United survive late penalty scare to move clear of City rivals at the top

Manchester Utd 1 Fulham 0MANCHESTER UNITED have moved three points clear of Manchester City, with eight games to go, and will enjoy the view from the top of the table.

Once again, they did not reach their most sumptuous heights but Fulham were such generous opponents once Wayne Rooney had opened the scoring late in the first half it was a surprise in the end that it turned out to be the game’s decisive moment.

Alex Ferguson is certainly entitled to feel his side were so dominant throughout the second half they ought to have chiselled away a little more at City’s superior goal difference. Yet the sense in the Old Trafford crowd at the end was relief.

In the final minute of normal time Fulham substitute Danny Murphy had eluded the United defence to run into the penalty area with the ball at his feet. Michael Carrick, on the wrong side of his man, flicked out his right boot and Murphy hit the ground. Martin Jol, the Fulham manager, was so incensed no penalty was awarded he strode on to the pitch. In that moment United could easily have paid for their profligacy.

There were a few more anxious moments to come as well, with Fulham pressing forward in the final stages, but the win was deserved for the champions even if it was clear they can play with much greater fluency.

Rooney’s goal had arrived at a point when United were looking strangely laboured, short of ideas and lacking penetration. For the most part, Fulham had dealt with them comfortably and it was not just the crowd that was growing frustrated.

A few minutes earlier, Ryan Giggs had been booked for a challenge on Moussa Dembele that was more in keeping with the kind of scything lunge with which Paul Scholes is synonymous, late with studs showing.

For long spells the home side’s tempo in this period was nothing like as quick as may have been anticipated.

More than anything, there was a peculiar lack of urgency. The early onslaught that might have been expected never materialised – in fact, Fulham sporadically looked the more dangerous team – but when United did work up a head of steam it was not long before their opponents were worn down.

Until that point there had been no sense that Fulham have one of the least distinguished away records in the top division, with only two wins all season.

Here, though, their defending was atrocious. First, Brede Hangeland jumped to meet Ashley Young’s cross but misjudged the trajectory of the ball.

John Arne Riise was behind Hangeland and probably did not expect his captain, usually so dominant in the air, to do anything but clear the danger.

The ball bounced off an unsuspecting Riise and Jonny Evans, at the far post, turned it into Rooney’s path to scoop his shot past Mark Schwarzer.

The disappointing part for Fulham was that it was such a soft goal to concede when they had begun the game so impressively.

This was a hard-working, organised team, with Mahamadou Diarra a tireless worker in front of defence and naturally attacking players such as Dembele and Clint Dempsey also dropping back when needed.

Maybe there was a touch of anxiety about United in those early stages.

They certainly began the second half in a far more commanding fashion, with the vast majority of play inside the Fulham half. Antonio Valencia, a constant menace on the right, was put through by Giggs only for Schwarzer to block the shot and this was the prelude to a spell of concerted pressure from Ferguson’s team – far more like the slick, interchanging side that the Old Trafford crowd want to see.

Fulham seemed to lose belief after going behind, perhaps in keeping with their away record.

United looked utterly comfortable while still giving the sense that they could play at least a couple of notches higher.

Evans is playing with greater confidence than any other point of his United career while, alongside him, Rio Ferdinand, who was taken off in the second half, is returning to something close to his best form. Rooney’s partnership with Danny Welbeck is still a work in progress but, on the wings, Valencia and Young will make it difficult for Nani to go straight back into the team when he is fit again.

Guardian Service

MANCHESTER UTD: De Gea, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand (Smalling 74), Evans, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Young, Welbeck (Hernandez 63), Rooney (Scholes 78). Subs Not Used: Amos,Jones,Berbatov, Cleverley. Booked: Giggs.

FULHAM: Schwarzer, Kelly, Hughes,Hangeland, John Arne Riise, Duff, Dembele, Diarra (Murphy 71), Frei (Ruiz 67), Pogrebnyak, Dempsey. Subs Not Used: Stockdale, Senderos, Etuhu, Briggs, Trotta.

Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).