Manchester United moved three points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table after a comfortable 2-0 win over Portsmouth at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney set the reigning champions on their way with an early opener as United sought to reclaim top spot after Liverpool's 4-4 draw with Arsenal on Tuesday night.
And substitute Michael Carrick settled any lingering nerves by firing home a crisp second goal in the 82nd minute to finish off Pompey.
United were in front via their first dangerous attack on nine minutes as Anderson's brilliant pass played Ryan Giggs in behind the defence and he rolled the ball across the six-yard box to provide Rooney with a simple finish.
The match should have been over by half-time, but the leaders wasted numerous chances, with Giggs the most profligate.
Early substitute John O'Shea saw a header cleared off the line by Nadir Belhadj before Giggs was denied by David James and then lifted another attempt wide.
Portsmouth perked up as an attacking force in the second half, but despite the occasional threat, failed to seriously trouble Edwin van der Sar.
The points were put in safekeeping eight minutes from time when Paul Scholes, making his 600th appearance for the club, played a penetrating pass through to Carrick, who drove a low shot beyond James and inside the post.
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