Man Utd 4
Ronaldo 24,3 Tevez 26 Carrick 59 Nani s/o 37
West Ham 1
Ashton 28
Manchester United 4 West Ham 1 May 03 2008
Ten-man Manchester United powered towards the Premier League title with a clinical destruction of West Ham at Old Trafford.
Victory at Wigan next Sunday on the final day of the season will confirm Sir Alex Ferguson's side as champions.
However, the coronation may come even earlier as Chelsea now need to get something - and almost certainly win - at Newcastle to fight on until the final day.
Not even the first-half dismissal of Nani could shake United from their stride as Cristiano Ronaldo's double took his tally for the campaign to 40, quickly followed by a Carlos Tevez thunderbolt.
The Londoners pulled one back through Dean Ashton's smart overhead kick but Michael Carrick wrapped up victory after the interval to keep the Red Devils on course for the double.
The hosts were ahead within three minutes. Nani's flick allowed Ronaldo to take full advantage of Lucas Neill's ill-timed slip as he charged into the box and unleashed a shot which nicked off George McCartney and flew in.
United assumed total control and 20 minutes later they had a second.
Owen Hargreaves swung a left-footed cross to the far post, which the entire Hammers defence failed to cut out, where Ronaldo was waiting and a quick swivel of his hips ensured the ball bounced past Robert Green.
It was 3-0 soon after when Tevez picked up Ronaldo's lay-off and blasted a 30-yard rocket into the roof of Green's net, the Irons goalkeeper powerless to resist.
Ashton's overhead kick completed a remarkable spell of three goals in six minutes, but then Nani lost his head.
Neill hardly reacted in the most calm manner after Nani had tried and failed to connect with an ambitious overhead kick but the Portugal winger had no excuse for responding the way he did by butting Neill and dismissal was automatic.
But the visitors failed woefully to make the extra man count. And when Carrick was offered more room to run into than he could believe on 59 minutes, allowing him to fire home with Neill again providing the accidental deflection, the contest was all-but over.
All the pressure will now be on UEFA Champions League final opponents Chelsea, who are now three points adrift, with a far worse goal difference and two matches to do something about it.