Man United get a foot in the door

The Dutchman tumbled in the area under pressure from two Ipswich defenders before keeping his cool to slot his 23rd league goal of the season.

Liverpool’s push for their league title suffered a heavy blow earlier in the day when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham.

Gerard Houllier’s side trail Arsenal by four points with two games to play.

Ipswich must now win their final game – away to Liverpool – and hope that Sunderland lose at home to relegated Derby in order to secure their survival in the top flight.

Ryan Giggs was rested and captain Roy Keane recalled as United showed eight changes from the side that started in Wednesday’s 2-2 home draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League semifinal first leg.

Van Nistelrooy squandered a glorious chance in the 19th minute when he blazed over from six yards.

But the Dutchman made amends in first-half stoppage time when he crashed to the Portman Road turf as Ipswich duo John McGreal and Titus Bramble closed in on him from behind.

Referee Rob Styles waved away furious protests from the Ipswich players before Van Nistelrooy kept his nerve to fire his spotkick into the side netting to the right of Ipswich keeper Andy Marshall. Both sides had a string of chances in the second half with Marcus Bent and Matt Holland going close for the home side while Keane shuddered the crossbar with a stinging drive from 30 metres.

Earlier, a 41st-minute goal by Gustavo Poyet gave Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win over Liverpool in a noon kick-off at White Hart Lane.

(Reuters)

Ferguson turns on the heat

Man United manager Alex Ferguson turned up the heat on his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger after seeing his side scrape a 1-0 win. The victory lifted United above Liverpool into 2nd place, two points behind leaders Arsenal. The Gunners have three games left to United’s two, but if the Gunners slip up at Bolton on Monday, the scene will be set for a dramatic encounter between the two rivals at Old Trafford on May 8. “If something happens at Bolton on Monday night, it will be massive at Old Trafford. It will the biggest football game in the last 10 years or so,” said SirAlex.