Premiership: Manchester United claim top spot

Boavista 0 Man Utd 3

Manchester United claimed top spot in Group A with a 3-0 win over Boavista.

What was only United's third away win in 15 Champions League games had not been in doubt from as early as the 14th minute when Laurent Blanc gave them the lead.

United smoothly moved up through the gears and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it 2-0 with a real poacher's effort before David Beckham fired home a penalty.

Even without the injured Roy Keane, Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud van Nistelrooy, United were far too quick and slick for Boavista.

United opened the scoring on 14 minutes, Beckham sent over a corner and Blanc capitalised on some slack Boavista defending to side-foot home unchallenged from around eight yards out.

Diego Forlan, who made his first Champions League start, thought he had finally opened his United account midway through the half when he met stand-in skipper Ryan Giggs' cross with a diving header only for Ricardo to block his effort.

Boavista briefly rallied and Erwin Sanchez hit a curling right-foot shot, which Fabien Barthez touched round his left-hand post.

The game was beginning to open up and Beckham fluffed a great chance to double United's lead.

Ricardo parried Forlan's right-foot shot and the ball fell invitingly to Beckham, but with the goal at his mercy the England skipper embarrassingly sliced his effort wide.

Solskjaer doubled United's lead in the 29th minute as he reacted first to knock a rebound into the net.

On 51 minutes they made it 3-0 from the penalty spot.

Solskjaer found Nicky Butt on the left and he laid the ball inside to send Scholes bursting into the box and as he did Martelinho caught his heel.

In the absence of van Nistelrooy, Beckham rifled home.

This win means United will avoid favourites Real Madrid in Friday's quarter-final draw in Nyon, but they could face Liverpool.