Alex Ferguson believes some unfashionable clubs will be challenging for top honours in the Premiership come the end of the season.

Manchester United are sitting pretty 11 points clear at the top of the table, and the second half of the season appears to be developing into a fight over scraps.

While Ferguson will point out to his players United enjoyed a 12-point lead over Arsenal three years ago and were eventually pipped to the title by the Double-winning Londoners, his side's current form is so awesome a repeat performance is virtually impossible to contemplate.

Ferguson has already been able to discount a potential challenge from big-spenders Leeds and Chelsea, who have both struggled to match their league form of previous seasons.

Instead, the United manager is keeping a watchful eye on Sunderland and Ipswich, as well as Arsenal and Liverpool.

In his half-term report on the Premiership, Ferguson said: "Arsenal, because of the experience they have got, will be a challenger.

"Sunderland's results have been impressive, and when you couple Sunderland with the support base they have got they can have a big drive that will keep them going - rather like Leeds last season.

"Liverpool are a big, strong athletic team and they will keep going. Ipswich keep surprising everyone but I think they will be happy to be in the top six and I don't see anyone else." United may be dominating English football even more than previous seasons, but Ferguson insisted this was not due to standards declining among the opposition. He said: "We're getting where we are because we have a team that has stayed together. It's a maturing team and their hunger has always been good.

"It doesn't concern me about what people say about it being a bad league - it's not a bad league. We've had some frights this year and have lost two-goal leads three times." Ferguson is wary of complacency creeping in. He said: "It's a danger. It's an unhealthy position for us to be in - in a way. I'm expecting the players to focus on every game and we're going to put our foot down and try our best in every match.

"It's a dangerous situation that we are in, because all the talk is going to be that the league is over and that sort of thing.

"That could lead to complacency with a lot of people but I wouldn't like to think that would happen with our lads. They're professional enough to know, and have had the experience of throwing the league away three years ago when Arsenal caught us."

Fred Done bookmakers, the firm who paid out on Manchester United winning the Premiership three seasons ago only to see Arsenal come from 12 points behind and win the title, are doing the same again this year. A spokesman for the Manchester-based company said: "The title race is over. We have laid United pretty well but we are paying out now to give punters some cash for the January sales."

When asked whether the firm were worried about having to pay out twice again this season, the spokesman said: "Lightning never strikes twice."

A record Premiership crowd of 67,603 watched United beat West Ham. The last time an Old Trafford crowd surpassed this figure was in March 1939 when 76,962 watched an FA Cup semi-final between Wolves and Grimsby.