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Man Utd 1-0 Bolton
2011-03-20 03:37:43
Dimitar Berbatov's late goal gave 10-man Manchester United victory over Bolton and took their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points.
In a first half of few chances, Javier Hernandez shot wide and Martin Petrov hit a free-kick at Edwin van der Sar.
Home defender Jonny Evans was shown a straight red card in the second half for a lunge on Stuart Holden.
But Berbatov gave United the points by bundling home after Jussi Jaaskelainen failed to hold Nani's shot.
The Bulgarian's last-gasp strike, coupled with Arsenal's 2-2 draw at West Brom, allowed United to restore a cushion at the top of the table that had been damaged by defeats at Chelsea and Liverpool.
It had looked set to be a frustrating afternoon for the league leaders, who were more than matched by a spirited Bolton side for large parts of the game.
Indeed, had Matthew Taylor not directed a free header straight at Edwin van der Sar just moments before Berbatov's winner, Bolton might have been the victors.
Instead, United clinched the win but not without a cost, with Wes Brown being forced off at half-time with a suspected leg injury and Evans now facing a suspension.
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// serving the first of a five-match touchline ban, was in regular telephone contact with the United dugout and acted to change his side at half-time, replacing the injured Brown with Fabio da Silva and replacing Hernandez with Berbatov.But, despite the open nature of the game, the changes brought United no closer to a breakthrough, with their attacks regularly thwarted by the excellent Bolton central defensive pair of Cahill and David Wheater.
Berbatov curled a shot wide and was then denied a clear run on goal by a last-ditch challenge from Cahill, as United moved closer to drawing a blank in a Premier League game at Old Trafford for the first time since September 2009.
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