There will be four minutes of added time - fair to say Fergie does not look all that impressed.

Ronaldo almost seals with it a beautiful free-kick that bends just wide of the far post.

That goal has surely knocked the stuffing out of Stoke but their fans continue to cheer their team vigorously while United look relieved to be in front.

Ricardo Fuller has run his socks off up front and he is still managing to give United cause for concern in defence.

Stoke are conceding the midfield area now and just packing their own defensive third and Rooney manages to find half a yard to get a shot off but Sorenson is behind it.

Ronaldo is starting to have an influence on the game and he beats Davies to the byline to dig the ball to the far post but its just too high for the arriving Berbatov who has no chance of keeping his header down.

Ronaldo is guilty for the third league game in a row of flicking a petulant leg out at an opponent but again it is missed by the officials and he gets away with it.

Stoke are posing a real threat at set-pieces, as ever, and now Pugh curls in a free-kick that Abdoulaye Faye attacks and Van Der Sar has to react smartly to save.

Stoke might actually start to fancy themselves now as Giggs is shifted to left-back and United look all over the place as they commit bodies forward.

Tevez is robbed by the assistant now! United are not happy as Scholes flicks it through for Tevez who is being played onside by Higginbotham and he rounds Sorenson to net home only to see the flag.

The officials need to get control of this because at the moment both sides are getting physical, but in an ill-disciplined manner, and someone is surely going to go off if it carries on like this.

Cresswell is in the same boat as things get heated as he again leads with an elbow, on Vidic this time, but referee Foy lets him off again.

Wayne Rooney is lucky to be on the field! With the ball bounding towards the corner flag he swings out an arm at Abdoulaye Faye right in front of the assistant who fails to spot it.

With Stoke's very next attack Fuller runs at Vidic and forces an almost identical save from Van Der Sar - that has really got the crowd going.

Trademark from Scholes as he finds space on the edge of the box and unleahes a shot towards the bottom corner but Sorenson flings himself at full-stretch to parry away.

Stoke steal the ball in midfield and O'Shea ends up on the floor but Stoke rightly continue and Gary Neville does really well to use his experience to head it away under pressure from two Stoke players.

The visitors look a lot more threatening in the opening stages of this half as they have upped the tempo and Stoke are starting to sit back and invite them on.

Tevez looks very bright and he starts a move on the edge of the box that ends with Neville's cross bobbling back to the Argentine but its an awkward one and he can't force it on target.

Good play from Tevez as he takes Shawcross on and creates half a yard to fire a shot in and Sorenson bats it away for a corner.

Chance wasted! Rooney plays a one-two with Tevez to beat the offside trap but he rushes his attempt as the ball drops over his head and scuffs into Sorenson's arms.

There are going to be 2 minutes of added time.

Giggs drops the ball into the box and Vidic flicks on towards O'Shea at the far post but Delap does superbly to ease the Irishman out of the way and Sorenson collects.

...Ronaldo hits it but the wall does its job and jump out and forward to block the effort before it can trouble Sorenson.

Chance now for United as Scholes is felled by Faye on the edge of the box and Ronaldo is over the ball.....

Shawcross can only head a long diagonal ball from Neville as far as Rooney who nicks it away from Delap and fires in a shot which deflects over the bar.

Superb play from Rooney as he stands two players up and drives a magnificent ball across the six-yard box but Tevez is just too far away from it to make contact.

It has been a really well-disciplined first half hour or so from Stoke City and they have been able to limit the visitors chances to just one or two so far.

Giggs' corner comes straight back to him and he bends it back in and Ronaldo tries an audacious aerial beckheel that doesn't come off but the ball drops for Evans who takes too long and is crowded out - but that was a real chance for the defender.

Superbly worked from the Champions and Neville gets to the byline and bends the ball to the near post and Rooney arches his back to head goalwards but Sorenson is equal to it.

Fuller has got in behind Evans and O'Shea here but he loses his footing completely at the vital moment and the chance is gone.

Delap delivers his first missile throw of the day but Van Der Sar is there to make a very safe catch - a good start to the test for the Dutchman.

A looped ball over the top is latched onto brilliantly by Fuller but Van Der Sar is out smartly to smother the ball out for a corner.

Stoke are starting to build their own spell of pressure and a decent cross to the near post from Delap forces Evans to head behind for a corner.

The grass seems to be very long on the pitch here at the Britannia and the ball is not rolling at all. Could Stoke have done this to negate the passing style of their opponents?

United have managed to take the heat out of the game for a moment as they begin to keep possession nicely but Stoke are hunting in packs of four or five at times.

Vidic should have put United ahead here! Giggs' corner bends towards the six yard box where the Serbian dives in but can't get enough on it and the ball flashes out of play.

The Britannia is absolutely rocking and they really could act like a 12th man for their team today and Ricardo Fuller has a great chance that he skies over the bar.