English FA Premiership/Manchester United versus Chelsea:Andy Fifield looks at the return to form of Alex Ferguson and his team, and the crucial importance of their midfield veterans

Sometimes the smallest gestures can make the biggest statements. When Jose Mourinho decided seven months ago to break with the traditional post-match formalities and shake Alex Ferguson's hand while his Manchester United side were still being harried to a crushing 3-0 defeat, there could be no doubting his true intentions.

That flick of the wrist, rather than signalling an unusual act of good grace from the Portuguese, merely emphasised Ferguson's very public humiliation.

The Premiership trophy - which United once treated as their own personal trinket - was Chelsea's once again and Stamford Bridge crowed in approval.

But that was then. The balmy spring sunshine which warmed Mourinho's back in April has long since melted away and, in the dark, frost-bitten days of November, United are stirring once again.

Tomorrow, Chelsea venture to Old Trafford for the most eagerly anticipated match of the season and they do so in trepidation rather than triumph: a United victory, and the sliver of daylight that separates the two clubs at the top of the table would turn into a glaring gap.

Titles are never won before Christmas, but even the notoriously circumspect Ferguson would struggle to muffle the significance of a six-point advantage.

United's renaissance this season is as welcome as it is unexpected. As Chelsea pinged around passes in the clubs' last meeting, it was difficult to quell the suspicion that the shift in the Premiership's balance of power had become permanent. In the face of a blue onslaught, Ferguson's side appeared limp, feeble even. They may have finished the season in second place, but never has a runners-up spot been so meaningless.

Now, they are revitalised. The searing pace and dizzying movement of their attacking forays, which many supporters feared had been lost forever, are back with a vengeance courtesy of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo's twinkling toes; the defensive blunders that cost United so many cheap points last season have been eliminated, with the Serbian Nemanja Vidic a revelation at centre-half; and Ferguson, who looked every one of his 64 years last season, is a man reborn. The spark is back, and he knows it.

"The way Chelsea have been in the last couple of years, it's not surprising that everyone else was written off before the start of the season," he said. "But this is the first time they have had a challenge. The last two seasons, they've made very good starts and we've quickly found ourselves several points behind them. That hasn't happened this year and it's exciting: there's a buzz around the place."

Yet Ferguson is not the only one experiencing a rejuvenation at Old Trafford. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are also basking in the glow of an unexpected Indian summer, with seasoned observers suggesting neither has produced such sustained brilliance since United's Treble-winning campaign seven years ago.

Of the two, it is Scholes whose story lends itself most easily to fairytale.

The midfielder, always one of the Premiership's most underrated performers, appeared locked into an irreversible decline before the start of the new season. His pace and energy had slackened to the point where those decisive late bursts into the penalty area - which Scholes had trademarked when Frank Lampard was still cleaning boots at West Ham - were just a distant memory.

Then, most seriously of all, there was the curious eye complaint that left Scholes stricken with double vision and headaches. He missed the final five months of last season, returning only for a token appearance in the final game of the campaign, against Charlton, and, privately, even Ferguson harboured doubts that his totemic playmaker would ever truly recover.

He should have known better. Scholes has always been a doughty competitor, and a vibrant performance in the opening-day demolition of Fulham served notice of his return. Now, the only legacy of last season's traumas is a slight blurriness in his right eye: his runs are as probing as ever, his passing as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel.

Put simply, no other attacking midfielder currently comes close to matching his contribution in the Premiership, and it was no surprise that Steve McClaren, the England manager, recently asked him to end his self-imposed international exile. Equally unsurprising was Scholes's polite, but decisive, refusal.

"It was flattering but there was a reason I retired from international football," he said. "I want to keep myself fresh for United and I'm glad I made my choice."

Scholes's revival has also relieved some of the pressure on United's one significant summer signing, Michael Carrick. The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder can be a frustrating figure, a player who often appears unsure how best to utilise his obvious talents, but Scholes's deployment at the attacking tip of United's midfield diamond ensures he is not compelled to make the sort of box-to-box runs that are alien to him. Instead, Carrick can hover in the centre-circle, showing the expansive range of passing that first attracted Ferguson's eye at White Hart Lane.

"I don't think Michael is getting the credit he deserves because Scholes's form has been so incredible," Ferguson added. "Michael is not a demonstrative player; he is quiet and goes about his job without any real show. He knows when to pass, where to pass; he knows the angle and when to wait. He has a terrific partnership with Scholes and I don't want him to change."

The union of old boy and newbie in United's engine-room has Old Trafford purring in appreciation and tomorrow they face their sternest examination yet.

Chelsea are loaded with quality in every department but it is their midfield that usually reduces their opponents to rubble: Lampard is the league's serial goal-snatcher and Claude Makelele its arch-destroyer, while Michael Essien is probably the most improved player in the Premiership.

Carrick and Scholes must ensure the Ghanaian does not establish his usual choking grip on the game, although the omens are not encouraging.

United fans shudder when they remember how easily they were overrun in the meek defeat to Arsenal in September, and it is that result - combined with recent setbacks to middling opposition in the Champions League - that provides ammunition for the critics who claim Ferguson's side will have blown themselves out by the end of the season.

Compared to Chelsea's array of megastars, United's resources do appear painfully thin. On Wednesday, Ferguson's hopes of unleashing a potential match-winner against an admirably stubborn Celtic would have evaporated with a mere glance at his substitutes' bench: with Ruud van Nistlerooy sold, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer injured and Alan Smith out of favour, the nearest Ferguson had to an attacking option was Kieran Richardson, whose craven performances against Crewe and Southend in the League Cup had been punished by a spell in the reserves.

The suspicion remains that a run of injuries, particularly to the veterans Giggs and Scholes, would spell disaster, especially as United's most demanding fixtures are clustered in the wearying final third of the season. In the space of 10 weeks, they must negotiate trips to Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Portsmouth and, at the start of April, Chelsea: hence the pressing need to accumulate points sooner rather than later.

For the time being, however, Ferguson can enjoy the view from the Premiership summit. It has taken him long enough to scramble back there and it could yet be a prolonged stay, provided confidence has not been corroded by that tumultuous night in Glasgow.

"The players will relish this game," Ferguson said. " If they have ambitions to win the league, they have to understand how important Sunday is. I don't think they will let anyone down."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Only four members of Manchester United's triumphant Treble-winning squad remain at Old Trafford: Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Here, we trace the fortunes of the departed Red Devils.

Peter Schmeichel: After a mercifully brief stint as a BBC pundit, the Danish goalkeeper is now honing his infamous competitive instincts on Strictly Come Dancing.

Ronnie Johnsen:Alex Ferguson finally lost patience with the Norwegian's endless injury problems in 2002. Hobbled around a host of clubs before returning to Norway and Valerenga.

Phil Neville:The third most famous Neville - after brother Gary and father Neville - left United in 2005. Now an integral part of Everton's up-and-at-'em midfield.

David May: The only member of the squad not still involved in football. After a stint in the lower leagues, he took up a post in the wine distribution industry.

David Beckham:Booted out of Old Trafford - literally, as it happens - in 2003. Now spends his days building soccer schools, creating men's fragrances and playing the odd football match for Real Madrid.

Japp Stam: Axed by Alex Ferguson after having the temerity to criticise the Scot in his autobiography. Wandered Serie A's super-clubs and served a ban for steroids before alighting at Ajax last summer.

Roy Keane:Departed Old Trafford in acrimonious circumstances - seeing a pattern, here? - last summer. Now charged with the task of revitalising that most comatose of sleeping giants, Sunderland.

Andy Cole:Left United after Ferguson grew sick of his attitude; left Blackburn after Mark Hughes grew sick of his attitude; left Manchester City . . . you get the idea. Now charming the pants off Portsmouth.

Dwight Yorke: Trinidad's answer to Hugh Hefner was dumped by Ferguson after one sordid headline too many in 2002. Lapped up the sunshine in Sydney before being lured back by the bright lights of Sunderland.

Teddy Sheringham:Still banging them in for West Ham, despite recently celebrating his 40th birthday. Doesn't look a day older than when he left United in 2001.