Last-gasp vidic spares united the blushes

Nemanja Vidic's injury-time winner gave Manchester United a fortunate victory over dogged Sunderland. By Paul Wilson.

The fact the game had entered the 91st minute when Nemanja Vidic secured the points says it all, apart from adding that Old Trafford was mightily relieved and that Sunderland still managed to come back and scare Manchester United in stoppage time.

It would appear Sunderland could teach their former manager a few lessons in stickability and refusing to give up the ghost just because the odds seem stacked against them.

Judged on this gritty display there does not seem a lot wrong with the Wearside fighting spirit. Far from turning up as a disorganised, demoralised rabble, Sunderland displayed a compactness and willingness to work for each other that should serve them well in the second half of the season. Either caretaker Ricky Sbragia has hitherto unsuspected talents as a motivator of men or Roy Keane just might have been part of the problem.

"We showed a great togetherness," Sbragia said. "The fact there is so much disappointment in the dressing room says a lot, but we achieved most of the things we wanted.

"Conceding so late was a blow, but I couldn't ask for anything more. We had a good training session on Friday, changed it a bit and decided what we wanted to do. In the circumstances, we did pretty well."

With their main rivals having won earlier in the afternoon, United could not afford to lose ground at home, and after a goalless first hour the strain was beginning to tell. Once again, their much lauded attack failed to live up to its billing and when Carlos Tevez was sent on after 57 minutes it brought a roar of approval, the biggest cheer of the evening thus far.

"We couldn't get him on quick enough," Sir Alex Ferguson admitted. The home fans by that stage were beginning to groan as attack after attack hit a brick wall, whereas had he been present Keane could only have been proud of his team's doughty defending.

That united were kept waiting so long represented some sort of victory for Sunderland, though as has been the case on a few occasions this season United were not at their most incisive and tended to overcomplicate their attacks with flicks and feints that surrendered possession.

When Sunderland were opened up, Marton Fulop made a good save to deny Dimitar Berbatov from a backheel by Cristiano Ronaldo and he came to the rescue again when Park Ji-Sung almost poked through a shot.

Michael Carrick brought the first save of the second half with a long shot, then Ronaldo skied an attempt under pressure from Reid from an inviting Berbatov cutback.

He injured himself in the process and departed clutching his chest, putting the ball out of play himself and disappearing down the tunnel without so much as a nod to the bench.

"There was no need. He got a kick on the hip and it was important to get treatment straight away," Ferguson said, a little testily. It was another eccentric if not arrogant moment from the Ballon d'Or winner, though he had not been playing well enough for United to miss him.

After 70 minutes, just after Kenwyne Jones had arrived to bulk up Sunderland's front line, El Hadji Diouf brought a first save from Van der Sar with a deflected cross cum shot that the goalkeeper did well to clear with his legs.

Thrust upfield to add height to the attack, Vidic ended up claiming a tap-in after Carrick's shot deflected off Carlos Edwards and came back off a post. "A scruffy goal," Whitehead suggested, somewhat cheekily in view of a shots-on-target score of 22-0 in United's favour. Ferguson's verdict was fairer. "We deserved to win," the United manager said. "But it was hard work."

The results

December 7: Everton 2 (Lescott 30 & 90+3) lost to Aston Villa 3 (Sidwell 1, Young 54 & 90+4). Half-time: 1-1; West Brom 1 (Greening 39) drew with Portsmouth 1 (Crouch 58). Half-time: 1-0.

December 6: Arsenal 1 (Adebayor 16) bt Wigan 0. Half-time: 1-0; Blackburn 1 (Santa Cruz 86) lost to Liverpool 3 (Alonso 69, Benayoun 79, Gerrard 90+5). Half-time: 0-0; Bolton 0 lost to Chelsea 2 (Anelka 9, Deco 21). Half-time: 0-2; Fulham 1 (Bullard 27) drew with Manchester City 1 (Benjani 6). Half-time: 1-1; Hull 2 (Turnbull o.g. 82, King pen-85) bt Middlesbrough 1 (Sanli 79). Half-time: 0-0; Manchester United 1 (Vidic 90+1) bt Sunderland 0. Half-time: 0-0; Newcastle 2 (Owen 8 & 24) drew with Stoke 2 (Sidibe 60, Ab Faye 90+1). Half-time: 2-0.