Man Utd 3-1 Tottenham

It's said that you make your own luck, and detractors of Manchester United will be pointing to the fortune of the Red Devils as they came away with a 3-1 win at Old Trafford against a distinctly uninspired Spurs earlier today. Two penalties sent United back to the summit of the Premier League, but unlike the controversy that surrounded the one won by Michael Carrick at White Hart Lane earlier this season, the brace that Ryan Giggs dispatched were as clear as any in recent memory.

After a lackluster first half, characterized more by Wilson Palacious' poor performance than anything else, United fans may have been worried. Missing the mercurial Wayne Rooney, the home side lined up 4-5-1, with Dimitar Berbatov spearheading the team's attack against the side that brought him to English football. The lanky Bulgarian has been criticized from nearly all corners since he signed for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, with many claiming his "languid" approach did not gel with the quick style that United so enjoy. Rooney himself seems a much better alternative, certainly, and few would argue against it. Carlos Tevez seemed liked a better choice as well, and his form for the blue half of Manchester suggests that perhaps United would have been better off spending a significant chunk of Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer fee on retaining the tenacious Argentine rather than keep faith in the striker who seems a mere shadow of Eric Cantona.

Tevez, and probably Rooney, for the matter, would not have been able to find Patrice Evra with a delicate backheel after holding off an opposing defender, winning the penalty that lead to the opening goal, however. Indeed, Wayne Rooney's biggest weakness is perhaps his temperament and after a frustrating 45 minutes, he probably would have swung wildly at the ball (or a defender) stuck under his feet. Granted, Rooney's attitude has improved at least as much as his finishing, but the flak that Berbatov receives is overwhelming at the best of times, and it is unfair to expect the same kind of performances he enjoyed at Spurs and Leverkusen when he is now played alone upfront against teams set out to defend. An accomplished performance from the Bulgarian against a team who can be genuinely considered a "Top Four Side".

Much of the hype before the game surrounded the sensational form of Gareth Bale, touted by some as the next Ryan Giggs. Comparisons to the Welsh legend are inevitable, one supposes, seeing as how both share so many attributes. Still, on the day, the senior Welshman scored twice, leading his team to victory, while Bale had his hands full shackling Antonio Valencia, who went off injured.

Another United casualty, Patrice Evra, appeared to be suffering from illness rather than injury, with the commentators joking that his retching on the field was in part due to the introduction of a returning Aaron Lennon. But the best reactions on the night were reserved, deservedly, for Nani's delicate chip for United's second goal after being put through by young Macheda, impressing during his short cameo appearance. The Italian, alongside United's other substitutions, bringing on John O'Shea as well as Michael Carrick, demonstrated a strength in depth that just about every club in the division would envy. Harry Redknapp, on the other hand, was forced to shuffle his players around, and saw his side concede almost immediately after taking off Jermaine Defoe, arguably their best striker. The introduction of Chelsea old boy Eidur Gudjohnsen did little to affect the course of the game, though, with Nemaja Vidic's timely interception in particular nullifying the Icelandic forward's contribution. Tom Huddlestone, David Bentley and Luka Modric especially were surprisingly disappointing as well, and so was Roman Pavlyuchenko, though after the Russia's shocking misses against Chelsea last time out one wonders if that was to be expected. With all of Tottenham's attacking flair, it took a combination of a determined leap from their captain Ledley King – and poor positioning from Rafael Da Silva – to bag a goal, albeit from a set piece.

Ultimately, the result may have boiled down to a series of errors from an underperforming Tottenham side rather than a rampant Red Devils. The scoreline did not flatter the home side, yet they did not play particularly well. United and their fans will be delighted with the result against a side in top form. Denying the men from London a famous hat-trick of wins against the big sides, the Red Devils now need to maintain their form, and their fortune, and hope that the other Londeners throw their league aspirations away.