Wayne Rooney returned from injury with an instant goal to cap Manchester United's 3-0 victory over Fulham that extended the defending champions’ lead atop the English Premier League to five points yesterday.

Exactly five weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury, England striker Rooney scored with his first touch about 90 seconds after replacing Dimitar Berbatov in the 61st minute at Old Trafford.

Paul Scholes put United in front after 12 minutes with his first league goal of the season, and Berbatov added another in the 30th.

That attacking potency combined with United's solid defensive barrier allowed goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar to extend his British record run without conceding to 14 matches.

With 13 matches to go, United have 59 points, followed by Liverpool on 54, Aston Villa on 51 and Chelsea at 49.