United extend lead to 15 points

On track ... Manchester United maintain their league advantage. Source: Jon Super / AP

Manchester United took a step closer to the Barclays Premier League title with a 2-0 win at Stoke City on Sunday to re-establish a 15-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table.

Michael Carrick gave United an early lead and Robin van Persie completed victory by claiming his first club goal in 11 games.

Victory allowed United to return to winning ways after Monday's loss in the Manchester derby, although City have a game in hand.

Stoke find themselves in real danger of slipping into the relegation zone, having won just once in 13 league games.

Tony Pulis' side sit three points above the relegation zone, but have played two games more than third-last Wigan Athletic.

United, with Wayne Rooney in midfield, scored in the fourth minute at a windswept Britannia Stadium.

Phil Jones met a right-wing corner from van Persie and, with the ball bobbling around the area, Carrick stuck out his foot to toe it into the bottom-left corner.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Man United	32	26	2	4	40	80
2	Man City	31	19	8	4	30	65
3	Arsenal	32	17	8	7	29	59
4	Chelsea	31	17	7	7	28	58
5	Tottenham	32	17	7	8	15	58
6	Everton	32	14	13	5	14	55
7	Liverpool	33	13	11	9	19	50
8	West Brom	32	13	5	14	-1	44
9	Swansea	32	10	11	11	1	41
10	Fulham	32	10	10	12	-4	40
11	Southampton	33	9	11	13	-7	38
12	West Ham	32	10	8	14	-9	38
13	Newcastle	33	10	6	17	-17	36
14	Norwich	33	7	14	12	-21	35
15	Sunderland	33	8	10	15	-8	34
16	Stoke	33	7	13	13	-13	34
17	Aston Villa	33	8	10	15	-24	34
18	Wigan	31	8	7	16	-20	31
19	QPR	33	4	12	17	-25	24
20	Reading	33	5	9	19	-27	24

Van Persie scored in the 66th minute, steering a penalty past Asmir Begovic after being felled by Andy Wilkinson.

After the game, the striker admitted he was relieved after ending his goal drought.

"It was an important point in the game. I had to score that one and thankfully it went in, so after that the relief of a couple of weeks came out," he said.

"I wanted to celebrate it with everyone, with the players, with the staff, all the players involved even on the bench because they have been great with me from day one."

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to see his major summer signing back on the scoresheet.

"You go through spells when you don't score where you never think you're ever going to get a goal, and then when you are scoring you think you're never going to miss," he said.

"Today was an important goal. He did really good work from Wayne's pass to get brought down for the penalty."

Meanwhile, Stoke boss Tony Pulis felt his side 'shot themselves in the foot' again as his side look to avoid relegation.

"You build up to a big game and you want to play high tempo and everything else and you know you give away a bad goal from a set-play, and that settled United and took the steam out of us.

"Our last two home games against (Aston) Villa and now United, we've given away silly goals."

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