PARIS: Robin van Persie scored a sensational hat-trick as Manchester United beat Olympiakos 3-0 to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, while Borussia Dortmund joined them in the last eight.

Under-pressure United manager David Moyes saw his side produce a much-improved performance from Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool, and Van Persie made the difference as the ailing Premier League champions overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit to go through.

There was less drama in Germany, where last season’s beaten finalists Dortmund lost 2-1 at home to Zenit St Petersburg but progressed 5-4 on aggregate.

United had only previously come back from a first-leg defeat to win a Champions League tie once before, against Roma in the 2007 quarter-finals, and the listless nature of their recent displays would have done little to inspire confidence among the home fans at Old Trafford.

Results: Manchester United 3 Olympiakos 0 (Man Utd win 3-2 on aggregate) Borussia Dortmund 1 Zenit St Petersburg 2 (Dortmund win 5-4 on aggregate).