Manager Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for his Manchester United side after their 2-0 win over Sunderland kept them top of the Premier League.

Dimitar Berbatov scored twice and United were only denied further goals by the post and the crossbar.

"We are hitting good form, the football was fantastic. We could have scored five by half-time," said Ferguson, whose men lead the table by two points.

"Some of the interchanges and the combination play was very, very good."

United, still unbeaten this season, appear to be hitting form just at the right time after sealing their fifth consecutive league victory.

Manchester City are their closest rivals in second place, but have played two games more than their neighbours.

Third-place Arsenal are five points off the pace, with Chelsea one point further back - and United's victory over Sunderland could look even more significant if the London sides cancel each other out when they meet at Emirates Stadium on Monday.

The signs could be described as ominous for United's title rivals, with even Sunderland manager Steve Bruce admitting that United were far superior to his team.

"It could have been a beating for us," the Black Cats boss stated. "United were magnificent in the first half, some of their football was breathtaking.

"We had our backsides kicked in the first half but we somehow managed to hang in there and reach the interval only one goal down.

"Their second goal was unfortunate because it was a deflection, but we have to hold our hands up and say the best team won by a country mile."

Berbatov, who was restored to the line-up having been left out of United's 1-0 defeat of Arsenal, looked very sharp and Ferguson hinted the Bulgarian could be key to United's title chances.

"He knows there are times we like to play with one up front and he understands that we have to sometimes change things around. But his form has been terrific," the Scot commented.

"He has now scored 14 goals, which is a good return - if we get two players to score 25 goals between them then we have a great chance."

Ferguson also felt his side were able to play "in third gear" after their second goal - scored in the 57th minute - and said the players may have been thinking ahead to Tuesday's match against Birmingham.

"We were more economical in the second half," admitted Ferguson. "We want to be ready for Birmingham because they did not play on Sunday and will be fresh."

Ferguson added that Nani (hip) and Darren Fletcher (cold), who were left out of Sunday's squad, would recover in time to return for the trip to St Andrew's.

Source - BBC.