SOCCER - Manchester United 1-0 Wigan:EVERYONE HAS a take on what Rafael Benitez said about Alex Ferguson and last night we had the Stretford End's opinion on the matter: "Rafa's cracking up," they sang. Not true, of course, but Manchester United's supporters could afford to gloat on a night when the only downside for the champions was Wayne Rooney going off with an early injury.

Rooney lasted only eight minutes although that was long enough to do the damage. The game’s decisive moment arrived inside the first minute and even though United laboured uncharacteristically throughout the remainder of the evening it was probably only to be expected after their exertions against Chelsea on Sunday. Ferguson spoke recently of the importance of scruffy, hard-fought 1-0 victories and this one puts his team into a new position of strength in the Premier League, having leapfrogged Chelsea into second place and coming up fast in Liverpool’s wing mirrors.

By the time Benitez is next seen on the touchline, when his side face Everton on Monday, Ferguson’s team could conceivably be enjoying the view from the top of the Premier League for the first time this season. They are now only two points behind the leaders, with a game in hand, and their next assignment is against a Bolton Wanderers side that is not quite in free fall but has lost six of their last seven matches.

Wigan, conversely, had won six of their previous seven league games and Ferguson was fulsome in his praise of Steve Bruce in his programme notes. He always likes someone in the opposite dug-out who cannot beat him and when Rooney scored his 12th goal of the season, only 54 seconds into the evening, there was an air of inevitability about Bruce’s run of winless games against his old manager stretching to a dozen.

Cristiano Ronaldo will claim the assist with a typically penetrative piece of running, but Dimitar Berbatov’s part in the goal should not be overlooked. There are not too many players in the Premier League who are capable of the kind of instinctive pass, with the outside of his right boot, which sent Ronaldo racing along the wing.

Berbatov had been in the centre circle at the time, with several opponents in proximity, and the beauty of it was that he did not even need to look up. It was as if his pass was dispatched by remote control. Ronaldo was on the ball in a flash, advancing towards the byline before his low centre picked out Rooney inside the six-yard area. The rest was a formality.

The last that would be seen of Rooney, however, was of him walking gingerly with his left hand occasionally reaching down to feel the back of his leg. The England striker had lasted only eight minutes and will undergo a scan today to ascertain the seriousness of the injury. At best he is likely to be out for 10 days.

His replacement was Carlos Tevez and the Argentinian soon had a chance to double United’s lead when John O’Shea’s header propelled Chris Kirkland’s goal-kick straight back through the Wigan defence. Tevez was onside and clear on goal but never exuded any real sureness of a touch and took the ball too wide as he tried to go around the goalkeeper.

Kirkland had narrowed the angle and Titus Bramble was charging in from behind, but this was the sort of chance a striker at this level should score more times than not. Wigan’s response was impressive. Bruce has assembled a neat, industrious side, with Wilson Palacios and Lee Cattermole impressing in midfield and Antonio Valencia frequently troubling O’Shea on the right wing.Wigan looked a decent team and were the better side in the second half. Maybe United scored too early.

Ronaldo was not at his best either, but United’s defence have now kept nine consecutive clean sheets in the league and, despite some nervous moments in the second half, by and large they kept Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki under wraps.

MANCHESTER UTD: Van der Sar, Rafael Da Silva, Vidic, Evans, O’Shea, Ronaldo, Scholes (Fletcher 85), Carrick, Nani (Anderson 59), Berbatov, Rooney (Tevez 8). Subs not used: Kuszczak, Neville, Park, Welbeck.

WIGAN ATHLETIC: Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble, Figueroa, Valencia, Cattermole (Kapo 88), Palacios, Taylor (De Ridder 81), Zaki (Camara 75), Heskey. Subs not used: Kingson, Edman, Brown, Boyce. Booked: Bramble, Scharner, Zaki.

Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent).