Manchester United celebrate another stunning victory

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to see Manchester move three points clear of Arsenal, who still have two games in hand 手里还有两场球.

Manchester United started without their in-form striker 表现平平的前锋 Wayne Rooney who has been ruled out 不出场 for up to four weeks after injuring his ankle 踝关节 in training last week.

It is a sign of the strength of Sir Alex Ferguson’s young side that the absence of Rooney made little difference to the team’s performance.

Strong squad   I believe this is the strongest squad I’ve ever had; so much so that I would be pushed to name my overall best team.   Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager

The attacking force of Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Ryan Giggs is such that Blackburn were simply overwhelmed 完全被压倒（由于曼联势不可挡）.

Sir Alex paid tribute to 称赞 his side, describing them as "the strongest squad 阵容 I’ve ever had".

Although it was Ronaldo who scored the winning goals, Sir Alex singled out 从所有队员中选出, his veteran midfielder 经验丰富的中场队员 Ryan Giggs for particular praise.

"He (Giggs) has been a wonderful servant for this club and he was our best player," said Ferguson.

"He is 34 at the end of this month but I feel he can go on for a few years yet," added Ferguson, meaning he believes that Giggs can continue playing into his mid-thirties, a relatively advanced age （对于足球运动员来说）相对较大的年龄 for a footballer.

Despite his team being outclassed 被大大超过（落后于） by Manchester, Blackburn’s manager Mark Hughes blamed the referee for some harsh decisions 严厉的判决, especially the sending off 罚下场 of Blackburn’s David Dunn in the second half.

"There should have been a little bit of leeway 余地 but after that it was very hard for us," said Hughes.

Hard done by   There should have been a little bit of leeway but after that it was very hard for us. We feel a little bit hard done by.   Mark Hughes, Blackburn manager

"We feel a little bit hard done by," he added, meaning the team believe they were treated too harshly 过于严厉了.

It seems then that Manchester United can cruise to victory without Rooney, but what of the England national squad?

Rooney will miss a crucial qualifying game 残酷的资格赛 against Croatia in the Euro 2008 tournament on November 21.

The England manager described the loss of Rooney as "hugely disappointing" but has thrown down the challenge 给某人挑战的机会 to other players, saying it is "an opportunity for someone else to come and do the job".