Still unbeaten, still top of the Premier League, so despite a 0-0 draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane there are still many positives that can be taken from the result.

The match itself was tense with neither team coming out on top despite United having to play the last quarter of an hour with only ten men as Rafael was sent off for collecting two yellow cards.

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The curse of the away draw has returned as Lee Bowyer’s 89th minute strike gave Birmingham City a 1-1 draw at St. Andrews against Manchester United.

Dimitar Berbatov gave the visitors the lead just before the hour mark but United could find a second and ultimately paid the price as Bowyer’s strike mean two points were dropped.

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Dominant, commanding, adventurous and ever so slightly easy. It has been a while since a Manchester United display could be described in such a manner, but the 2-0 victory over Sunderland at Old Trafford could be detailed in no other way.

It was the Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov who got the festive schedule underway early on after latching onto the end of a delicately lofted Wayne Rooney cross, to head home at the far post.

Then in the second period he grabbed number two for himself and United after a shot into the far top corner deflected off Anton Ferdinand and trickled into the net past a despairing Craig Gordon.

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A magnificent Ji-Sung Park header gave Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Arsenal at Old Trafford which takes United back to the top of the Premier League, two points clear of their opponents with a game in hand.

Following a quite poor match, both teams gave away possession far too easily and a scrappy match ensued.

Arsenal so well-known for their passing football could barely string three passes together and seemed intent on ‘imposing’ themselves physically, but that was doomed to fail from the off.

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When it comes to entertaining, there won’t be too many 1-1 draws that top Tuesday’s stalemate with Valencia.

That actually may well not be true, but when I look back at the snooze fest that much of the first meeting was (and it literally was – I napped for the better part of a half hour of match time and didn’t miss a thing), it’s safe to say that the showdown at Old Trafford was well on the other end of the spectrum.

I’m not one to frivolously hand out praise to opponents, so it’s saying something when I give a nod to Valencia. They weren’t afraid to force the issue in attack even with United breaking time and again, and it paid off. Pablo and Alejandro Dominguez were both very lively, and had Dominguez not pulled up lame in the second half, Valencia might well have been able to do what they needed to win the group.

My biggest praise, however, is for young keeper Vicente Guaita. In his Champions League starting debut, he produced a fine performance, denying United on multiple occasions to keep Valencia in it. If there’s a man of the match award for the opposition, I’d hand it to him, because without his saves (and United’s wastefulness, which will be addressed soon enough), United would have had the three points going away.

In the end though, it was one of those many saves that actually cost him, as it went into the path of an unlikely scorer, and it proved to be enough for United to earn a point and top the group.

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Yes folks… as unbelievable as it may seem Manchester United were beaten by West Ham United in the Carling Cup quarter-final last night. But not just beaten, thrashed 4-0 by the team stuck at the foot of the Premier League… only Real Madrid can claim to have had a worse week.

Thanks to goals from former United player Jonathan Spector and the former Liverpool target Carlton Cole put paid to the defence of the Carling Cup and also ended United’s 29-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

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Many said it had been coming with an unbeaten run that stretched into last season it was only a matter of time before someone was on the end of a severe thumping.

Today it came, Manchester United put seven past a woeful Blackburn Rovers side at Old Trafford who did manage a late consolation through Christopher Samba, but the man of the moment was undoubtedly Dimitar Berbatov, who walked off with the match ball and five goals to his name.

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In the spirit of the great American holiday known as Thanksgiving, here are five things I’m thankful for from our win over Rangers:

1) Rangers’ lack of serious bite.

The home side did have some chances, but in part to injury issues that rival ours, didn’t test our back line as I expected they would, especially in the second half. All the better, since it allowed us to show our own intent early and often without putting ourselves at serious risk like we have often this season.

2) Fergie’s lineup selection at the back.

It was important to have the trio of Smalling, Evans, and Fabio all in the starting XI together so that they can build that chemistry with one another, and they did what was asked of them. For them to get that experience, to go into a hostile environment in a key situation and hold their own, will pay big dividends in the near future.

3) That we kept pushing for the win and duly got what we deserved.

Yes, we could have and should have been ahead earlier, and not just because of the clear penalty that wasn’t given early on. But even though the situation would be the same win or draw, we didn’t sit back late and just play out the stalemate.

Instead we kept coming forward, and it was rewarded, thanks to Fabio’s face being in the wrong place at the right time. And we could have added to that lead as well.

4) That Rooney got on the scoresheet.

Who else was going to take that penalty? His performance merited a goal, and when it came time to deliver in a pressure situation, he did so calmly and coolly. (np) Sure, he’s still looking for his first goal from open play this season, and there’s still rust. But we saw more of what we need to see from him, exuberant celebration included.

It’s too early to say he’s back and that he’s redeemed himself, but it all certainly qualifies a step in the right direction for both.

5) What ode to Thanksgiving would be complete without giving thanks to good health (oh, the irony…)? Or slightly improved, at least.

We’re still dealing with injury issues, but our depth is gradually getting a boost, and when that huge stretch comes in a few weeks, we should be in an even better position.

It’s big for Rooney to go the full 90 in his second appearance back, Giggsy was back in the starting lineup after an extended absence, and having Fabio fit and available is significant as well, especially with Patrice Evra having his ups and downs this season…not to mention an eye on a move, apparently. Not to say the youngster will displace him as first choice anytime soon, but it’ll make it easier to give him a regular rest when there’s a quality backup option to turn to.

Now, if only someone could find where Dimitar Berbatov left his scoring boots and his confidence, we’d really be set.

The score line may suggest a relatively easy day at the office but it was far from it.

Manchester United did beat Wigan by two goals at Old Trafford but in reality had to thank the referee for sending off two Wigan players, which gave United the upper hand in the closing stages.

With Wigan seemingly unable to beat Manchester United in the recent past and being the lowest scorers in the Premier League, most thought this would be a good opportunity to increase out goal difference and close in on those above.

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So apparently that big card that Fergie has up his sleeve is a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card., eh?

It would seem that way, after we yet again found ourselves in a precarious position with time not on our side, we yet again maneuvered our way out of potential disaster.

Early on, it was our uncanny ability to wriggle ourselves into sticky situations that caused us to drop points from winning positions.

We still haven’t solved that issue with being friendly with the goals in the second half, but it seems that we’ve found the great equalizer.

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