By David Hobbs
March 19 2005

Manchester United had to work for the 3 points they earned at Old Trafford following Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half strike to sink Fulham into a relegation dog-fight. Meanwhile, Chelsea edged ever-so-closer to the Premiership crown with a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace.

United Scrape Past Fulham

Manchester United 1 
Ronaldo 21

Fulham 0

Manchester United had to work for the 3 points they earned at Old Trafford following Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half strike to sink Fulham into a relegation dog-fight.

Despite today's victory, chances of catching Premiership leaders Chelsea still remain incredibly slim as Jose Mourinho's cruised past Crystal Palace, beating the Eagles 4-1.

Fulham admittedly deserved to repeat the late heroics they produced earlier on in the season at Craven Cottage and steal a late point. Lee Clark's shot crashed the woodwork and Andy Cole's effort was deflected.

Sir Alex Ferguson picked an unchanged team for only the second time this season, leaving Gary Neville recover further on the bench. Louis Saha is still struggling with injury, so Alan Smith was given a late chance as a substitute.

Fulham had to defend in numbers during the opening stages of the first half as Edwin van der Sar tipped over a promising Roy Keane shot. Paul Scholes was unlucky not to convert a Quinton Fortune cross soon after.

United continued to stamp their authority and dominance on the game and broke the deadlock on the 21st minute courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo. Roy Keane teed the winger up and made no mistake with a long-range thunderbolt.

After the break, Van der Sar was made to work once again to deny Wayne Rooney claiming a fantastic drive from 25-yards out. Carlos Bocanegra put his body on the line to block the England international's shot once more.

Midfield-Maestro Papa Bouba Diop had to be replaced shortly after by Legwinski after suffering a hamstring problem.

Gabriel Heinze's whipped ball came close to connecting with a United player, but Van der Sar plunged to pluck the dangerous ball out of the air.

Lee Clark saw his powerful shot crash against the woodwork and then witnessed Tim Howard save Carlos Bocanegra's rebound attempt.

Howard's good run of saves continued to see former United striker Andy Cole's shot deflected agonisingly wide with just minutes to go.

Alan Smith, a replacement for the impotent Ruud van Nistelrooy, had a moment of audaciousness as he tried to lob Van der Sar from the half-way line. The Dutchman tracked back just in time.

Phil Neville was introduced late in the game to see off United's narrow victory.

Final Score: Manchester United 1 - 0 Fulham
Att: 67,959

Manchester United: Howard, Brown, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Heinze, Ronaldo, Scholes (Phil Neville 90), Keane, Fortune, van Nistelrooy (Smith 77), Rooney (O'Shea 83)

Fulham: Van der Sar, Rosenior, Knight, Goma, Bocanegra, Jensen (Radzinski 89), Malbranque, Clark, Diop (Legwinski 64), Boa Morte, Cole

Refereed By: A D'Urso