Manchester United took a huge step toward retaining its Premier League title on Saturday, beating West Ham United 4-1 despite playing more than half the match with 10 men. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice at Old Trafford and Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick netted against their old club as Manchester United moved to 84 points with one match to play. United was reduced to 10 men when Nani was dismissed eight minutes before halftime for a headbutt on Lucas Neill. If the leader wins at Wigan Athletic on May 11 it will be champion of England for the 17th time. Second-placed Chelsea, which visits Newcastle United on Monday, has 81 points but a vastly inferior goal difference. At the other end of the table Bolton Wanderers virtually guaranteed their safety while Fulham continued its revival to earn a fighting chance of avoiding the drop. Bolton beat Sunderland 2-0 at the Reebok Stadium, El Hadji Diouf's effort and an own goal by Daryl Murphy giving it 36 points ahead of its game at Chelsea next week. Wanderers remain 16th, three points clear of Fulham after Roy Hodgson's men overcame relegation rivals Birmingham City 2-0 at Craven Cottage to rise from 19th to 17th. Goals from Brian McBride and Erik Nevland helped Fulham climb above Birmingham and Reading, which dropped into the relegation zone after losing 1-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Robbie Keane sealed Spurs's win with his 23rd goal of the season after 16 minutes. Reading has 33 points, one ahead of Birmingham. If Chelsea is beaten on Monday, the title will be United's unless Ferguson's team loses at Wigan and Chelsea beats Bolton with a winning margin well into double figures. Aston Villa's hopes of pipping Everton for fifth place and an automatic spot in next season's UEFA Cup were hit by a 2-0 defeat by Wigan, Antonio Valencia scoring twice. Blackburn beat relegated Derby County 3-1 to extend the bottom team's run without a league victory to 31 matches. In another encounter, Middlesbrough blanked Portsmouth 2-0. Bremen beats Cottbus Werder Bremen beat Energie Cottbus 2-0 Saturday to delay Bayern Munich's 20th Bundesliga title celebrations for at least another day. Bayern plays at VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday in a match that could clinch the club a 21st title - including a 1931-32 championship before the Bundesliga was formed. Bayern is first with 66 points, Bremen second with 57 and Schalke has 55. Also Saturday, it was: VfB Stuttgart 4, Eintracht Frankfurt 1; Schalke 1, Hannover 96 1; Hansa Rostock 1, Hamburg 3; Arminia Bielefeld 2, VfL Bochum 0; and Hertha Berlin 3, Karlsruher SC 1. Celtic downs Motherwell Celtic rallied to beat Motherwell 2-1 in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday, opening up an eight-point lead over Rangers. Celtic has 83 points after 36 games, compared to Rangers' 75. However Rangers, which won a place in the UEFA Cup final on Thursday, still have four games to make up in the league. Inverness earned its largest win ever in the SPL with a 6-1 rout over Gretna. Also Saturday, it was: St. Mirren 1, Kilmarnock 0; and Aberdeen 2, Dundee United 1.
