Manchester United 2 Charlton Athletic 1
Six points and counting. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ensured Manchester United's march towards the Premier League title continues to be as relentless as a Cape Canaveral countdown.
Solskjaer came off the bench to score the winner eight minutes from time to leave United needing just two more victories to record their seventh championship success in nine years.
The Reds are on course to wrap up the title against Manchester City on Saturday week and they might do it even sooner if Arsenal slip up againstthe Blues or against Middlesbrough in their next two games.
In a bizarre match, referee Mark Halsey set up Andy Cole's opening goal for United on the stroke of half-time before the champions elect hit thewoodwork four times after the interval.
David Beckham watched proceedings from the bench after Sir Alex Ferguson had opted to try out Paul Scholes on the right ahead of next week's Bayern Munich game.
The noise levels went up several decibels before kick-off when Eric Cantona received his award after he was voted United's best ever player in apoll organised by the club's official magazine.
Cantona then retired to the directors' box and like everyone else sat back expecting to see United tear into Charlton.
Initially he would not have been disappointed as United went straight for Charlton's jugular.
Dwight Yorke just failed to touch home Nicky Butt's cross at the back post before the recalled striker fluffed a great headed chance from Gary Neville's curling centre.
Charlton were rocking and Mark Fish made a vital interception to knock Roy Keane's dangerous cross behind for a corner.
Nicky Butt became the first player to be booked after he slid in to chop down Scott Parker.
Parker picked himself up and almost exacted his own revenge in the 28th minute when his 25-yard chip came off the face of the crossbar.
United continued to create the best of the chances and Cole directed a cross from Ryan Giggs just wide of the post.
Then just as it looked like Charlton would hold out to half-time, Halsey accidentally handed them the breakthrough they needed.
Yorke broke from his own half and fed Cole on the left. He cut inside and when he was tackled by Radostan Kishishev, the ball rebounded off the heel of Halsey back to the striker and he dispatched his 13th goal of the season into the bottom corner.
The goal settled United and Giggs had a close-range shot cleared off the line by Fish before a Keane drive came off the inside of the post.
Charlton sensed the game was starting to slip away from them and just before the hour mark, they brought on Mark Kinsella and John Robinson and for Jensen and Graham Stuart.
The changes helped Charlton take the initiative and in the 63rd minute they snatched an equaliser.
Neville failed to deal with Jonatan Johansson's cross into the box and Fish nipped in to ram the loose ball into the net from inside the six-yard box.
Neville nearly made amends two minutes later when his deep cross came off the inside of the post.
It looked it was not going to be United's night and that feeling grew when Scholes fired a shot against the upright.
With 13 minutes left, United threw on Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as they stepped up the search for a winner.
The reshuffle paid off and in the 82nd minute Solskjaer fired home the winner with his 13th goal of the season.
In a crazy match there was even time for United to hit the woodwork again when Sheringham headed against a post.
United's joy at winning was tempered near the end when Denis Irwin was stretchered off injured. -PA