LONDON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Manchester United Wednesday defeated Newcastle United 2-1 to go seven points clear at the top of the English Premier League with a game in hand.

    United was given a blow in the ninth minute when Newcastle striker Peter Lovenkrands opened the scoring. But Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov were on target to seal victory for the champions.

    United's 11th consecutive league victory took them to 65 points from 27 games. Chelsea and Liverpool, who have both played a game more, are both back on 58.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (C) celebrates scoring against Newcastle United during their English Premier League soccer match in Newcastle March 4, 2009

    Fourth-placed Aston Villa suffered a 2-0 loss at Manchester City while Stoke City climbed out of the bottom three with a 2-0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. West Ham United won 1-0 at Wigan Athletic.

    Tottenham Hotspur shook off the disappointment of losing to Manchester United in Sunday's League Cup final with a 4-0 hammering of Middlesbrough to ease their relegation worries.

    Fifth-placed Everton drew 0-0 at Blackburn Rovers while Hull City scored late to beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage to halt their slide down the table.