The champions followed their four-goal feast at Bolton in midweek by slaying Sunderland at Old Trafford as Sir Alex Ferguson's side fired out a firm warning to their rivals that anyone wishing to steal their Premiership title has a fight on their hands.

Four first half goals - two from the feet of the red-hot Ruud van Nistelrooy and firm strikes from David Beckham and Phil Neville - effectively ended the game as a contest by the half-time interval. Though the 67,000 United fans present thoroughly enjoyed the fare after the break, it made painful viewing for Reid.

The 45-year-old is under intense pressure on Wearside after a dreadful start to the year. Reid's side have claimed only two points in 2002 and, though defeat at the home of United hardly sounds the death knell for Premiership managers, his position looks increasingly precarious after they slipped to within three points of the relegation zone.

The win allowed United to increase their lead at the top of the table to two-points as Arsenal were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw at Highbury by Southampton. Newcastle are now their nearest rivals after a thrilling 3-2 win over Bolton at St James' Park saw them leapfrog the Gunners.

Ferguson was delighted with the performance and said after the game: "Some of the football was magnificent, the first half in particular. This time of the year you are playing on the edge, and hopefully we can keep up this type of display. If we can keep performing like this I'll be happy."

Sunderland arrived at Old Trafford just days after being rocked by Middlesbrough in the Wear-Tees derby at the Stadium of Light. Reid responded by switched to a 5-4-1 formation in a bid to contain the league's most deadly side, but their clean sheet lasted just seven minutes.

Phil Neville, who shook off a foot injury to take his place at right back, put the finishing touches to a flowing five-pass move that cut Sunderland to ribbons with a powerful shot under Jurgen Macho's body. It was his first ever Premiership goal at Old Trafford, and it owed much to a sweet exchange between van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But after seven sobering minutes, Sunderland surprisingly struck back via a Kevin Phillips' opportunistic effort from distance that outfoxed goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. The England striker took advantage of some hesitant defending by firing low and in off of a post from 25 yards. But any hope of an epic tussle was quickly erased.

The goal seemed to shock Sunderland as much as it did United. And as the visitors retreated back into their defensive habits, the hosts seized the initiative once again and landed a three-goal half-time lead with a devastating display of attacking that left Sunderland out for the count.

After Solskjaer fluffed two corner-kick moves with a glaring miss from no yards out and a wasteful header over the bar, Beckham blasted a 20-yard free-kick home to the left of Macho after Giggs was baulked by Stanislav Varga. And five minutes later it was three.

Beckham tossed in a right wing cross in the direction of van Nistelrooy who let the ball run across his chest and blazed a shot on the turn that gave the hapless Macho no chance. The Dutchman then collected his second of the game when he despatched a firm penalty to the keeper's right after Giggs had been upended following a mazy run into the box.

Predictably, the second half never lived up to the first. United, with Diego Forlan making a lively home debut from the bench, never really reproduced the glorious passing and movement they displayed before the interval, while Sunderland's mission was damage limitation. The best chances came from a 25-yard Phillips rasper that forced Barthez to tip over the bar, and a terrific shot from Paul Scholes which Macho turned behind.

But their was no disguising the gulf in class and confidence - or the result. A smiling Ferguson was presented with the Premiership trophy before kick-off and on the evidence of the following 90 minutes football, it will need one hell of an effort to stop him waving goodbye to management with the silver piece in his arms.

MAN OF THE MATCH: PHIL NEVILLE (MANCHESTER UNITED)

In a team containing the glamour names of David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs, it's hard to steal the headlines. But the younger Neville is maturing into a player few people believed he could be.

Man Utd: Barthez, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, Blanc (O'Shea 64), Silvestre, Beckham, Keane (Butt 79), Scholes, Giggs (Forlan 64), Solskjaer, van Nistelrooy.

Subs Not Used: Carroll, Irwin.

Sunderland: Macho, Haas (McCartney 61), Craddock, Varga (Arca 45), Bjorklund, Gray, Williams, Reyna, McAteer (Quinn 61), Kilbane, Phillips.

Subs Not Used: Ingham, Bellion.

Booked: Bjorklund, Varga, Reyna.