Vintage United it was not, but Sir Alex Ferguson cared not a jot as his side moved three points closer to retaining the Premier League title with victory over Sunderland.

The Reds were only sporadically anywhere near top form at the Stadium of Light, but were able to grind out a vital victory through Kiko Macheda's late strike.

"In the first parts of the match we played very well," Sir Alex told MUTV. "We got in front, didn't push it home and lost our momentum in that period. We started well again in the second half, but credit to Sunderland they keep going, keep battling and you expect that with the position they're in.

"It's not easy here, as we all know. They certainly put us under a lot of pressure. For periods of the game we did play well, for periods we were a bit sloppy. But the pitch was difficult to play at times, but at the end of the day we've ground a good result out."

Not only does the result mean United go into next week's crucial Champions League trip to Porto on a high, it is also one more victory closer to seeing off the domestic challenges of Liverpool and Chelsea.

"It's a boost of course," said Sir Alex. "The important thing is that we've seven games left now. At this point it's about cutting each game off as they come along. Today was an important away victory for us, at a difficult place to come to against a very committed Sunderland team. I think we can be pleased at that."

A week ago, few outside of Old Trafford had heard of Kiko Macheda. After two vital winners in the space of six days, however, the 17-year-old Italian has been catapulted into a starring role in United's ongoing Premier League title defence.

While last Sunday's winner against Aston Villa was a piece of last-gasp artistry, this input at the Stadium of Light had a touch of fortune about it, but it was still enough to procure three priceless points after Kenwyne Jones had cancelled out Paul Scholes' opener.

Three points was all the Reds deserved, it has to be said, for a performance which was occasionally slapdash, but largely dominant against a Sunderland side severely lacking in confidence after a poor recent run of form.

Sir Alex Ferguson made a host of changes to the side which contested Tuesday's pulsating draw with Porto, with the return of Jonny Evans and Dimitar Berbatov from injury providing a welcome boost. Cristiano Ronaldo, involved in 20 or the Reds' previous 22 games this year, dropped to the bench for a well-earned rest. Scholes was included alongside Michael Carrick in midfield, and the veteran schemer ensured United were ahead by the interval.

Only a heroic block from Calum Davenport stopped the midfielder's 20-yard blockbuster testing Craig Gordon after nine minutes. Shortly afterwards, Scholes again found space in the area but opted to find Rooney, whose cross sailed over.

Djibril Cisse saw his shot deflected over as the hosts briefly rallied, but United looked by far the more likely to make the breakthrough. A minute later, Nemanja Vidic powered Rooney's corner goalwards, only for Danny Collins to scuff the ball off the line. From the ensuing scramble, the Serb sent an acrobatic overhead kick a yard wide of Gordon's goal.

The Reds weren't to be denied for long, however, and Scholes opened the scoring after 19 minutes. Berbatov held the ball up superbly before feeding Rooney, and his left-wing cross was clinically helped into the top corner by the experienced head of the diminutive midfield magician.

That took Scholes' career haul to 98 Premier League goals, but of far greater importance was laying the foundations for United to chalk up another three points. Having surrendered leads against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Porto with varying degrees of consequence in recent weeks, the need for a second goal was immediately apparent.

Plenty of possession ensued for United, but with few chances to show for their dominance. Inevitably, one or two jittery moments would follow as Sunderland grew in confidence; Djibril Cisse saw a shot palmed over by Foster and Jones headed straight at the England international, but the greatest scare came from a man in a red shirt.

Carlos Edwards shifted space away from Vidic before drilling in a cross from the right wing, and Evans could only watch and hope as the ball deflected off his shin, against Foster's far post and out to safety. Ji-sung Park then flashed an effort fractionally over Gordon's top corner, but United's interval lead remained a precarious one.

Within moments of the restart, Rooney thundered a magnificent 25-yard effort just past the top corner. The Reds would shortly be ruing that missed opportunity, and the concession of another sloppy goal. Tainio did well to fashion space down the left, and Foster failed to reach his teasing cross - giving Jones the chance to cushion and convert from close range.

The inevitable disappointment was scarcely tangible in United's approach, however. Scholes was within inches of restoring the champions' lead as his 20-yard snapshot arced agonisingly wide, while Tevez was thwarted by a combination of Gordon and his desperate defenders.

As time wore on, Ferguson decided to shuffle his pack with the introduction of Ronaldo and, shortly afterwards, Macheda at the expense of Park and Berbatov. Within a minute, the Italian had made another stunning impact.

Carrick's errant shot was heading wide as it entered a muddled cluster of home and away players, but spun away from Gordon and into the corner of the goal via Macheda's left instep. Deliberate or not - and he, a striker by trade, will tell you that it was - United had re-assumed a vital lead.

The goal took the wind out of Sunderland's sails. United, in desperate need of the three points to again overhaul Liverpool at the top of the table, clung on for grim life, seeing out the final 15 minutes in relative comfort - albeit with breath held, peeping between fingers for those packed into the away end.

Another nerve-wracking 90 minutes down, another three points. Watching United just wouldn't be the same without going through the wringer.

In his first Premier League start of the season, Ben Foster was delighted to help United grind out another crucial win in the title race.

United's Carling Cup final hero learned he was playing at the Stadium of Light a few days ago and again deputised well for Edwin van der Sar as the Reds beat Sunderland 2-1.

The keeper told MUTV: "I found out I was in the team earlier in the week, which gave me a bit of chance to look at the Sunderland team and get my head right mentally for the game, because when you’re not playing week-in, week-out it takes a bit of getting used to.

"It was a very good three points – the lads are delighted. We started quite well but they made it tough for us and constantly worked throughout the 90 minutes. But I didn’t have too many saves to make so I think we’re probably just about worthy of the three points."

Paul Scholes headed United ahead, but Kenwyne Jones prodded home an equaliser to leave substitute Kiko Macheda to steal the headlines with a late winner for the second week in a row. Not that Foster was surprised.

"It's a fantastic story. It was an unbelievable goal last week and he’s done it again today. He’s saying it was a deft touch into the corner but I don’t think many of the lads believe him!

"Kiko's been scoring goals for the Reserves all season and thoroughly deserves his chance. He’s quite a level-headed lad and I don’t think any of the lads will let him get carried away – Gary Neville puts his foot down with anything like that""

Clean sheets may have escaped United in recent games, but Paul Scholes is unconcerned as long as the Reds score one more at the other end.

Scholes headed United into the lead at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, but Kenwyne Jones' equaliser means United have now leaked 11 goals in four games, after previously only conceding that many in 24 outings.

However, substitute Kiko Macheda popped up to score a vital winner for the second week in a row to take the Reds back above Liverpool at the top, and Scholes knows that if that continues over the next four weeks, United will be champions.

"It's always disappointing when you don't keep a clean sheet, but it's not going to happen all the time," Scholes told MUTV. "These are difficult places to come to, against teams who like to attack you and sometimes you might concede a goal.

"But as long as we score more than them at the other end, that's all that matters."

Ben Foster was handed his first Premier League start of the season and, although disappointed to concede, the goalkeeper shared Scholes' view.

"I was a little disappointed with their goal, as I was probably a little too close to the near post when [Teemu Tainio] crossed," he said. "I managed to get a tiny touch on it but big Kenwyne was behind me and he managed to fumble it in.

"There are things that we'll look at with regards to the goals we have been conceding, but as long as we’re getting the three points, that’s the main thing."