If, or more likely when, Manchester United are recrowned champions of the Premiership, Sir Alex Ferguson will think back to this scrawny Saturday down by the River Thames as a crowning moment in terms of his team’s will, as well as their skill, to take the title from Chelsea.

You could see it in his body long before he opened his mouth. He is of an age that qualifies him for a state pension but he danced a jig on the touchline when the final whistle blew that would have been apposite from a child of six. When it was all over, recalling great goals by Ryan Giggs and especially Cristiano Ronaldo, who claimed his 16th goal of the season, he admitted: “After an emotional night that we had against Lille, you wait for a game that is flat, in which you do not play well but your players dig out a result. This was the most difficult game we’ve had all season: credit Fulham, they were aggressive, they got about us. When I made my changes, I tried to keep all the goalscorers we have on the field. Winning the way that we did is significant but Edwin Van der Sar at times saved us with fantastic courage.”

Rarely does one hear from a manager so succinct and so accurate a summary, devoid of spin or speculation. The knight got this spot-on, even in a game that obliged him to change every element — defence, midfield, attack — in his team to wring out victory. Fulham had lost 5-1 in Manchester last August and capitulated 4-0 at home to Tottenham in the FA Cup last Sunday. They rebounded with the spirit of wounded, but proud warriors. They set about United with pace and tenacity, especially from Michael Brown and Simon Davies, never allowing their opponents’ presumed superior talents the freedom to show, never giving up a ball let alone a cause. And they deservedly led after 17 minutes.

Van der Sar had shown himself to be brave and alert but his judgment erred when he rushed off his goal line, collided with Nemanja Vidic and was left stranded when he failed to reach the ball in confrontation with Davies. Brian McBride was so quick of eye and movement that he anticipated the lucky break. He was onto it in an instant and his shot against the inside of the far post brushed Rio Ferdinand on its way into the net.

United struggled to find the urgency or fluency for which they are renowned. Wayne Rooney was trying to referee as well as play the game and it was on his intervention that Peter Walton, a weak and easily persuaded referee, booked Brown for an innocuous foul on Paul Scholes. Walton has not issued a red card all season and he may not do so given the way that he abrogated that responsibility after 53 minutes, when he failed to show a second yellow card to Papa Bouba Diop for a blatant foul from behind on Giggs.

Chris Coleman conceded that his player was fortunate to stay on the field, but added: “There were no excuses for the ref not giving a penalty in the last minute when Van der Sar blatantly fouled [Heidar] Helguson. We raised our game today. The referee might for all I know have been taking a lift back home on their bus.”

These sour views were a pity because, just before the half-hour, Giggs started and finished a fantastic goal. He delivered the ball up the left flank for Rooney and when it was played across the face of goal, the Welshman volleyed home with the outside of his foot from an angle that few players could have equalled. Some experts wanted to suggest he did not really mean such a contact, that it was a fluke. You or I should have such skill to fluke such a goal.

After that, at least until their sheer endeavour tired them, Fulham were forever trying to outrun and outmanoeuvre the team that had spanked them at the start of the season. Twice Van der Sar used his full height to deny Davies, though he was lucky when Tomasz Radzinski bounced a header off his crossbar.

The game, we thought, would end in a draw. But there is hunger and class in United. Two minutes from time Ronaldo gathered the ball inside his own half, close to the left touchline. He bamboozled Volz and sprinted away from the American substitute Clint Dempsey as if he were the fresher athlete. Confronted by Philippe Christanval inside the penalty box, he took measured aim and shot deftly. The ball took a slight deflection off the defender’s shin and Jan Lastuvka was thoroughly beaten inside his far post.

Before the kick-off, one heard a six-year-old boy gasp at the sight of Ronaldo. After that, grown men had shown him how to behave badly by constantly shouting “Cheat!” whenever Ronaldo went to ground, even when the foul tackles were crystal-clear. The second boy, the pensioner Ferguson, was left dancing at the end and nobody contradicted his joy.