Manchester United thrashed Bolton 4-1 on Saturday to hold on to the second place in the Premiership.

Bolton defender Bruno N'Gotty gave Manchester an early lead when he scored an own goal in the eighth minute before Luis Saha doubled the lead in the 45th minute.

Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice after the break in the 68th and 90th minutes respectively to complete the rout.

Veteran midfielder Garry Speed scored the consolation goal for Bolton three minutes after the half-hour mark.

After the victory, Alex Ferguson's side remained second with 44 points while Bolton moved down to the seventh spot on 31.

Elsewhere, Liverpool kept Manchester in sight with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion.

Peter Crouch secured the three points for the European Champions in the 52nd minute when he headed home from close range.

The 10th consecutive win kept Liverpool third on 40 points while struggling West Bromwich became fourth from bottom with 19.

In other matches, Everton beat Sunderland 1-0, Portsmouth edged Fulham with the same result and Manchester City held Middlesbrough to a goalless draw.