Dimitar Berbatov scored a late winner Saturday to give 10-man Manchester United a 1-0 win over Bolton and open up a five-point lead over Arsenal atop the Premier League standings.
Berbatov took advantage of Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen's inability to hold a long shot from Nani to slot the rebound into an empty net in the 87th minute.
United went down to 10 men when defender Jonny Evans was shown a straight red card in the 76th minute for a studs-up challenge on Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden, who was left with a bloody gash on his knee and had to be carried off on a stretcher.
Moments before the goal, Matt Taylor missed a close-range header that would have put the visitors in front.
Instead, manager Alex Ferguson watched from the stands as Berbatov extended his team's lead in the Premier League title race, as Arsenal was held to a 2-2 draw at West Bromwich Albion.
Ferguson began serving a five-match touchline ban for his recent critical comments about referee Martin Atkinson.
''I think the fans were magnificent, the sending off galvanized us and the fans got us over the line,'' Ferguson said. ''We've had five massive games the last couple of weeks, it's been a hell of a program, and the lads deserve praise for that. It wasn't a 100 percent top performance today but we never gave in. That's the fantastic character of this club.''
Before Evans' dismissal, there had been few noteworthy chances for either side. But with seven minutes remaining, Wayne Rooney powered into the Bolton area from the left flank and produced a shot which Jaaskelainen did well to save, diving sharply and low at his near post.
Taylor's miss soon followed and Nani then sent a shot from just outside the area which Bolton's Finnish international goalkeeper could not hold, spilling it in front of Berbatov.
United avoided losing a third straight league game for the first time since December 2001.
Bolton manager Owen Coyle said Holden had been taken to a hospital to have his knee examined.
''We don't know yet but we just hope it isn't broken or damage to ligaments,'' Coyle said. ''If there was any malice in it, I don't know. But the referee was well placed. The knee was open, one or two of our players could see everything inside it. That was the concern.''
Earlier, Michael Carrick did well to block a strong shot from Bolton forward Kevin Davies after 64 minutes, while Rooney responded quickly with a concerted run into the area and a cross which beat the goalkeeper but which David Wheater managed to steer to safety.
Berbatov, introduced as a replacement at halftime, threatened for the first time after 72 minutes when he gathered a short pass from Rooney and curled a shot just wide of the Bolton goal.
