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Two clinical penalties from Ryan Giggs and a great finish from Nani helped United return to the Premier League summit as they beat the in-form Tottenham 3-1 at Old Trafford. The victory puts United two points clear of Chelsea who face Stoke on Sunday.

United were again without Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand while Neville was replaced by Rafael in defence.

United started strongly and in the 19th minute Rafael found Antonio Valencia whose cross was directed towards Berbatov in the box but Michael Dawson made an important tackle before Berbatov could strike..

Things started to pick up after 30 minutes as United created three chances in the space of 2 minutes. The first chance fell to Berbatov after a typical marauding run by Patrice Evra who broke into the Tottenham penalty area and his pull back was met by a weak Berbatov shot.
Valencia was then found by Rafael 20 yards out from goal however his low shot to Gomes right was an easy pick for him.

In the 32nd minute it was Evra’s chance when he was played in by Nani but his volley went over the bar.

United’s first opportunity in the second half fell to Nani from a 30 yard free kick but the winger could only hit the ball into the wall.

United were enjoying a lot of possession and in the 57th minute it finally paid off when they got the goal they were seeking. Berbatov made a great run into the Tottenham box before back heeling the ball into Evra’s path. Benoit Assou-Ekotto clumsily brought down Evra for a clear penalty. Ryan Giggs experience told as he calmly fired the ball into the bottom left hand corner.

With United looking dominant Harry Redknapp made two changes with Eidur Gudjohnsen and Aaron Lennon coming on for Jermain Defoe and David Bentley. The changes appeared to reinvigorate the players and they got their equaliser in the 70th minute. A corner from Bale was met by King who rose above Michael Carrick to head the ball into the net despite Rafael standing on the goal-line to clear any potential threats.

With 10 minutes of the game remaining Sir Alex Ferguson made an attacking substitution bringing Federico Macheda on for Rafael. Macheda made an instant impact when he received a pass from Fletcher before threading the ball into Nani who very cleverly chipped the ball over Gomes and into the back of the net to give the home side a deserved 2-1 lead.

With five minutes remaining United put the game beyond doubt. Nani’s pace took him from the halfway line with only one mission on his mind as he advanced towards the box. Wilson Palacios clumsily barged the midfielder over leaving the referee with no choice but to award United their second penalty of the match. Giggs again coolly slotted home to put the onus back onto Chelsea.

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