Shinji Kagawa scored a hat-trick as Manchester United extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 victory over Norwich City this afternoon.

© PA Photos

Man United took control from the first whistle but struggled to create clear chances as Norwich's defence excelled at Old Trafford.

However, United's dominance finally brought the opening goal just moments before half time as Wayne Rooney picked out Kagawa, who had the easy task of scoring from close range.

© PA Photos

Norwich carried more of an attacking threat after the break but were unable to penetrate a well-organised United defence.

An uneventful second half came to life in the 76th minute, when Kagawa collected a pass from Rooney before slotting the ball past a helpless Mark Bunn to double his personal tally for the afternoon.

Kagawa completed an excellent personal performance shortly before the final whistle by adding his third of the game with a good finish following a defence-splitting pass from Rooney.

There was still time for Rooney to score as the England striker created space for himself on the edge of the box before firing past Bunn to complete the rout.