Birmingham...0 Manchester United...1This was not so much a narrow win as an economical one from a Manchester United that is moving with an easy pace through each tournament.
Despite Birmingham City's spirited efforts, Roy Carroll, understudy for the injured Fabien Barthez, did not have a save with which to prove his worth.
The goal from Ruud van Nistelrooy early in the second half was actually an ample advantage.
After all the sorrows of the autumn, there is a consistency about United that will try Arsenal's nerves. They will relish cutting the Highbury club's lead to three points and smack their lips at the thought of the weeks ahead.
United have been floating through challenges. With six consecutive Premiership wins, everything is falling into place and now illustrious opponents are even keeling over.
The Juventus attacker Alessandro Del Piero has pulled a thigh muscle and will miss the games with United that will form the core of their Champions League group.
Birmingham City at least made manful attempts to stifle any festive mood in the visitors' ranks. At the weekend, Alex Ferguson's team had twice picked off Southampton before the interval, but there was no such speedy resolution here.
Harrowing as the chaotic defeat to Bolton had been for Birmingham on Saturday, it had at least been a thorough work-out.
Kenny Cunningham and Matthew Upson, the transfer-window acquistion from Arsenal, had both been without top-level action for over a month, but the new centre-back partnership seemed to have derived some benefit from the misery. They and the rest of Steve Bruce's line-up proved more durable than seemed likely, even if a half-time clean sheet is nowhere near enough to soothe the nerves. Birmingham, lacking a win in their previous seven Premiership games, have noticed that they are on the outskirts of the relegation district.
After this contest, they have two further home fixtures, but those are against Chelsea and Liverpool. The side showed every sign of realising the moment had come for a frantic struggle against possible doom.
United glided around the pitch and there was an ebullience about a formation that had Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs supported by Paul Scholes, but the benefits were not immediate.However, Van Nistelrooy's 26th goal of the season was not subject to extreme delay.
Birmingham returned from the interval with a desire to carry the play to United, but that effort petered out in the face of superior technique and they were soon put under the co-ordinated pressure they feared.
Roy Keane piloted the ball to Silvestre and, although Van Nistelrooy had his back to the target as he gathered the cut-back, the forward had the body strength to hold off a challenge and to turn for the low shot beyond Nico Vaesen.
Almost immediately, a relaxed United seemed to be loping in for the kill, but Scholes crashed a Giggs cross over the bar.
Although Saturday's 2-0 success at St Mary's had been their first clean sheet of the season in an away Premiership game, the defensive record will improve not only through Rio Ferdinand's rising confidence, but also because the United pattern is being impressed on matches.
The process took a while last night, but the Old Trafford hallmark was eventually stamped on another win.
Guardian Service
BIRMINGHAM: Vaesen, Kenna (Devlin 84), Cunningham, Upson, Clapham, Damien Johnson, Savage, Clemence, John (Lazaridis 62), Dugarry, Morrison (Kirovski 78). Subs Not Used: Bennett, Swierczewski. Booked: Clemence.
MAN UTD: Carroll, Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Silvestre, Beckham, Keane, Veron, Giggs, Scholes, van Nistelrooy (Solskjaer 82). Subs Not Used: Phil Neville, Butt, Ricardo, Forlan. Booked: Keane.
Goals: van Nistelrooy 56.
Referee: S Dunn (Avon).
