Cristiano Ronaldo Isn't Tired!

Cristiano Ronaldo apparently demanded to play against Celtic, after Sir Alex ferguson had intimated that the Portuguese wonderkid might be a little 'tired' after his international and club exploits so soon after his recovery from an ankle injury.

Ronaldo told Ferguson he wasn't tired, and was promptly pushed up to the first eleven.

United went ahead on the half-hour, but it was a contentious moment that will have left Celtic and their massed ranks of supporters nursing a sense of injustice. When John O'Shea jabbed the ball into the danger area following Nani's corner, Berbatov was clearly in an offside position as he flicked a finish beyond Boruc.

Scotland captain Darren Fletcher should have made it two on the stroke of half-time when he cut inside and shot over the top from only 12 yards.

United doubled their lead six minutes after half-time, but again Celtic will ask justifiable questions about the legitimacy of the goal. Boruc could only palm out Ronaldo's vicious long-range free kick for Berbatov to turn in the rebound, but the Bulgarian appeared to be in an offside position when the ball was struck.

Rooney had the ball in the net again seconds later but it was ruled out for offside, although this time it was United who could ponder a questionable decision.

Celtic they were powerless to stop United as they swept forward to add a third with 14 minutes left, almost inevitably through Rooney. A move that started with Van der Sar's throw out ended with the in-form England striker scoring on the turn from 20 yards to make it nine goals in seven games for club and country. It was a fitting flourish to another outstanding display by Rooney as United continue to move ominously into top gear.

United are now sitting pretty at the top of Group E and on course to qualify for the knockout stages, but Villarreal's win against Aalborg leaves Celtic with an uphill task to emerge from the group phase.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville (Brown 59), Evans, Vidic, O'Shea, Ronaldo (Park 82), Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Berbatov (Tevez 60), Rooney.

Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Giggs, Rafael Da Silva, Gibson.
Goals: Berbatov 30, 51, Rooney 76.

Celtic: Boruc, Wilson, Loovens, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura (Hartley 61), Scott Brown, Caldwell, Robson (Maloney 61), McGeady, McDonald (Sheridan 77).

Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, Hinkel, Donati, O'Dea.
Booked: Hartley, Loovens.

Att: 74,655
Ref: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium).