MANCHESTER, England -- Robin van Persie swept Manchester United to a record-extending 20th English league title on Monday, scoring a first-half hat trick in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa as the runaway leaders wrapped up the championship with four games to spare. The Netherlands striker has been the driving force behind United's bid to reclaim the trophy off neighbor Manchester City, and he led the charge at Old Trafford by scoring the opener after only 83 seconds and then steering in a sublime volley in the 12th minute. The party had started in earnest by the time he wrapped up his hat trick in the 33rd, giving United an assailable 16-point lead over City. "It is a great feeling," said van Persie, the top scorer in the league with 24 goals. "It is a fantastic team and fantastic players. It is a championship for every single one of them." United clinched a 13th title in 21 seasons of the Premier League with nearly a month remaining in the season -- the earliest a club has clinched the Premier League title since United in 2001. Source:ESPN
