Christmas came late to Old Trafford, but Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping that this victory over Birmingham re-kindles his side’s title charge.
After two successive defeats United dominated this game, yet it still took two magnificent saves from goalkeeper Fabien Barthez in the second half to dampen a Birmingham revival.
With skipper Roy Keane feeling his way back to full match fitness after a lengthy lay-off, David Beckham and Juan Sebastian Veron took midfield by the scruff of the neck.
Both players will look back on superb performances - Beckham's crowned with a glorious 73rd minute goal.
United's opening goal after 37 minutes was a wonderfully worked effort.
It began with Veron's finely weighted pass to send Mikael Silvestre racing away down the left.
The Frenchman provided the perfect cross to the far post where Beckham headed back for Diego Forlan to score with a crisp right foot half volley from six yards.
If United's first goal was superb, the second was sublime.
Paul Scholes hooked a loose ball to Veron, who sprayed a glorious 30 yard pass through the middle to send Beckham clear.
As Nico Vaesen advanced off his line, the England captain looked up before hitting the perfect 25 yard right foot chip over the head of the Birmingham goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.
Vaesen saved well from Silvestre, while Keane, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Scholes all went close, but United also owed a huge debt of gratitude to Barthez.
In the 55th minute, Paul Devlin curled in a free-kick from the right which was met by Birmingham's former United youngster Jovan Kirovski at the far post.
It looked a goal all the way, but Barthez launched himself across his line to tip the ball away and Clinton Morrison put the rebound wide.
With 20 minutes to go, Kirovski's cross from the right found Aliou Cisse stealing in at the far post, only to see his goalbound header magnificently turned away by Barthez at full stretch.