Veteran Ryan Giggs scored to seal a 1-nil win for Manchester United at West Ham United to send the champions back to the top of the English football Premier League.
In a cagey game of few chances Giggs jinked past two West Ham players after 61 minutes before skimming a low shot inside the far post to put United two points clear of Liverpool.
United have 55 points from 24 games while Liverpool, who beat Portsmouth 3-2 yesterday, have 54 from 25.
United's miserly defence was never unduly troubled as they registered a 13th consecutive clean sheet in the league.
Arsenal remain a distant fifth after drawing nil-all at north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur despite playing for nearly an hour with 10 men after Emmanuel Eboue was sent off.