Berbatov's Hat-Trick Gives Manchester United Important Boost

An imperious display from Dimitar Berbatov

The Bulgarian is a goal machine. Dimitar Berbatov has scored another hat-trick, his third this season in the Premier League. It was another routine home-win for Manchester United, a 5-0 thumping of Birmingham City with all of Old Trafford revelling in Berbatov's predatorial grace.

But it wasn't a one-man-band, although he didn't score, Wayne Rooney provided two wonderful assists in his excellent display. The English striker was instrumental in almost all of Manchester United's build-up play, linking up wonderfully with his flowery touch. The only reason he wasn't on the scoresheet was because he missed a header about a meter from the goal, but Rooney's return to scoring seems imminent in this form.

These aren't just another three points for Manchester United. Manchester City lost away against Aston Villa, with new signing Darren Bent scoring on his debut for Villa. His tap-in decided the match, with Manchester City trying very hard to overcome a defensive Aston Villa team which ultimately held on to the 1-0 victory. Although Manchester City kept the ball well, and were ominously circulating around Villa's box, they weren't incisive enough to create many opportunities.

He missed a penalty,  but RVP still scored a hat-trick against Wigan

Meanwhile, Arsenal defeated Wigan Athletic with a simple 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium. Robin van Persie scored all three, missing a penalty on the way to his hat-trick. It's important to note that Wigan's keeper, Al Habsi was fantastic, keeping the score slightly respectable for Wigan.

Now the table has a slightly different look to it, with Blackburn hosting West Bromwich tomorrow and Chelsea still having to travel to play Bolton Wanderers on Monday. With a two point lead over Arsenal, Manchester United are looking more and more comfortable in first place with two games in hand. While they do have to play some tough games in the future, Sir Alex Ferguson's team doesn't seem worried about anything right now. As long as Berbatov continues shining alongside an ever-blossoming Rooney, the title is in Manchester United's hands.