RIGHTLY or wrongly, Ruud van Nistelrooy felt aggrieved by last week’s events at Old Trafford, and it was with undisguised glee that he took it out on Leicester yesterday. His emphatic hat-trick was his fifth for Manchester United, and his first away from Old Trafford.

United needed a win after Arsenal’s victory over Newcastle on Friday night, and they achieved their objective with ease to stay just one point behind the league leaders. Roy Keane was their other scorer — amazingly, it was his first goal for 42 games and 17 months — on a day when six would not have flattered them.

Leicester have now lost their last eight league matches against United, and will be relieved to get back to more prosaic opposition, Fulham away, next week.

Never short of a good line, their director of football Dave Bassett said: “The Arsenal lads gave Van Nistelrooy some stick, but I think our defenders are still looking for him.”

Remarkably, Frank Sinclair’s late headed goal was the first they had scored in those eight games against United. Sir Alex Ferguson lauded his team’s passing and movement as “outstanding”, adding: “I start to feel sorry for the opposition on days like this.”

Of Van Nistelrooy’s contribution, he said: “He behaved impeccably last week, he’s a wonderful footballer and his form was terrific today. His name will always be in the papers because he’s a great player. There can’t have been many strikers as good as him over the years.”

The man himself would say nothing to the press beyond “I’m very happy”, but was much obliged when one reporter pointed out that he had forgotten the match-ball, and quickly scuttled back to get it.

The referee, Graham Poll, patted Van Nistelrooy on the back before kick-off, as if in sympathy with the rough treatment he received last Sunday. The home crowd took a rather different view, booing his every touch — not that it did them much good.

When your team is as ordinary as Leicester’s, it makes no sense to wind up one of the world’s best strikers, and the object of their derision settled the issue before half-time with two thumping goals. When he stays on his feet, there are very few better at the finishing trade.

United rested the likes of Ronaldo and Nicky Butt and restricted Keane and Eric Djemba-Djemba to a half apiece with Wednesday’s European date in Stuttgart in mind. But with Paul Scholes back after his groin injury, they were in charge from the start.

Darren Fletcher, Ronaldo’s 19-year-old stand-in, threatened with a resounding shot after nine minutes.

After 15 minutes, United were ahead: Scholes’s lofted through-pass penetrated Leicester’s square defence, enabling Keane to run on, Gerry Taggart in his wake, before scoring from six yards. It was a nicely executed goal — Ferguson’s pick of the lot.

A minute later it was 2-0, and game over. Scholes was again involved, his low 30-yard shot falling obligingly for Van Nistelrooy to drive in from near the penalty spot.

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