Cristiano Ronaldo

Denis Law once tipped Wayne Rooney to claim all his Manchester United goalscoring records. But if United go all the way in the Champions League, as well as retaining the Premier League title, Cristiano Ronaldo could be the man to break the record that looked the most likely to remain forever in Law’s possession — his feat of scoring 46 goals in a season.

Even Ruud van Nistelrooy could not eclipse that, though he came up only two short of equalising it in 2002-2003. But Ronaldo is a man of such magic and in such irresistible form that the very concept of it being an impossible target will merely fuel his ambition to depose the King, as Law was known. And Ronaldo is no Don Quixote.

His opener here, an audacious back-heel through the legs of Villa’s Martin Laursen, the sign of a man at the top of his mesmerising powers, was his 35th of a campaign that will surely end in him being decorated as Footballer of the Year, and his fifth in four games.

With a potential 11 games left if United win the double, a goal a game will put him at least on the same throne as Law and given that he has scored two goals or more on at least eight occasions this season, you would not bet against him going one better.

United won at a canter against a Villa team whose tilt at a Champions League place has faded away in recent weeks (as reported in Sunday’s Late City edition). It was their sixth victory in succession in the Premier League since Manchester City had appeared to derail their title challenge with victory here in February.

Even if Chelsea were to beat United at Stamford Bridge next month — a big if on present form — Sir Alex Ferguson’s team will retain its title with four wins and a draw from their other five remaining fixtures, thanks to an overwhelmingly superior goal difference. And if Chelsea slip between now and then, United could win the title at the Bridge.

Villa started as though they fancied their chances of an upset, with Ashley Young’s early strike ricocheting off Wes Brown for a corner. But all their conviction drained away after Ronaldo’s sorcery had settled any home nerves. Ronaldo then reminded us of what he does for the day job, taking up his position on the right wing to deliver a cross to the back post that allowed Carlos Tevez to head his first goal since February.

Wayne Rooney, who had also failed to score since last month, was feeling so left out that you just knew he would not be satisfied until he had himself given the supporters something to drool over. Sure enough, when Ronaldo flicked on Ryan Giggs’s through ball, he dribbled around goalkeeper Scott Carson and ran the ball into the net.

Villa battled simply to keep the score respectable. But Ronaldo and Rooney were not finished. Ronaldo won a challenge on the edge of the Villa box and, when the ball was returned to him, nonchalantly flicking it on for Rooney to apply the finish.

AS Roma, beaten 7-1 here by United in the Champions League last season, would have watched with trepidation that more of the same might be in store when the teams meet in the quarter final first leg tie in Rome on Tuesday.

Rooney thought he had claimed a 25 minute hattrick after touching in another Ronaldo cross, though it would not still not have won him the Man of the Match award ahead of his fabulous colleague. Ronaldo deserved that for his goal alone, the sort of back-heel not seen at Old Trafford since the one from Manchester City in 1974. The scorer? Denis Law.