Michael Owen hat-trick gives Man Utd victory

Wolfsburg 1 Man Utd 3. Manchester United destroyed Wolfsburg's hopes of progressing into the knockout stage of the Champions League as Michael Owen scored his first hat-trick in four years in a superb 3-1 win for the English champions.

A depleted United travelled to Germany in search of the point that would ensure they finished top of group B, improving their chances of a favourable pairing when the draw for the next round is made on Friday week.

Shorn of 15 players through injury and illness, United manager Alex Ferguson opted for a 3-5-2 formation with midfielders Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick lining up in a back three, alongside the only fit regular defender Patrice Evra, which seemed sure to struggle against Wolfsburg's highly-rated Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko.

The early pressure came from the hosts but Andrea Barzagli and Zvjezdan Misimovic both squandered golden opportunities to head their side into the lead after hesitation among the makeshift United defence.

Michael Carrick in particular looked to be struggling in his new role and the 28-year-old was lucky not to concede a first-half penalty after a clumsy challenge on Makoto Hasebe.

But the longer the game remained goalless the more the visitors grew in confidence and on the half-hour mark United thought they had snatched the lead against the run of play, only for Danny Welbeck's goal to be disallowed for offside.

But there was no doubt about the opening goal when it did come, just one minute before the break. Paul Scholes picked out Nani on the left and the Portuguese star found Michael Owen at the far post with a superb cross. The former England striker squeezed in between Makoto Hasebe and Marcel Schäfer to nod the ball into the net.

Ten minutes into the second-half Wolfsburg equalised when Dzeko used his 6ft 4in frame to rise above Carrick and head home Christian Gentner's cross. But Owen, six inches shorter than the Bosnian forward, responded with his second on 82 minutes. United substitute Gabriel Obertan, a potent force since his arrival in the 74th minute, left Ricardo Costa for dead and crossed for Owen to restore the visitors' lead with a simple poke into the Wolfsburg goal.

Owen then put the game beyond doubt with his third following a United counter-attack initiated by Darron Gibson. Scholes surged upfield, threaded the ball to Obertan and the Frenchman sent Owen clear with a well-timed pass that got the finish it deserved.

"Me getting three goals will grab the headlines but it was a great team performance,” said Owen afterwards, clearly delighted to have scored his first hat-trick since banging in three for Newcastle against West Ham in December 2005.

Ferguson was just as pleased with the result - and with the player he brought to the club in the summer on a free transfer. "It was a fantastic performance," said the United manager. "Michael's finishing and positional play were superb. The evidence of a player is always on the field and Michael has given us that. He has proved his worth and I'm delighted with his performance."

In the group's other match, CSKA Moscow beat Besiktas 2-1 to take the second qualification spot ahead of Wolfsburg. ·