Manchester United [Images] completed the most satisfying week of their season on Sunday when they won 3-0 at second division Wolverhampton Wanderers to ease into Monday's FA Cup fifth round draw.

Two goals for England [Images] midfielder Kieran Richardson, the first after five minutes, and one for Louis Saha were a fair reflection of United's dominance at Molineux.

European champions Liverpool also advanced as a Steven Gerrard penalty and a left-foot shot by John Arne Riise earned a 2-1 victory in a scrappy tie at Portsmouth.

Last Sunday, United grabbed a last-minute Premier League win over Liverpool and on Wednesday they reached the League Cup final with a 2-1 second-leg win over Blackburn Rovers.

In the previous round of the FA Cup a weakened United team needed a replay to get past minor league Burton Albion but this time manager Alex Ferguson selected a strong, though somewhat unbalanced, team with England centre back Rio Ferdinand playing in midfield alongside Wayne Rooney [Images].

They were in charge from the start, especially after Richardson steered home from 12 metres when the Wolves defence failed to clear a low Saha cross.

The second came in the last minute of the first half when more static central defending allowed Saha to race on to a 50 metre punt by new defender Nemanja Vidic to drive the ball past Stefan Postma.

EMPTY NET

Victory was sealed seven minutes after the restart when Park Ji-sung did well to break down the right and pull the ball back to Ruud van Nistelrooy [Images]. The Dutchman then calmly chipped across goal for the waiting Richardson to head into an empty net.

After a dull opening at Fratton Park, Liverpool seized control with two goals in four minutes late in the first half.

They took a fortunate lead from the penalty spot in the 37th minute. Dejan Stefanovic swung a boot at a corner and missed, the ball bouncing up against his arm and the referee awarding a penalty which Gerrard dispatched into the bottom right corner.

There was nothing lucky about the second goal as Riise broke down the left and from a seemingly innocuous situation drove a sweetly-struck low left footer from outside the box beyond goalkeeper Dean Kiely.

Portsmouth got back into the game in the 54th minute when Sean Davis glanced in a Gary O'Neill free kick.

The goal lifted the home side, who were beaten 6-0 by fellow league strugglers Birmingham City in their last match, but they were unable to fashion an equaliser.

On Saturday, Cup holders Arsenal [Images] paid the price for fielding a reserve side when they were beaten 1-0 by Bolton Wanderers.

Arsenal, who had reached the semi-finals in the five previous years, also went out of the League Cup in midweek when they lost to Wigan Athletic in the semi-finals.

The biggest shock on Saturday came in west London [Images] where third division Brentford beat the Premier League's bottom team Sunderland 2-1.

Middlesbrough and Birmingham City face replays after being held to 1-1 draws by second division opposition, Coventry City and Reading respectively.

League leaders Chelsea drew 1-1 at Everton.

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