Manchester United 1 Tottenham 0: Ryan Giggs' instinctive early header preserved Manchester United's 100 per cent start to the season but they were forced to survive some nervy moments before claiming their win over Tottenham.
The evergreen Welshman reacted fastest when Paul Robinson failed to hold Cristiano Ronaldo's stinging free-kick and his header ultimately proved the difference between the two sides, allowing United to return to the top of the table, leapfrogging Everton and Portsmouth, who had both taken their place earlier in the day.
Although it was hardly a clinical success, it was the kind of hard-fought three points on which title wins can be gained.
But Tottenham will head home feeling distinctly hard done by. Martin Jol's men dominated for long periods, with Jermaine Jenas particularly influential and outshining £18.6 million United new boy Michael Carrick, who disappointed against his former club.
It was Spurs' misfortune to run into a couple of brick walls in Wes Brown and Edwin van der Sar, who made a series of excellent saves to keep them at bay.
Crowned Barclays Premiership player of the month for the first time before kick-off, Giggs is producing his most consistent displays for some time.
The 33-year-old is showing little signs of age and his adaptability is proving to be a major plus for Sir Alex Ferguson.
Already deployed in central midfield and on the left wing by Ferguson this season, Giggs found himself pushed up front alongside Louis Saha against a Spurs side whose barren run at the Theatre of Dreams stretches back to 1989.
Giggs was by some distance United's most dangerous attacking threat, although he would have to agree his second goal in successive matches owed much to Ronaldo's venomous free-kick.
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