Manchester: A superb second-half strike by Nani earned Manchester United a 2-1 win over Stoke on Tuesday that sent his side clear at the top of the Premier League.
Mexican striker Javier Hernandez gave United the lead in the 27th minute, only for Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead to equalise five minutes after the restart at Old Trafford.
However, United's pressure told as the second half wore on and Nani restored United's lead in the 62nd minute, with the Portuguese forward firing home a blistering left-foot shot from the edge of the area.
Hernandez could even have had a second before the end but sent his effort over the top.
The victory moved United three points clear of neighbor Manchester City, which has already played one game more even before it takes on third-place Arsenal on Wednesday.
Wayne Rooney watched the victory from an executive suite while Rio Ferdinand was missing too, rested ahead of Sunday's FA Cup tie with Liverpool, allowing Chris Smalling to make his first league start.
United made the early running and was rewarded with a clever opportunistic goal. Nipping in front of former United defender Ryan Shawcross at the near post, Hernandez reacted quickly as Nani drilled over a low cross.
Letting the ball run behind him, he quickly flicked back his right leg and turned it at right angles, into a goal that Asmir Begovic thought he had covered. It was Hernandez's ninth goal of the season and his second in four days.
The overwhelming feeling at halftime was of United once again scraping by without really showing any of the class expected. And five minutes after the restart, the home side was pegged back as Whitehead nipped between Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra to nod home Tuncay Sanli's cross unchallenged.
United made amends, though, when Danny Collins failed to get tight to Nani as he collected Hernandez's pass on the edge of the area, and the Portugal winger turned swiftly before smashing home a precise shot.
The closing stages saw the late introduction of Michael Owen and his run to reach a Nani cross that did not bounce kindly for him in stoppage time, suggests manager Alex Ferguson does have options that Arsenal and Chelsea in particular cannot match.
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