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A quick fire Wayne Rooney hat-trick rescued Manchester United on Saturday as they went eight points clear at the top of the Premier League after coming from two goals down to beat West Ham United 4-2.
Sloppy defensive mistakes looked like they might be costly as United found themselves 2-0 down in 25 minutes after Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic gave away penalties that Hammers midfielder Mark Noble converted.
Reinvigorated by the introduction of Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov, United put themselves back in the match with a curling Rooney free kick midway through the second half before levelling through his low drive.
The England striker completed a 14-minute treble by converting a penalty given for Matthew Upson's unlucky handball before Hernandez put the seal on the fight back with a well-taken goal from close range.
United have 66 points from 31 games while second-placed Arsenal are on 58 having played two games fewer.
