MANCHESTER UNITED stand at the top of the Premiership for the first time since mid September despite enduring an evening that threatened to deny them the reward their efforts deserved.

With 14 minutes left they trailed Wimbledon but, as the evening's final whistle split the night air, they had laid claim to a most unlikely victory.

After Ryan Giggs had stooped to turn in a David Beckham corner, the issue was settled by the substitute Andy Cole, who swept in from close range with six minutes left after the goalkeeper, Sullivan, had succeeded only in parrying a Ole Solskjaer drive.

Alex Ferguson may have recently hinted at his possible retirement but there is still mischief aplenty left in the old dog. The United manager had spent the 24 hours preceding this match telling anyone that would listen that David Beckham would be absent.

He played, of course he did. So' did Gary Pallister, restored to health after a hamstring injury, much to the relief of both his club and his country.

The Theatre of Dreams was strangely muted last night - until, that was, United began to surrender possession often and for no apparent reason. Their carelessly misplaced passes tended to infuriate even the meekest of audiences: Old Trafford snarled its disapproval.

However, once it had been established that Wimbledon were content with the occasional spirited break away, United shifted up through the gears.

Had Giggs's delivery from the left touchline been even moderately efficient the evening's competitive edge would have been removed at an early stage.

It was not and despite Eric Cantona's subtle touches and Roy Keane's peerless work rate, the transformation of base metal into gold simply would not come. Certainly, United had their chances but invariably shots were delivered either in haste or from largely unsympathetic angles.

Solskjaer's splendid diving header in only the sixth minute and Giggs's ferocious drive from distance midway through what was a fractured opening half just may have drifted in on another night, perhaps a night when fortune favoured the brave and not the over cautious.

Having failed to find a way through by guile, United in the shape of Solskjaer opted for a more direct approach. His venomous shot from 25 yards in the 28th minute deserved a better fate than to rebound tamely back into play off the face of the cross bar. The young Norwegian striker was to be similarly denied eight minutes later when he ploughed an identical furrow to steer in another shot against the woodwork.

As the second half began to unfold, Wimbledon began to inch forwards out of their shell. After 54 minutes Gayle's shimmy took him away from Pallister and his shot from just outside the area was accurate and powerful, but Peter Schmeichel was equal to the task, diving backwards to turn the ball on to the crossbar.

Then the roof fell in on United. Just after the hour an Alan Kimble corner was flicked on leaving Chris Perry with the option of either scoring or embarrassing himself. He chose the former.