Chelsea wins title after 3-0 victory, Rooney injured

Chelsea clinched its second straight Premier League title with a 3-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday in a game that could damage England's World Cup hopes - United striker Wayne Rooney broke a bone in his foot and will be out six weeks.

William Gallas scored on a header at home in the fifth minute, with the other goals by Joe Cole in the 61st minute and Ricardo Carvalho in the 73rd. Chelsea, which needed only a point to clinch the title, won the championship with two games left. Chelsea has 91 points while United is second with 79.

Rooney was carried off the field with 10 minutes to go. The 20-year-old star grimaced and clutched his right foot after a challenge by defender Paulo Ferreira. He traveled to Manchester with his teammates before heading straight to a hospital.

"He's got a heavy knock," United manager Alex Ferguson said.

The team said on its Web site that Rooney had "a fracture of the base of the fourth metatarsal on his right foot." The diagnosis is bad news for England, which begins World Cup play in Germany six weeks with a June 9 opener against Paraguay.

Chelsea has broken the domination of Manchester United and Arsenal, which won 11 of the previous 12 league titles.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho threw his Premier League winner's medal into the crowd, saying he already had one from last season. When he was given a replacement, he threw that one to the crowd as well, explaining the fans had played a major part in Chelsea's 44-game unbeaten run at home.

Last year, Chelsea secured its first league title since 1955. The latest triumph means Mourinho, who led FC Porto to back-to-back championships in Portugal, has won four in a row with two different clubs.

Rooney was expected to be England's strongest player at the World Cup, with his country trying to win the title for the first time in 40 years.

Rooney fractured a metatarsal in the 2004 European Championship quarterfinal against Portugal and was sidelined three months.

Mourinho said he felt "scared" for Rooney.

"I think England needs the boy, the World Cup needs the boy," Mourinho said.

Rooney's earlier challenge on John Terry left the star England defender hobbling with a gashed leg. Terry needed about a dozen stitches.

In addition to Rooney and Terry, another top England player was injured - Michael Owen. He played the last 30 minutes of Newcastle's 0-0 tie with Birmingham City and was limping near the end. It was his first game since breaking his right foot on New Year's Eve. The team said he will see a specialist Monday.

"The thought of Rooney and Owen not playing for England is not worth thinking about," Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder said