Manchester United have ended a stormy week with a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur that swept them to the top of the premier league.
United manager Alex Ferguson opted to include Rio Ferdinand two days after he was handed an eight-month ban for missing a drugs test.
But the England defender had little to do in a game dominated by the champions, at least for the first hour.
Ferdinand, who is expected to appeal against the ban which starts on January 12, was booed by the home fans but cheered by the visiting supporters.
The United fans spiced the atmosphere on Sunday with unflattering chants aimed at FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has expressed strong views on the controversy.
With Arsenal held 1-1 at Bolton on Saturday, United knew victory would take them a point clear of London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea going into the hectic holiday programme.
It looked plain sailing after first-half goals from John O'Shea and Ruud van Nistelrooy put them in control.
But a spirited fightback from a Tottenham side sliding dangerously close to the relegation zone ensured an anxious finale for Ferdinand and his fellow defenders.
Ferguson defended his decision to play Ferdinand, telling Sky Sports: "I was very pleased with him. It was probably the best thing for him, to get everything out of his mind and concentrate on playing football. He acquitted himself very well in the circumstances.
"His performances merit his place in the team. Since this all happened he has got better and better. He has great maturity and a great partnership with (Mikael) Silvestre so why should I leave him out?"
OOZED CLASS
United oozed class before halftime and took the lead after 16 minutes when O'Shea stole in to volley Darren Fletcher's corner past Kasey Keller.
United doubled their lead after 25 minutes when van Nistelrooy's deflected shot finished off a neat passing move.
But the champions got a wake-up call in the 62nd minute when Paul Konchesky's deep cross was volleyed across the area by the impressive Stephane Dalmat and Poyet bundled in from close range.
The home side then stepped up the pace with Dalmat and Frederic Kanoute applying some late pressure but United held out.
Tottenham manager David Pleat said: "We showed tremendous spirit in the second half and I thought we deserved to draw. It's hard to chase a game against United but we did it well."
United now have 40 points - one above Arsenal and Chelsea, who beat Fulham 1-0 on Saturday. The two London clubs also have an identical goal difference and goals tally.
Earlier on Sunday, Southampton climbed to fourth on 26 points after thrashing local rivals Portsmouth 3-0 at St Mary's.
The first goal after 34 minutes came direct from a Jason Dodd corner while superb second-half finishes from Marian Pahars -- his first goal for 15 months - and James Beattie completed a comfortable success in the first league meeting between the south coast clubs since 1988.
Portsmouth remain stuck in the bottom three and manager Harry Redknapp was furious. "I don't care about Christmas - we are going to train on Christmas Day and we play on Boxing Day (December 26)," he said.
"I won't even eat my Christmas dinner..I'm going to be the most miserable person you've ever seen."
