) that should have brought them more than two Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goals.

The Norwegian converted close-range efforts either side of halftime as United won 2-0 to move to 16 points and above Chelsea on goal difference following the champions' 1-1 home draw with Aston Villa on Saturday.

Bolton Wanderers are third on 14 points after their 2-0 home win over Liverpool on Saturday.

In Sunday's other games Reading won 1-0 at West Ham United, Blackburn Rovers beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 while Tottenham Hotspur were playing Portsmouth later.

Manchester United, who lost to Arsenal and drew with Reading in their previous two games after winning the first four, were quickly into their stride on Sunday, though they had to wait until four minutes before halftime to get on the scoresheet.

Cristiano Ronaldo, again United's most impressive performer, fired a shot against a post and Solskjaer was on hand to knock in the rebound.

Four minutes after halftime Solskjaer got his second when he diverted a Nemanja Vidic shot beyond Steve Harper.

United had already hit a post through Darren Fletcher and Ronaldo rattled the bar with another powerful run and shot as Newcastle fell apart.

They needed some good saves by Harper to keep the score respectable and never looked remotely capable of ending their 34-year run without a league win at Old Trafford.

"We played with a great intensity and controlled the game throughout," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports.

"Today we were back on song. We had some terrific efforts at goal, it was a really terrific performance."

Ferguson was also full of praise for Solskjaer, whose career seemed over after a series of knee injuries.

"If you are out of the game for two years at his age you obviously have doubts but you might find it difficult to believe that a player at the age of 33 is getting better but that's what we've seen this season."

At Ewood Park, Emile Heskey put Wigan ahead in the second minute before David Bentley levelled at the end of the first half.

Blackburn's Jason Brown, a halftime goalkeeping replacement for Brad Friedel, had a debut to remember when he saved a Svetoslav Todorov penalty in the 77th minute, allowing Benni McCarthy to win it for the hosts four minutes later.

Promoted Reading continued their good run courtesy of a second-minute long shot by Korean winger Seol Ki-hyeon and have risen to seventh.

- REUTERS