LONDON, Oct 1: Manchester United went back to the top of the Premier League with an Old Trafford demolition job on Newcastle United on Sunday 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 defeated Portsmouth 2-1 at White Hart Lane.

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.

Results:

Blackburn Rovers 2 Wigan Athletic 1

Manchester United 2 Newcastle United 0

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Portsmouth 1

West Ham United 0 Reading 1

Played on Saturday:

Bolton Wanderers 2 Liverpool 0

Charlton Athletic 1 Arsenal 2

Chelsea 1 Aston Villa 1

Everton 1 Manchester City 1

Sheffield United 2 Middlesbrough 1

—Reuters