Alex Ferguson celebrated 25 years as Manchester United's manager as his team beat Sunderland 1-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday although the occasion overshadowed United's less than glittering performance.
Former United defender Wes Brown, on his first return to Old Trafford since leaving in the summer, put the ball into his own net just before halftime and the three points lifted United back into second place in the Premier League.
City lead the table with 28 points from 10 matches, followed by United on 26 from 11, Newcastle on 25 from 11 and Chelsea, who won 1-0 at Blackburn Rovers with a Frank Lampard header, in fourth place on 22 points.
United slipped down to third for a few hours after Newcastle United stretched their unbeaten league run from the start of the season to 11 matches with a 2-1 home win over Everton in a lunchtime kick-off.
Arsenal beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 for their fifth straight league win at the Emirates with Robin Van Persie among the scorers, taking his tally to eight goals in his last four league games and 29 in his last 28.
Aston Villa beat Norwich City 3-2 and Liverpool had a late Dirk Kuyt goal disallowed for offside and were held to a 0-0 draw by Swansea City at Anfield.
