Manchester United on top

Manchester United's winning goal against the Bolton Wanderers came in the dying minutes of the game when the long-haired Carlos Tevez stumbled through two Bolton defenders, found an opening and sent a cross inside the box, which was headed home by the Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov. The way this goal came about did raise questions about whether Manchester United are just plain lucky? Because till then the Bolton defence was extremely solid; the closest that Man U came to scoring was when Critiano Ronaldo hit one through their defence at the top of the box. But it went straight into the hands of the Bolton keeper.

Michael Carrick hugs Carlos Tevez (front in picture) and Dimitar Berbatov from behind as they celebrate Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers. Photograph: Hamish Blair/Getty Images
But in United's defence it must be said that their hectic schedule this season, becoming club world champions, the injury to Wayne Rooney and others particularly in the last week, showed in their off-colour performance. They lost possession of the ball many times, and their game only picked up in the second half.

Liverpool were on top of the Premier League table are now in second spot; they can regain the lead by winning their derby clash with Everton on Monday. But with 17 matches left to play for both Liverpool and Man U; the pressure is now squarely on the former club. "Being top is not decisive at this stage but it is always nice because it is the best place to be," said Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Premier League round up

Meanwhile Chelsea scored a dramatic 2-1 win over Stoke, with two goals also in the dying minutes of their game! Rory Delap put Stoke in the lead by scoring off a pass from James Beattie. Then Juliano Belletti put Chelsea level with a goal in the 88th-minute. The game was extended into stoppage time of a few minutes, which got Chelsea the winning goal from Frank Lampard.

Aston Villa remain in fourth spot despite their 2-1 win over Sunderland. West Brom beat Middlesbrough 3–0. Manchester City took a break from the deal-or-no-deal with Brazilian Kaka to beat Wigan 1-0. Blackburn pulled out from the bottom three thanks to a 3–0 win over Newcastle at Ewood Park.