In the third minute, Giggs curled a 20-yard free-kick that managed to bounce off Birmingham goalkeeper Maik Taylor, handing the home team the one- goal advantage.

The Welshman then doubled his team's lead in the 15th minute when he found a throughball from Rooney that he easily slid past the frustrated Taylor.

Rooney sealed the win for United and recorded his 13th league goal of the season when he slid past Birmingham's defense and beat Taylor in a one-on-one, seven minutes before the final whistle was blown.

"The players are working very well and are playing some great football," said United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

The victory marked Gary Neville's 500th game appearance. The 31-year-old defender is only the eighth player to be named to the United 500 club, joining former Reds Joe Spence, Sir Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes, Tony Dunne, Alex Stepney, Denis Irwin and teammate Giggs.

Capping of other Premiership action on Sunday: Newcastle experienced its fourth straight loss when the club fell 3-1 to Charlton; Middlesbrough's Stuart Parnaby scored in the final seconds to sneak past Bolton 4-3.

On Saturday, Liverpool defeated Everton, 3-1; Chelsea moved closer to the league title with a 2-0 win over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge; Aston Villa and Fulham finished in a scoreless draw; Blackburn edged Sunderland, 1-0; and West Ham scored twice against Wigan for the 2-1 win.