Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes they hold the destiny of the championship in their own hands.

No sooner had Portsmouth been defeated 5-0 at Old Trafford than the defender was looking ahead - to April 3 and a home match with Barclays Premier League title rivals Chelsea.

United are on a roll, winning six of their last seven league games and drawing the other. It is little wonder they are quietly confident of securing an unprecedented fourth successive crown.

Neville said: "It is in our hands now and it has not been like that for a while.

"Chelsea have to come here - and that is where we want to be. We want to win our home games."

It is no coincidence that while United are gaining momentum Wayne Rooney is having a purple patch.

The England striker scored his 23rd goal of the season, equalling a career best, when he made the breakthrough in the 40th minute following a cross from Darren Fletcher.

Neville is keen for his team-mate to maintain that form, especially as they are about to lock horns with David Beckham's AC Milan in the Champions League.

He said: "Wayne was in the right position at the right time after a great ball by Fletcher. He is a having a great season and and is a fantastic player for us.

"I hope Wayne continues like this until the end of the season because we are going to need him. The most important thing is he is scoring vital goals."

Full-back Patrice Evra added: "Wayne understands what the team needs. He is more mature. He is a world-class player, who is so dangerous in the box."

After Rooney opened the scoring United added a second on the stroke of half-time. Nani's close-range effort took a deflection first off Anthony Vanden Borre and then goalkeeper David James.

James was again cursing his luck in the 58th minute as Michael Carrick's drive cannoned off Richard Hughes and left him stranded.

United maintained the momentum and made it 4-0 on the hour with Dimitar Berbatov regaining possession and sending a low shot into the corner after Portsmouth failed to close him down.

The scoring was complete nine minutes later when Marc Wilson turned Evra's cross into his own net.

Neville said: "To get that goal before half-time was huge. Once we got it, Portsmouth found it very difficult. It deflated them.

"Nani and Antonio (Valencia) were a real threat every time they got down the wings.

"Nani is now making the right decisions. It is so difficult to stay with a player like him as he is so quick. He can go either way. He is coming on in leaps and bounds."

Portsmouth manager Avram Grant reckons there are grounds for optimism after Hong Kong-based businessman Balram Chainrai took control at Fratton Park.

However, the south-coast club face a winding-up order from HMRC over a £7.5million VAT bill, for which a High Court hearing is due on Wednesday.

Grant said: "I hope things will be more stable. It's important for the club. It's a unique club. The whole city is behind us.

"It was almost impossible in recent matches with all the mess and uncertainty. We didn't know where we were going, not just with the money situation.

"It was very difficult from the beginning. We were bottom of the league and it felt we had a storm over our head that was not connected to football.

"But even with this we showed that we play good football with good spirit and good character. The players go into every game with a lot of motivation."