E-Paper
Manchester United go 15 points clear
A thunderbolt from Rafael da Silva set Manchester United on the way to a 2-0 win at bottom club Queens Park Rangers on Saturday that sent Alex Ferguson's side 15 points clear in the Premier League.
A thunderbolt from Rafael da Silva set Manchester United on the way to a 2-0 win at bottom club Queens Park Rangers on Saturday that sent Alex Ferguson's side 15 points clear in the Premier League.
The Brazilian right-back struck in the 23rd minute, arrowing a crisp, first-time drive right into the top-left corner from outside the box after Julio Cesar had pushed away a shot from Robin van Persie.
The goal came at a cost for United, however, with top scorer van Persie tumbling into the photographers' pit behind Cesar's goal and sustaining a hip injury that forced him off four minutes before half-time.
The evergreen Ryan Giggs sealed victory in the 80th minute, ghosting onto Danny Welbeck's through ball and whipping a low shot past the exposed Cesar.
Victory gives United a massive lead at the league summit, ahead of nearest rivals Manchester City's home game with third-place Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal put their recent woes behind them as Santi Cazorla completed a brace with an 85th-minute goal that condemned relegation-threatened Aston Villa to a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
