Masterclass disrupted by Bowyer

ALEX FERGUSON is the master of late goals and he has taught his star pupil Alex McLeish well.

Lee Bowyer’s 90th-minute equaliser took the shine off another sublime contribution from Dimitar Berbatov and meant Manchester United’s return to the Premier League summit was not as emphatic as it might have been.

Bowyer’s late goal was not without a hint of controversy. Ferguson will complain about the apparent use of Nikola Zigic’s forearm in the build up and the fact that the former Leeds United midfielder was offside as he finally found a way beyond Edwin van der Saar to cancel out the impact of the brilliant Bulgarian.

Berbatov ensured that the noisy neighbours’ occupancy of the Premier League’s top spot was a short-lived affair with his 15th goal of the season, as he continues to underpin Ferguson’s mission to bring the title back to Old Trafford, but even he would have felt some of the gloss had been taken from his individual contribution by the late act of larceny.

It was Berbatov’s eighth goal in four games in an increasingly productive season and it at least ensured their unbeaten start to the season continued – but the manager Ferguson mentored during their time together at Aberdeen does not surrender his colours at home to the big clubs easily.

He had only previously lost once to one of the long-established top four, a defeat to Chelsea in January 2008, as Birmingham manager.

United have never reached Christmas without a Premier League defeat. The fact they are perceived to have been playing poorly and go into the new year as leaders with two games in hand over second-placed City is as ominous for their rivals as is the form of Berbatov.

Quite what a force United would become if Wayne Rooney could emulate his colleague is a frightening thought and one which will console Ferguson as the downhill part of the title race begins.

Rooney’s lack of goals from open play, his last coming against Bayern Munich in the Champions League at the end of March, has been a statistic used to beat the England striker with and he started here in an unusual position wide on the left and the more familiar derision from opposition supporters as his every touch was met with spiteful acclaim.

Ferguson obviously felt Rooney could expose the ageing limbs of Stephen Carr and on a couple of occasions in the opening exchanges he cut inside and tested Ben Foster with low shots. Questions are still being asked whether Ferguson was too hasty in allowing the England goalkeeper to leave in the summer and one save, when Foster’s fingertips prevented Ryan Giggs’ swirling cross from finding the far corner added weight to the argument for him remaining at Old Trafford.

Luring United into a scrap was always going to be of benefit to the home team. Bowyer’s ugly challenge on Darron Gibson produced another yellow card and Nemanja Vidic’s cynical hack on Cameron Jerome was worthy of similar punishment as United struggled to find any rhythm and were kept largely at arm’s length as Berbatov cut an increasingly frustrated figure due to his own lack of impact against Scott Dann and Roger Johnson.

The Bulgarian’s slumped shoulders have been a source of irritation at Old Trafford on numerous occasions, but there is always the possibility he will burst into life with devastating effect and he did so 13 minutes after the interval to break the deadlock. His rolled back-heel pass to Gibson was sublime. His first touch and finish low beyond Foster, after the return, was of the highest class.

His fleeting genius emerged again moments later when he struck the base of Foster’s right-hand post from the edge of the area with the Birmingham keeper grasping at air. McLeish was being persuaded to give up his accountancy studies by the new Aberdeen manager Ferguson when Birmingham last beat United in 1978. The 5-1 success was a rare bright spot on a season blighted by relegation.

The pupil still has a good head for figures and he will be hoping they add up to January purchases when he meets with owner Carson Yeung and vice-chairman Peter Pannu later this week. His list of potential targets include Tottenham’s unsettled Republic striker Robbie Keane and how Birmingham require his skills.

Of the few chances they did create, Jerome wasted an excellent one inside the first five minutes, with a poor header from Sebastian Larsson’s cross. It was one of the few occasions McLeish’s five-man midfield were able to make their numerical advantage pay in the opening 45 minutes, but the longer the game went the more the pupil, rather than the master, found more reason to be encouraged.

Within eight minutes of the restart Birmingham should have opened the scoring. Larsson’s cross produced an ungainly shot from Jerome which screwed into the hitting zone of Gardner eight yards out, but the former Aston Villa midfielder’s connection with his volley was not as sweet as he would have liked and he succeeded in presenting an easy save for Van Der Saar.

Bowyer’s late intervention ensured it was not too costly.

BIRMINGHAM CITY (4-5-1): Foster 8; Carr 6, Johnson 7, Dann 7, Ridgewell 7; Larsson 7 (Hleb 68,6), Ferguson 6, Bowyer 6, Gardner 7, Beasejour 5 (Zigic 82,5); Jerome 6 (Phillips 85,5). Subs not used: Taylor, Phillips, Derbyshire, Fahey, Jiranek.

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-3-3): Van Der Saar 6; Rafael 7, Vidic 7, Ferdinand 7, Evra 6; Carrick 6, Anderson 6 (Fletcher 72, 6), Gibson 6; Rooney 7, Berbatov 8, Giggs 6. Subs not used: Kuszczak, Neville, Hernandez, Evans, Fletcher, Obertan, Macheda.

Referee: Lee Mason.