TEENAGE striker Federico Macheda was again the Manchester United match winner as Sunderland slipped closer towards the bottom three.

Middlesbrough's victory over Hull City now means there are just two points between the Wear-Tees rivals with six games remaining.

Macheda deflected Michael Carrick's shot wide of the diving Craig Gordon to take all three points after Kenwyne Jones' second half leveller had given the home side hope.

Paul Scholes had earlier opened the scoring with a rare headed-goal. The Man United midfielder is hardly famed for his aerial prowess but with no challenge from the Sunderland defence, even the diminutive Scholes had no problem in steering Wayne Rooney's left wing cross past Gordon.

The visitors totally dominated the first 20 minutes against a home side who were flat and seemingly in awe of their title-chasing opponents. Rooney and Scholes were given the freedom of the pitch to practise their slick passing as Sunderland struggled to compete.

But Scholes's early strike sparked a response from the Black Cats and they ended the half the better side when their improved work rate should have been rewarded with a goal. A Carlos Edwards cross that Nemanja Vidic deflected onto Foster's upright was the pick of half a dozen efforts that almost saw the Black Cats level.

An injury to Kieran Richardson during Friday's training session had robbed Ricky Sbragia of one of his more potent attacking options but a line-up including Djibril Cisse and Kenwyne Jones backed up the manager's threat to take the game to United.

Alex Ferguson had clearly fired up his side at half time and they fought to regain their lead. Park played in Rooney whose piledriver missed the target by a yard whith Scholes also going close to grabbing a second.

But Sunderland levelled after 55 minutes when Jones finished Tainio's high, hanging cross at the second attempt.

For a short spell it seemed as though Sunderland fancied their chances of taking all three points with Jones and Cisse going close.

But the relative strength of the two squads meant that substitutions were always likely to prove a crucial factor. Cristiano Ronaldo and seventeen year old Macheda came on for United while the introduction of Paul McShane and Darryl Murphy did little to bolster the home side's chances of getting back into the game.