Manchester United moved 18 points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over strugglers Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
A Titus Bramble own goal was enough to separate the two sides in today’s lunchtime kick-off, with the defender bundling the ball past Simon Mignolet after 27 minutes.
The Black Cats were without star striker Steven Fletcher, who picked up an injury while on international duty for Scotland last weekend which has ruled him out for the remainder of the season, as well as skipper Lee Cattermole, who is also unable to play again this term.
But despite their weakened side, Sunderland managed to keep the champions elect at bay for nearly half an hour, until Robin van Persie’s angled shot took an unfortunate deflection off Bramble to wrong-foot Mignolet in the home goal.
Their lead could have been doubled 10 minutes later but Mignolet was equal to Ashley Young’s free-kick, before the Belgian stopper dealt with another set-piece – this time from Van Persie – just before the break.
Martin O’Neill’s side saw more of the ball in the second half, but struggled to test David de Gea in the Manchester United goal. The most danger the Spaniard faced was from his own defence, as he needed treatment after clashing with Nemanja Vidic.
But if De Gea had a quiet afternoon, the same certainly couldn’t be said of his opposite number, who certainly earned his wages.
Alex Buttner cut inside the Sunderland defence and unleashed a ferocious shot which was tipped round the post by the superb Mignolet, who had kept his side in contention throughout.
And despite a late flurry of pressure from the hosts in the closing stages, O’Neill’s side still couldn’t create any chances of note as their relegation fears increase.
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