Man United 1 Fulham 0:Manchester United are back on top of the Premier League table after a win over Fulham that was far more comfortable than the scoreline suggests. Wayne Rooney's first half strike decided the tie but the champions should have been out of sight before surviving a scare at the death.

It left the homeside susceptible to a smash and grab and it almost came in the final minute when they were fortunate to not concede a penalty after Michael Carrick appeared to take Danny Murphy down as he readied himself to shoot on David De Gea’s goal. Referee Michael Oliver saw nothing untoward but Fulham and Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, whose side now trail the leaders by three points, will be furious with the decision.

"I felt it was a difficult decision, but it was a penalty and you should send Carrick off," said Fulham boss Martin Jol on Sky Sports afterwards. "I think everyone in the stadium thought it was a penalty to be honest.

"You have to be brave to give a penalty to the away team at Man United," he added.

"I think they had a claim, no doubt," added Ferguson, who suggested Oliver may have been making up for not granting United a penalty in the first half when Patrice Evra's cross looked to have been handled.

"Having seen it back again, he could have given a penalty for it," admitted United defender and man-of-the-match Johnny Evans, who assisted Rooney's 28th minute goal when he stretched to direct the ball back into the path of the striker.

Five offensive players and two naturally overlapping full-backs were a ploy designed to push Fulham onto the back foot, and so it did as Rooney and Ryan Giggs threatened the visitors' goal.

Fulham eventually emerged from their shells and started to exploit the gaps being offered. Mousa Dembele drove one effort wide after being invited to run at the United defence, then Clint Dempsey had a go. The American is much more dangerous and as he set his curling shot for the corner, Fulham's 320-strong travelling support were ready to celebrate.

It was too good to be true though for a team that had only beaten United once away from home since 1959, and De Gea made an acrobatic save.

From that moment on, the Red Devils exerted their customary pressure.

Their play was not fluent though. A long-range Danny Welbeck shot and a penalty appeal for handball against Stephen Kelly was the best they could muster until Rooney struck.

Even that was a touch odd.

Rooney ducked under Ashley Young's cross when he seemed better placed to convert than Evans behind him. John Arne Riise should have cleared but it seemed the Norwegian was surprised by Rooney's move and he failed to control, allowing Evans to slide in. The Northern Irishman had the presence of mind to find Rooney instead of going for goal himself from an acute angle.

From that moment, Fulham were doomed as Rooney rattled home his 11th goal in nine games.

If there is one player who has been as influential as the England striker since the turn of the year, it is Antonio Valencia. Not even a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury has affected his form and he came close to bagging a brilliant second goal just after the interval.

Setting off on a charge from deep inside his own half, Valencia exchanged passes with Rooney on halfway before squaring to Ryan Giggs and running onto the veteran Welshman's chipped return. Now Valencia was bearing down on the Fulham goal but Mark Schwarzer stayed strong and made the save.

Javier Hernandez was introduced to give the visitors a different problem to solve but United's next opportunity was quite a while coming, and when it did, Giggs dragged it wide.

Schwarzer then produced a fine save to repel Young's volley, then kept out the follow-up before Brede Hangeland prevented Giggs from converting.

In replacing Rooney with Paul Scholes, United seemed to be insuring themselves against unexpected disasters against a hitherto non-existent attacking threat. But it was the veteran midfielder who put his own team under pressure with a pretty awful tackle on Dempsey that was fortunate to escape sanction beyond a simple free-kick.

Normally content to watch proceedings from the dug-out, Ferguson was clearly agitated and unimpressed by his side's performance. The Scot really would have been furious had Oliver awarded a definite penalty.