LONDON: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's double strike sunk Newcastle and put Manchester United on top of the English Premiership on Sunday.

Solskjaer scored just before and after half time to claim his first league goals at Old Trafford for over three years and take Sir Alex Ferguson's side above champion Chelsea on goal difference.

United had failed to win its previous two matches but, inspired by a superb display from Cristiano Ronaldo, it got back on track against Newcastle.

Norwegian striker Solskjaer broke Newcastle's resolve in the 41st minute, when he tapped-in after Ronaldo had driven a shot against the post.

He added a second, three minutes after the break when he deflected Nemanja Vidic's shot past Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper.

West Ham loses again

South Korea winger Seol Ki-Hyeon piled on the misery for West Ham as his second-minute goal clinched a 1-0 win for Reading at Upton Park.

Seol scored with a superb long-range strike after 80 seconds to condemn West Ham to a fifth consecutive defeat and claim a fourth victory of the season for newly-promoted Reading.

Tottenham earned only its second win as goals from Danny Murphy and Jermain Defoe helped beat Portsmouth 2-1 at White Hart Lane.

Early lead

Murphy back-heeled Tottenham into a first-minute lead after David James had failed to hold Dimitar Berbatov's header. Defoe increased the advantage when he scored his first goal of the season from the spot after Pedro Mendes was penalised for a foul on Didier Zokora.

Nigerian striker Kanu pulled one back just before half time as he scored his fifth goal of the season with a powerful header from Gary O'Neil's cross.

But Harry Redknapp's team slipped to a second defeat in a week as it was unable to break down Tottenham again after the interval.

Madrid derby drawn

The cheers in the Santiago Bernabeu that greeted Real Madrid's 5-1 Champions League win over Dynamo Kiev in midweek turned to jeers on Sunday as it was held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico Madrid.

Real went behind after just seven minutes when Mista Ferrer, ironically a product of its youth system, put Athletic ahead. The host then levelled when captain Raul Gonzalez got an equaliser after 33 minutes.

Real was reduced to 10 men after 63 minutes when Sergio Ramos picked up his second yellow card. The odds looked in Atletico's favour to pick up a memorable win but Real keeper Iker Casillas once again came to the rescue as the club salvaged a draw and its unbeaten record.

Luis Fabiano put Sevilla ahead after 30 minutes and last season's UEFA Cup winner ran out 1-0 winners over Getafe. Barcelona continued to make the pace in La Liga after a 3-1 win at struggling Athletic Bilbao.

The results:

English Premier League: Blackburn 2 bt Wigan 1; Manchester United 2 bt Newcastle 0; Tottenham 2 bt Portsmouth 1; West Ham 0 lost to Reading 1; Bolton 2 bt Liverpool 0; Charlton 1 lost to Arsenal 2; Chelsea 1 drew with Aston Villa 1; Everton 1 drew with Manchester City 1; Sheffield United 2 bt Middlesbrough 1.

Spanish La Liga: Deportivo la Coruna 2 bt Real Sociedad 0; Racing Santander 1 drew with Celta Vigo 1; Espanyol 0 drew with Osasuna 0; Real Mallorca 1 lost to Villarreal 2; Real Madrid 1 drew with Atletico Madrid 1; Real Zaragoza 2 drew with Levante 2; Recreativo Huelva 2 bt Real Betis 0; Sevilla 1 bt Getafe 0; Valencia 4 bt Gimnastic Tarragona 0; Athletic Bilbao 1 lost to Barcelona 3.

Italian Serie A: AC Milan 0 drew with Siena 0; AS Roma 1 bt Empoli 0; Cagliari 1 drew with Inter Milan 1; Chievo 0 lost to Palermo 1; Fiorentina 3 bt Catania 0; Messina 0 lost to Livorno 1; Sampdoria 3 bt Parma 2; Udinese 0 drew with Ascoli 0; Atalanta 1 drew with Reggina 1; Torino 0 lost to Lazio 4. — Agencies

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