Dilshan breaks his nose
Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has suffered a fracture on his nose while playing football.
But his team manager says he will be available for the second Test match, starting on Tuesday.
Dilshan collided with one of his teammates while playing football after the first Test in Ahmedabad on Friday and he was immediately rushed to a hospital for an X-ray examination.
Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lanka's team manager, though said there was no need to worry as the injury was not serious.
"The injury was put right by the surgeon before we left for Kanpur and Dilshan is out of danger," Kuruppu said.
"He is not in any kind of great discomfort. He will resume practice with the rest of the team tomorrow," he said.
Prior to the first Test, Dilshan sprained his ankle during practice but recovered in time to score a century.
Teams arrive in Kanpur
India and Sri Lanka arrived in Kanpur for the second Test match, beginning on Tuesday at Green Park Stadium.
However, the Indian trio of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir did not arrive with the Indian team as they have gone to Delhi and will reach on Sunday.
The teams landed in the city in the afternoon and amidst a tight security were taken to a city hotel.
Indian run-machine Sachin Tendulkar was presented a memento for completing 20 glorious years in international cricket.
Man carrying revolver arrested inside Green Park
A man carrying a revolver broke through the heavy security cordon and entered the Green Park Stadium premises, hours after the Indian and Sri Lankan teams arrived for the second Test.
The man, who claimed to be a journalist, was arrested by the police immediately and he is being interrogated upon.
Kanpur DIG BP Jogdand said the city police immediately sprang into action after they got information that a man was roaming near the parking area of the stadium with a revolver around his waist.
"We arrested him immediately. He told his name is Laxmi Kant Gupta and he claimed to be a journalist of Bahujan Kesari Patrika. His revolver though has a licence. He said he had come to make entry pass for his vehicle," Jogdand told PTI.
"The interrogation is on," he added.
Those who were present at the stadium, however, said the man was loitering around for some time inside the stadium with his revolver and he had some altercation with the security personnel at the gate.
Following the incident, the DIG has ordered that nobody would be allowed entry inside the stadium gate without proper frisking.
Rib injury rules out Kallis
South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis is to miss the entire one-day international series against England because of a fractured rib.
It is thought Kallis suffered the injury during the Champions League in India last month, but it was only after a scan this morning that the true extent of the problem was uncovered.
South Africa intend to call up an as yet unnamed replacement batsman, having already privately accepted Kallis was not likely to be regularly bowling his full 10-over entitlement in a five-match series set to get under way at Centurion on Sunday - following Friday's washout at The Wanderers.
"It is with deep regret that we have to announce Jacques Kallis is out of the one-day series," said coach Mickey Arthur.
"He just wasn't getting better from that injury.
"We had him re-scanned this morning and found there is a fracture in the cartilage of the rib - which clearly affects his performances for the next four weeks.
"Obviously, it's very disappointing."
South Africa hope key player Kallis will be fit again in time for the start of the Test series against England next month - although Arthur admitted the first match at Centurion may be a "grey area".
In the more immediate future, Hashim Amla will replace Kallis at the top of the order - alongside captain Graeme Smith.
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"We have groomed Hashim Amla to open the batting in one-day cricket - and he will be a more than adequate replacement," Arthur predicted.
Should the need arise, South Africa will pick Kallis as a batsman only for the Test series - but the nature of his injury means that would be an unwise policy in the ODIs too.
"The priority for us is the Test matches, and we need to get him fit and ready for them," the coach explained.
"The balance he brings to our Test side is huge, so he wasn't going to do a hell of a lot of bowling in the one-dayers anyway.
"We would play Jacques as a batter only in Tests if need be. He is among the top five batters in world cricket, so we could certainly do that.
"We wouldn't push him to bowl in the first Test if we thought it would impede in matches two, three and four.
"The injury is affecting his batting at the moment - and what he needs now is four weeks off to get mended.
"If he batted then the movements of batting and running between the wickets and stretching would all affect his recovery - so that is why we're pulling him out of this series."
South Africa appear optimistic if not entirely confident of Kallis' readiness for the start of the Test series.
"He will have an injection to speed the recovery up, but the first Test might be a grey area," said Arthur.
"For the second onwards, there are no issues."
Arthur is equivocal about whether Kallis' absence may be a boost for opponents themselves beset by a collection of 'niggling' injuries.
"England may be lifted, but I don't think any side takes glee in seeing the opposition's best players getting injured," he said.
"I know we don't get any at seeing England's growing injury list.
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"You want to be testing yourself against the best players all the time - and you want the best players out on the field."
As for the longer-term future of 34-year-old Kallis, a world-class player with much mileage on the clock after 131 Test and 295 ODI caps, South Africa's management appear well aware of the toll taken by such a workload.
"We need to have a look at Jacques' scheduling and we need to manage him through now," added Arthur.
"We are going to have to manage his workload. We were trying to minimise the burden on him going into the one-dayers to make sure he was bowling fit for the Test series."
At least the hosts know now exactly what has been troubling one of their main men.
"It's a certain injury now, and we've pinpointed it," Arthur reported.
"The other day, he was yelping around in training and we were saying 'come on Jacques - stop being a wuss' and 'man up!' But the poor guy had a fractured rib."
Congress wants ban on Azhar lifted
The Indian Cricket Board is under pressure from the Congress party to revoke the life ban on former skipper Mohd Azharuddin.
Azharuddin, who is now a Congress MP from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, was banned for life after the BCCI found him guilty of being involved in the 2000 match-fixing scandal that rocked Indian cricket.
But Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh argue that the ban on the former captain should be lifted now because several other players, who faced similar charges, have been allowed back into the game.
In fact, some of these MPs, including Jitin Prasad, BCCI's Finance Committee chairman Rajiv Shukla, who is also a Congress spokesman, and actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar met ICC vice-President and former BCCI President Sharad Pawar to put forth their demand.
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"I spoke to BCCI President Shashank Manohar and he said that if Azhar himself shows interest in wanting the ban lifted then it can be moved forward to the Annual General Meeting and the the AGM will decide," Shukla said.
"The ban on Azharuddin can be lifted only if the BCCI AGM deems it fit," he added.
Azaharuddin, an elegant right-hand batsman from Hyderabad, played 99 Tests and scored 6215 runs at an average of 45. He played a whopping 334 one-dayers, accumulating 9378 runs at an average of 36.92.
Tennis News
Murray to showcase major credentials
Andy Murray heads into the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals insisting 2009 has been the best year of his career.
But he has admitted the pressure is growing to break his grand slam duck.
The British number one has won six tournaments this year - more than anyone else on the ATP Tour - but his failure to triumph at one of the four majors continues to hang over him.
Expectations were sky high after his US Open final appearance last year but a semi-final defeat by Andy Roddick at Wimbledon was the best he could manage this season.
And Murray, who will take on Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday's opener at the O2 Arena in London, knows victory in the prestigious season-ending tournament would be a big step towards winning on the biggest stage of all.
The 22-year-old said: "This tournament is just behind the grand slams, because you have to win five matches or four matches against the top players in the world.
"You might even have to beat the number one or number two in the world twice to win the event so it's not quite the same as a grand slam but it's a huge, huge tournament.
"Everyone views it a little bit differently but I still believe that I have a few chances, maybe one or two more chances, to win a grand slam.
"For me, the year's been a successful one. For some people grand slams are the be-all and end-all. I want to win one, I'm trying my best to win one and I'll work as hard as I can.
"I feel like I'm getting closer than I was a couple of years ago. I feel I'm a better player than last year. I had a few problems at the grand slams this year. The ones I didn't do so well in, hopefully next year I'll feel great going into all of them.
"My consistency this year has been superb. Physically I've felt like I've been a lot better this year.
"I've not had any real let-downs in any tournaments except in Rome - I've lost one first round the whole year, which is better than previous years.
"I've got a better record against all the top players this year so it's been my best year on tour without question and hopefully next year will be better."
Murray has been drawn in the same group as US Open champion Del Potro, world number one Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco for the round-robin event, with Rafael Nadal, defending champion Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko and Robin Soderling in Group B.
The Scot only returned to action this month after six weeks out with a wrist injury and, although the joint is no longer giving him problems, he admits he goes into the event unsure of his chances.
"I'm not putting too much pressure on myself this week," he continued.
"I'm not expecting to go out there and play great. I might go out and do well because of that.
"Obviously I haven't played too much in the last two or three months so I don't know exactly what to expect. Mentally I feel fresh and that's going to be important."
Nadal's season was interrupted by a two-month break with knee problems, which prevented him defending his Wimbledon title.
Question marks remain over his fitness and he goes into the end-of-season tournament looking for his first title since the spring.
The Spaniard, though, is buoyant about his form, saying: "I've had the best end of season in my career, it's been almost perfect.
"I'm very close to my best and it's been a lot better than I expected when I (returned to the Tour) in Montreal."
A jackpot of more than US dollars 1.6million is available to an unbeaten champion but, with Federer and Murray having had time away from the Tour recently, Nadal not at his strongest on indoor courts and Djokovic having played almost 100 matches this season, picking a winner looks a difficult task.
And Federer, for one, is expecting a close tournament.
"I think the groups are even," he said. "The top eight guys have been very consistent and this year it's a bit more open than in the past."
Djokovic hopes to defend title
Novak Djokovic is hoping to put Melbourne behind him as he prepares to defend his Masters title in London.
The Serbian had the tennis world at his feet when he won the Australian Open last January at the age of 20 but, instead of lifting a weight off his shoulders, Djokovic spent 18 months struggling to live up to his own and others' expectations.
Indeed, his victory at last year's end-of-season showpiece came as something of a surprise and it is only in the last couple of months Djokovic has rediscovered the form that made him the Tour's most exciting young player.
The defence of his title in Melbourne ended in retirement against a rejuvenated Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals but he feels he is now better placed to deal with the situation.
The 22-year-old said: "This year I have tasted, in Australia, for the first time the role of defending a major title and it wasn't really a fun time. I was mentally very frustrated at times and unfortunately I finished in the quarter-finals the way I finished.
"But, on the bright side, I've learned a lot of things and I've tried to take the best out of it. I rate the World Tour Finals alongside grand slams as the biggest event in our sport so being a title defender is obviously a big responsibility.
"At the start of the year, even though I had the best clay-court season in my whole career up to Roland Garros, I was going through tough times because I made some major changes with my racquet.
"It's a big change to make and I took the responsibility. It kind of affected me on the court and I was maybe paying too much attention to some things off the court, I maybe kept my focus out of tennis too much.
"But I stabilised the last two months and matured more, and I know what I want to do on the court. I'm happy."
By beating Roger Federer in the final of the world number one's hometown tournament in Basle then lifting the trophy at the Paris Masters, Djokovic has established himself as arguably the man to beat in London this week.
The Serb opens his campaign in the round-robin event against Nikolay Davydenko on Monday, while Rafael Nadal faces Robin Soderling in the other Group B match.
The draw means Djokovic will renew his rivalry with world number two Nadal, who he demolished in the semi-finals in Paris.
And the Spaniard does not hold out much hope of reversing the result, saying: "He played very well. If I played my best tennis and he played like he did, it's going to be almost impossible to beat him. He's definitely the player who arrives playing best."
Djokovic's run of success means he also arrives in London as the player who has spent the most time on court recently and, at the end of a long season in which he has played almost 100 matches, that may yet take its toll.
The world number three, though, is optimistic he can hold it together for one more week.
"I think it's a very mental game and generally a lot of things come from your head and, even though you're running out of physical energy, you can still motivate your body to do well on the court," he added.
Murray pitted against Del Potro
Andy Murray will face US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the opening singles match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The Scot, who took part in the draw at the London Eye yesterday, is in Group A with Del Potro, Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco for the prestigious eight-man event at the O2 Arena.
Federer will play Verdasco on Sunday evening while Monday's Group B action sees Rafael Nadal take on Robin Soderling in the afternoon before defending champion Novak Djokovic meets Nikolay Davydenko.
Murray, who reached the semi-finals on his first appearance at the end-of-season event last year, has won four out of his five matches against Del Potro, including their last meeting in the Montreal Masters final in August.
Golf News
Westwood winning desert duel
Lee Westwood simply oozed confidence in the desert, knowing that he is just one solid round away from a £1.6million jackpot.
Rory McIlroy had just made Westwood's task easier both in the Dubai World Championship and their battle to be Europe's number one this season by bogeying the last three holes in nightmare fashion.
It makes the 36-year-old from Worksop a massive favourite for a spectacular - and lucrative - double and a reclaiming of the Tour crown he last held nine years ago.
He leads the tournament by two from fellow Englishman Ross McGowan, one of only two players to match his 66 on the day, and is five clear of McIlroy.
"I've had the highs, I've had the lows (he slumped outside the world's top 250 in 2002) and I am back on a high. I'm enjoying it," stated Westwood.
"This is as good as I feel like I've swung it almost all year and when I was winning a lot - in the last century! - I had this kind of attitude.
"I would not be outwardly cocky, but I am just being more confident. I've had 30 wins and I think I've finished tournaments off more than anybody else on the leaderboard.
"I don't mind putting myself up there to be shot at. You back your ability."
There is more to it than that, of course, but apart from a new policy of looking at scoreboards while he is out on the Greg Norman-designed Earth course he says he has no wish to reveal what might be viewed as his X-factor.
"There's nothing too secretive or illegal I'm doing, but why talk about it? It's of nobody's importance apart from Billy (his caddie Billy Foster) and mine.
"I'm paying no attention to the Race to Dubai (money list). All I am concerned about is this tournament.
"I've told you that all week and I'm proving that's the way to go about things."
McIlroy was six under par himself for the day after birdies on the 14th and 15th, the holes he had three-putted for costly bogeys 24 hours earlier.
That put him in a share of the lead with Westwood, but only for a minute.
The world number five made an 18-footer for a matching birdie at the 14th and then the Northern Ireland youngster, who brought a £114,000 Order of Merit lead into the deciding event, imploded.
McIlroy was unlucky on the 16th when he got a flyer from the rough and hit a wedge an amazing 170 yards.
It went over the green and although it stopped inches from the lake he chipped 15 feet past - after taking off his right shoe and sock and rolling up a trouser leg - and missed the putt back.
Trying to become the youngest Tour number one since Seve Ballesteros in 1976, the 20-year-old then three-putted the short 17th.
But most criminally of all his third shot to the 620-yard last came up short in the water and a six went on his card.
"It just a bad shot," he said after signing for a 69 and 10 under total, the same as Padraig Harrington and Swede Alexander Noren.
"I got myself in the position I wanted to be in. After that finish I've left myself an uphill task.
"But I've still got a shot a shot to win this - I feel a low round is in me and I feel it's necessary. The guys ahead of me are playing well."
McIlroy will be encouraged by what happened in his last two tournaments.
In Shanghai a fortnight ago he closed with a course record-equalling 63 for a share of third spot and at the Hong Hong Open last week it was a 64 to be runner-up.
He would take either of those scores here, but whether it be enough remains to be seen.
McGowan is a member of the same stable and only last month he captured his first Tour win in Madrid - and shot a round of 60 in the process.
"Lee and I got into a good rhythm early on and kept it going all day," he said.
"I think Madrid taught me a lot. I was seven shots clear there and it's tough to keep your concentration, but once you've done it a couple of times it's not really anything to worry about.
"I always saw myself reaching the top of the game. It's just one step at a time, just keep going past the milestones and we'll get there in the end."
Noren, whose first victory was in Switzerland in September, shot 67 to move from 12th to joint third, while Harrington had a second successive 69, but this time finished with a birdie rather than a double bogey.
German Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher look out of the money list race after rounds of 72 and 70 respectively.
They are in a tie for 36th on two under, but just to have a chance Kaymer has to finish in the top four and Fisher either first or second.
McIlroy was six under par himself for the day after birdies on the 14th and 15th, the holes he had three-putted for costly bogeys 24 hours earlier.
That put him in a share of the lead with Westwood, but only for a minute.
The world number five made an 18-footer for a matching birdie at the 14th and then the Northern Ireland youngster, who brought a £114,000 Order of Merit lead into the deciding event, imploded.
McIlroy was unlucky on the 16th when he got a flyer from the rough and hit a wedge an amazing 170 yards.
It went over the green and although it stopped inches from the lake he chipped 15 feet past - after taking off his right shoe and sock and rolling up a trouser leg - and missed the putt back.
Trying to become the youngest Tour number one since Seve Ballesteros in 1976, the 20-year-old then three-putted the short 17th.
But most criminally of all his third shot to the 620-yard last came up short in the water and a six went on his card.
"It just a bad shot," he said after signing for a 69 and 10 under total, the same as Padraig Harrington and Swede Alexander Noren.
"I got myself in the position I wanted to be in. After that finish I've left myself an uphill task.
"But I've still got a shot a shot to win this - I feel a low round is in me and I feel it's necessary. The guys ahead of me are playing well."
McIlroy will be encouraged by what happened in his last two tournaments.
In Shanghai a fortnight ago he closed with a course record-equalling 63 for a share of third spot and at the Hong Hong Open last week it was a 64 to be runner-up.
He would take either of those scores here, but whether it be enough remains to be seen.
McGowan is a member of the same stable and only last month he captured his first Tour win in Madrid - and shot a round of 60 in the process.
"Lee and I got into a good rhythm early on and kept it going all day," he said.
"I think Madrid taught me a lot. I was seven shots clear there and it's tough to keep your concentration, but once you've done it a couple of times it's not really anything to worry about.
"I always saw myself reaching the top of the game. It's just one step at a time, just keep going past the milestones and we'll get there in the end."
Noren, whose first victory was in Switzerland in September, shot 67 to move from 12th to joint third, while Harrington had a second successive 69, but this time finished with a birdie rather than a double bogey.
German Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher look out of the money list race after rounds of 72 and 70 respectively.
They are in a tie for 36th on two under, but just to have a chance Kaymer has to finish in the top four and Fisher either first or second.
Rain wrecks havoc in Texas
Sophie Gustafson moved into a share of third, two shots behind LPGA Tour Championship leader Lorena Ochoa, on a second day ravaged by bad weather.
Rain did not allow play to start until 1pm in Richmond, Texas, and even then only four hours were possible on the sodden course, meaning Ochoa did not get her second round under way.
Gustafson was two under through 11 for the day, four under for the tournament, when darkness halted play.
Helen Alfredsson, Texas native Wendy Ward and Juli Inkster had all improved to three under for the tournament by the end of today's truncated session.
Cristie Kerr, who was one under through nine, said: "(Conditions were) super wet. We had a lot the rain.
"I was surprised we even went out, frankly.
"It looked like another band was kind of moving towards us, so I think we got kind of lucky there."
LPGA rules chief Doug Brecht vowed to do everything possible to keep the tournament at a full 72 holes.
"There's a ton of things riding on this tournament," he said. "Because of that and the importance of it, we are committed to playing 72 holes."
Play is set to resume at daybreak tomorrow, with Ochoa and second-placed Reilley Rankin among the early starters.
Molinari leads by one
Edoardo Molinari carded a third-round two-under-par 69 to move into a one-shot lead at the Dunlop Phoenix.
Italy's Molinari posted four birdies against two bogeys to move onto eight-under-par with Sweden's Robert Karlsson (68) second alongside overnight leader Kenichi Kuboya (71).
Molinari has won three times this season and recorded a further nine top-10 finishes to set a Challenge Tour earnings record for a season to ensure a return to the European Tour.
Reigning European Tour Order of Merit champion Karlsson, who only returned to action in October after four months on the sidelines with an eye injury, finished with three consecutive birdies to post the equal best round of the day.
Katsumasa Miyamoto (69), South Korea's Kim Kyung-tae (69), Tadahiro Takayama (71), Ryuichi Oda (72) and Yudai Maeda (73) shared fourth, three shots adrift.
Japan Tour money leader Ryo Ishikawa carded a level par 71 to share 20th alongside Vijay Singh (70) at one-under-par, with Yuta Ikeda, who is second on the money list behind the 18-year-old, tied for 56th at six over after a third-round 73.
Football News
Ancelotti hails brilliant Essien
Carlo Ancelotti acclaimed Michael Essien as one of the best midfielders in the world after his brace against Wolves.
Essien scored twice inside 10 minutes after Florent Malouda had put the Blues ahead in the fifth minute.
England midfielder Joe Cole completed the rout with his first goal for over a year as Chelsea set a new club record of 12 consecutive home wins.
Victory also strengthened their position at the top of the Barclays Premier League, and Ancelotti was delighted with his side's performance in the light of being without Deco, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba.
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho nicknamed Essien 'The Train', but Ancelotti is not one for off-the-cuff monikers.
Asked if he had his own personal pet name for Essien, boss Ancelotti replied: "No, his name is Michael. I think Essien is one of the most important players in midfield in the world.
"He can play everywhere in midfield with the same result. He has shown a lot of consistency this season and maintained a good physical condition. He is very strong but he also has a lot of quality."
The Italian coach also claimed that the emergence of youngsters like Gael Kakuta, Fabio Borini and Nemanja Matic could prevent him from having to do any business in the January transfer market.
"This match showed we are in a very good condition because we had a lot of injuries before this game," said Ancelotti.
"But our play was just the same. We put some young players in this team and in January if we maintain this condition, it is not necessary to buy other players.
"They are very good young players and I will use them in the future this season."
Kakuta made his debut and looked completely at home in the top flight. He was originally suspended for four months when FIFA imposed their transfer ban on the club in September for inducing him to breach his contract with Lens two years ago.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the bans until the outcome of Chelsea's appeal has been heard in full and Kakuta seized the chance to shine when he replaced Nicolas Anelka in the second half.
"Kakuta has a lot of talent and he showed that in 30 minutes," said Ancelotti.
"He is young and he has to improve and work. After two or three weeks of his ban he had some difficulty because he is very young. But we had him train with the first team and now he is happy. I hope he will do better in the future."
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy told his players they may as well get used to being in a relegation dogfight after their defeat.
"We were happy to get nil at the end," said McCarthy. "I thought we had some good chances, including the best chance at the start of the game. But we made mistakes.
"Malouda's was a wonderful strike and we should have done better when they scored from the corner for the second.
"At 2-0 down it was a done deal then. But I saw enough about the players, the endeavour, work-rate and spirit, and this won't knock the spirit out of us. We were not expected to get anything here.
"I really hoped we would get something out of the game but reality was that we were expected to be in the bottom three still. We are in a relegation fight now, I've said that to the lads. We might as well understand that now. No bones about it.
"We won't be judged on today's game. I don't doubt our team spirit and fight they have in them. I reckon we had five good chances in the first half, but they had eight chances and were 3-0 up.
"Chelsea are as good as anything I've seen although Manchester United and Arsenal will argue about it."
Premier League Saturday Review
Premier League leaders Chelsea crushed Wolves 4-0 at Stamford Bridge to stay five points clear at the top of the table.
Florent Malouda smashed in an early opening goal from 25 yards in the fifth minute, seven minutes before his corner was headed in by Michael Essien, with the Ghana midfielder adding a third on 22 minutes.
Petr Cech kept out Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's point-blank header just before the break, but the Blues were always in control, with fit-again England midfielder Joe Cole (56) making it four as he netted his first goal since October last year.
Chelsea sent on Gael Kakuta - the 18-year-old whose controversial move from Lens resulted in a transfer ban for the English club, which is being appealed - for his debut, as Carlo Ancelotti's men tightened their grip on the title race.
Premier League Saturday Gallery
Darren Bent's ninth goal of the season for Sunderland brought Arsenal's 13-match unbeaten run to an end in a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light.
The Gunners - without Holland striker Robin van Persie for six weeks because of ankle ligament damage - are the leading scorers in the top flight, but could not break down a determined Sunderland side in the first half.
Hungary keeper Marton Fulop denied Tomas Rosicky's early effort, before Croatia forward Eduardo also went close.
Steed Malbranque twice failed to hit the target when well placed and Andy Reid fired over for the hosts, who eventually went ahead on 71 minutes through Bent after the Gunners failed to clear a corner.
Arsenal are now eight points off the pace, and their defeat allowed champions Manchester United to move back into second spot with a routine 3-0 defeat of Everton at Old Trafford.
A stunning Darren Fletcher volley broke the deadlock on 35 minutes, and Michael Carrick made the points safe with a cool sidefoot finish on 67.
Luis Antonio Valencia rounded things off with a third for Sir Alex Ferguson's side 14 minutes from time.
In the lunchtime kick-off Manchester City were again forced to accept a share of the points as they set a new Premier League record of six successive draws when their clash at Liverpool ended 2-2.
The Reds - who were once more hit by injury as Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel were both forced off inside 20 minutes - took the lead when Martin Skrtel headed home Steven Gerrard's free-kick early in the second half.
However, City were soon in front following a fifth league goal for £25million Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor (69) and Stephen Ireland's close-range effort (76).
Rafael Benitez's men immediately battled back to level through substitute Yossi Benayoun (78), and both teams had to be satisfied with a point.
Relegation battlers Hull and West Ham drew 3-3 at the KC Stadium, where the hosts ended with 10 men.
The Hammers - with just one league win since the opening day of the season - looked to be on the way to a much-needed three points through headers from Mexico forward Guillermo Franco (five) and Jack Collison (11).
However, the Tigers, themselves in deep trouble at the wrong end of the table, were handed a lifeline as Carlton Cole deflected a free-kick by Jimmy Bullard past Robert Green.
Kamil Zayatte levelled a minute before the break - and there was still time for Hull to turn the match on its head as Bullard netted a controversial penalty after referee Mark Clattenburg adjudged Julien Faubert had pushed Craig Fagan.
Hull were reduced to 10 men nine minutes into the second half when Bernard Mendy was shown a straight red card for hauling down Scott Parker.
The Hammers were level when Manuel Da Costa (69) scored his first goal since arriving from Fiorentina, smashing in from a corner, with both sides having chances to take all three points in an entertaining match.
Emile Heskey's late header rescued a 1-1 draw for Aston Villa at Burnley.
A ninth-minute goal from Steven Caldwell, nodding in a Robbie Blake free-kick had looked to be enough for the Clarets' sixth Premier League win at Turf Moor.
Veteran striker Heskey delivered an equaliser four minutes from time as he headed in James Milner's cross after a tame punch out by keeper Brian Jensen.
Lee Bowyer's fine finish, running on to a James McFadden pass after 16 minutes, gave Birmingham a 1-0 win against Fulham, who failed to make the most of their possession in the second half at St Andrews.
Match Reports
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal
Chelsea 4-0 Wolves
Burnley 1-1 Aston Villa
Hull 3-3 West Ham
Birmingham 1-0 Fulham
Manchester United 3-0 Everton
La Liga Saturday Review
Real Madrid claimed top spot in La Liga following their 1-0 win over Racing Santander and Barcelona's 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.
Madrid had gone top thanks to a steady if unspectacular win over Racing, secured by Gonzalo Higuain's first-half goal, but had to wait for the outcome of Barca's trip to San Mames in the late kick-off to find out if they would stay there.
The Spanish and European champions looked on course to reclaim their place at the summit when Dani Alves opened the scoring in the 54th minute. Xavi squeezed an angled pass through to the Brazilian, who produced a calm right-footed finish across Athletic keeper Gorka Iraizoz and into the bottom-right corner.
However, the hosts levelled nine minutes later when Fernando Llorente beat Dimitro Chygrynskiy in the air and flicked on for substitute Gaizka Toquero, who despatched a clinical right-footed shot into Victor Valdes' top-right corner.
Barca pressed but they could not find a winning goal and will head into next week's El Clasico a point behind their fierce rivals.
Sevilla survived a late Tenerife fightback to hold on for an eighth league win of the season to consolidate third place.
Manolo Jimenez's side took control just after the half-hour when Diego Perotti struck the opener. Renato then doubled their lead three minutes after the break and the three points looked guaranteed.
But there were some nervous moments for the Andalusians late on after Nino pulled a goal back with 15 minutes still left on the clock.
Andres Guardado converted a dramatic last-minute penalty to give Deportivo La Coruna a 2-1 win in a lively clash with Atletico Madrid, condemning the visitors to a third straight defeat under new coach Quique Sanchez Flores.
Deportivo have enjoyed an excellent start to the season and came into the game in fifth but they looked to be in trouble early on as Sergio Aguero struck after just three minutes for Atletico.
Miguel Angel Lotina's side came back into it when Diego Colotto equalised after 20 minutes and, just when the game appeared to be heading towards a stalemate, Pablo brought down Alberto Lopo and Guardado kept his cool after Atletico's fierce protests - which saw Cleber Santana sent off and Sanchez Flores race on to the pitch - to coolly fire the winner.
MotorSport News
Brawn: Selling team was right call
Ross Brawn believes natural progression meant it was right to pass on the ownership of his Formula One World Championship-winning team to Mercedes.
On Monday, German car giant Mercedes-Benz announced they would take a 75.1% share in Brawn GP, with the team re-named as Mercedes Grand Prix and Brawn remaining as team principal.
Brawn, who launched the team from the ashes of Honda's Formula One withdrawal in December 2008, contemplated continuing as Brawn GP, but conceded the sale was necessary to ensure future success.
"At some stage as a team owner you have to pass it on," he told The Independent.
"I'm almost 55 and I'm not planning to do a Bernie (Ecclestone, the Formula One rights holder who is aged 79).
"It was tempting to try to repeat this year's success (as Brawn GP) but it would have been an awful risk.
"We were already working with their (Mercedes') engine group and all the stars aligned.
"It was an opportunity to give the team a very strong future."
It was not an easy decision, said Brawn, after a fairytale year which saw the team claim both the constructors' and drivers' titles, with Jenson Button triumphing behind the wheel.
Brawn added: "As I said to the staff, it's sad to see the team only in existence for a year, but what a year!
"We've had a wonderful time, and in many ways it was a difficult decision, but now we've joined the most prestigious brand in the automotive world."
Since the announcement, Button has moved to McLaren for an all English line-up with Lewis Hamilton, his predecessor as world champion.
Jordan expects Schumacher comeback
Former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan believes Michael Schumacher will replace Jenson Button at the newly-named Mercedes team for next season.
World champion Button joined Lewis Hamilton at McLaren earlier this week after the Brawn team with which he won the drivers' title was renamed Mercedes.
Speculation has mounted that seven-time champion Schumacher, who could not replace the injured Felipe Massa on a short-term deal at Ferrari last season because of a back injury picked up racing motorcycles, could be drafted into the team run by former Benetton and Ferrari colleague Ross Brawn.
Jordan, who ran an F1 team under his own name, said: "I believe the Brawn team will have Michael Schumacher in it next year.
"And my reasons for believing that is that at Abu Dhabi, the grand prix, the last race Dr (Dieter) Zetsche - (chairman of the Daimler board) - Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher were deep in conversation and I believe it was to do with possibly joining the team as driver for the 2010 championship," Jordan told Radio Five Live.
Button looking forward to 'good fight'
Formula One world champion Jenson Button said he is ready for "a good fight" with new team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Button signed for the McLaren team earlier this week, ending a long relationship with Brawn GP, with whom he won his first driver's title this year.
He said: "Moving to McLaren is the buzz I need, fighting against Lewis.
"Winning the world championship was my aim and I've achieved that, I want to go out there and have fun and fight against Lewis.
"I hope that when we go out head to head I come out on top but I don't know that, nobody knows that, that's why it's a proper challenge."
He said 2008 champion Hamilton would have an advantage because of his long-term involvement with the team but added: "I'm going to work very hard over this winter so I feel comfortable when we come to the first race."
On Friday, Button, 29, met fans and signed copies of his new book, race diary My Championship Year, at Waterstone's in Bristol.
He said it was fitting the foreword to the book was written by Brawn team boss Ross Brawn, despite the recent announcement, adding: "We've been through a lot together, you can't forget what we've achieved.
"We spent a lot of time together, I've been with them for seven years.
"I respect Ross a lot and I think he understands my decision. For me, 2010 is all about challenges, I came into Forumla one to win the world championship and that's what I did in my 10th season.
"After I did achieve that I thought 'so now I've achieved this what's in store for me? What's the best option?'
"I personally think fighting with Lewis at McLaren is a challenge and a half but I'm willing to take it."
He added: "The Brawn GP team have given me something I always wanted in this sport and I've given them something in return - the world championship.
"We've worked together for so many years and been such good friends and working buddies."
Button, who will not be released from Brawn until the end of his contract in January, added: "Moving teams is never the easiest thing in Formula One but sometimes these are the decisions you take and you need some new challenges.
"It's going to be tough and I'm going to go onto the grid in 2010 a better driver, a stronger driver but with new challenges in front of me, I know it's not going to be a walk in the park."
Speaking about his ambitions for 2010, Button added: "I hope next year will be my best yet.
"I want to win the world championship again, that always has to be your aim when going up against one of the best drivers in the world.
"We always want to beat each other because we're very competitive people so my aim is to work with Lewis very closely to make sure the car is in a good place so we can fight for victories.
"Then the rivalry will come and we'll try to beat each other. That's a buzz for me - and I hope it is for Lewis.
"I go into the team positive we can have a good fight, that's all I know at the moment."
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