Cristiano Ronaldo took his goal tally for the season to 33 with a magnificent double strike to sink relegation-haunted Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford.
The result took Manchester United three points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and moved Ronaldo past the legendary George Best's total of 32 goals for a season in the 1967/68 campaign.
Over 30 goals in a season is some achievement, but for a winger it is a phenomenal figure and few people would have bet on Best's landmark ever being beaten.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had gambled by resting several of his regulars ahead of the key Easter Sunday clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford - and it was a gamble which paid off.
Two goals in the opening 19 minutes put Bolton on the back foot, although they produced a spell of real pressure in the first period of the second half which posed the Red Devils problems.
Ronaldo was at the cutting edge of United's tremendous opening and he rose above the Bolton defence to head on Nani's ninth minute corner.
The ball fell for Carlos Tevez, whose spectacular overhead kick from ten yards was blocked.
However, Matt Taylor's clearance landed straight at the feet of Ronaldo 12 yards out and he scored with a right-foot chip into the top corner of the net.
Ronaldo's second goal ten minutes later was even more spectacular.
Brought down by Abdoulaye Meite 30 yards out, the Portuguese star sized up the opportunity and swerved a glorious right-foot free-kick beyond the Bolton wall and into the top left-hand corner of the net.
United had a host of chances to extend their lead through Nani, Tevez and Louis Saha, but they all went begging.
Bolton, whose only real chance of the first half came shortly before United's second goal when goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak produced a superb point-blank save to keep out Kevin Davies' close-range shot, forced the home side back at the start of the second period.
Kuszack produced a string of excellent saves to deny El Hadji Diouf, Davies and Nicky Hunt.
The best of the trio was Kuszack's fine tip over to keep out Hunt's blistering 30-yard drive.
United weathered the storm, but found Bolton goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi a significant roadblock to their efforts.
The best of his stops came in the 66th minute when he denied Ronaldo his hat-trick by touching away the United winger's shot from the edge of the box after he had beaten three men.
Then came the icing on United's cake with news of Tottenham's late equaliser against title rivals Chelsea at White Hart Lane.