Comfortable victory for Manchester United

Manchester United moved to the top of the Barclays Premiership with a convincing 3-0 victory over Charlton at The Valley. Darren Fletcher, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the goals to ensure United made light of the absence of the suspended Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes.

With Rooney and Scholes out, Ryan Giggs and Ronaldo took top billing - the Portuguese star rising to vocal abuse from the home crowd with a dazzling performance.

Fletcher, a replacement for Scholes, scored a fine goal four minutes after the break before Frenchman Saha wrapped it up 10 minutes from time with Solskjaer adding a last-gasp third after replacing Giggs.

United had #18.5million signing Michael Carrick as a surprise substitute.

The former Tottenham midfielder made an earlier than expected comeback to the squad after an ankle injury and manager Sir Alex Ferguson promoted Fletcher, Park Ji-Sung and Mikael Silvestre to the starting line-up with Gary Neville ruled out.

Charlton's only change from the 3-1 defeat at West Ham was defender Jon Fortune for the suspended Djimi Traore.

There was the predictable outburst of booing when Ronaldo's name was announced in the United line-up, despite his public show of peace and harmony with Rooney during their 5-1 win over Fulham on Sunday.

By contrast Charlton's new boss Iain Dowie was given a generous round of applause on his home debut.

Ronaldo raised a cheer at last from the Charlton fans by firing hopelessly off target from Fletcher's pass in the seventh minute.

Charlton's first opening came after 10 minutes when Bryan Hughes knocked the ball down for Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink to half-volley wide from 18 yards.

Ronaldo tried to catch Charlton keeper Scott Carson unawares with a quick free-kick but curled it over the bar, then in the 22nd minute Hasselbaink's header from Amady Faye's ball lacked power.

A minute later a good raid down United's right by Fletcher ended with a decent cross which the leaping Park headed wide.

The South Korean had another chance seconds later when found in space by Rio Ferdinand, but Carson was able to make a sprawling save.

Ronaldo almost earned United a 27th-minute lead when he won a free-kick 20 yards out after a foul by Luke Young. Giggs stepped up to take it, bending his shot around the Charlton wall and striking the far post.

Charlton hit back when United were stretched to repel a raid led by Darren Bent. Having cleared only as far as Bryan Hughes, they were happy to see the midfielder's shot deflect off Silvestre for a corner.

Charlton appealed for a penalty when the ball seemed to strike Patrice Evra's arm soon afterwards but referee Chris Foy turned them down.

United won another free-kick for another foul on Ronaldo by Hermann Hreidarsson, who was booked, but the Portugal star blasted his long-range shot well over.

Ferdinand was furious when the referee booked him for a foul on Hreidarsson six minutes before half-time.

Hesitant defending by Charlton almost cost them a goal in the 43rd minute when Giggs charged through and powered a low drive which Carson brilliantly tipped wide.

Then Ronaldo burst through, only to see his rising shot cannon away off the crossbar.

United had a scare at the start of the second half when Ambrose tried a speculative shot from 30 yards and Van der Sar watched it glide just beyond the far post.

But in the 49th minute United grabbed the goal which had been coming for a while.

Midfielder Fletcher held off two challenges inside the area before drilling his shot past Carson.

From Ronaldo's cross, Park's volley then crashed into a post.

Hreidarsson tried to revive Charlton and was up from left-back for a corner to trouble Van der Sar with a header after 63 minutes.

Charlton replaced Hasselbaink with Marcus Bent two minutes later.

Darren Bent showed United were still in a game with a thrusting run and a shot which just cleared the bar with 16 minutes left.

Carrick was brought on for a run in midfield in place of Park for the last 13 minutes.

Giggs could have clinched it with a left-footed shot which sailed over after a purposeful run through the middle.

United doubled their lead in the 80th minute when Saha drilled a low drive from 20 yards after Brown's long ball picked him out.

Carson bravely stopped substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer adding a third when the Norwegian was clean through on to a Carrick pass with two minutes left.

Solskjaer made amends by adding the third from a Saha pull-back just before the start of added time.