Manchester United are on the brink of being crowned Premiership champions after beating Manchester City 1-0 at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday. Portuguese marksman Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half spot kick sealed the precious victory for United after an honestly poor contest by the city rivals. United's win keep them on top with 88 points, as they need just one point from their remaining two games or they can anticipate a slip-up from defending champions and second-placed Chelsea. The Red Devils welcomed back key defender Rio Ferdinand who missed United midweek's UEFA Champions League 3-0 defeat at Milan. Alex Ferguson preferred Alan Smith to the fit-again Louis Saha in attack, while Stuart Pearce had his best midfielder Joey Barton suspended by the club after a training bust-up with Ousmane Dabo. The visitors dictated most of the first half, as City rarely threatened Edwin van der Sar's goal.
Emile Mpenza couldn't find the net At the half-hour, Ronaldo deceived City defender Michael Ball with a series of trademark stepovers inside the area, and the former Everton left-back sloppily tripped the Portuguese to the ground. United's top scorer, Ronaldo, stepped up to convert a well-placed penalty past Andreas Isaksson, hitting his 17th goal of the season. The game passed idly afterwards, as both teams looked sluggish in attack, and Ferguson insisted on keeping Saha on the bench despite the incompetence of Smith, who looked a shadow of a player. However, things almost turned on in the 81st minute when Ball made amends for his error, winning a controversial penalty after Wes Brown's slight touch. But Citizens striker Darius Vassell converted a dismal penalty kick, straight into the legs of Van Der Sar.
