He is the type of player who would rather miss the bus than be seen breaking into a sprint, but, as a sense of urgency grew around Old Trafford last night, it was the languid figure of Dimitar Berbatov who ensured that Manchester United did not fall further behind schedule in their hunt for a third successive Premier League title.

With 21 minutes remaining, United were facing up to the prospect of an untimely slip-up, frustrated by their opponents’ resilience and by their own lack of composure in front of goal, but Berbatov would keep his head while all those around him were losing theirs. Faced with a bouncing ball in a crowded penalty area, he took an extra fraction of a second to adjust his body and then, just as it seemed that he may have taken too long, he prodded it past Ross Turnbull at the Stretford End, breaking Middlesbrough’s resistance and making sure that United ended an unforgettable year on an encouraging high rather than a dispiriting low.

Berbatov is not every United supporter’s cup of tea and even Sir Alex Ferguson, his greatest advocate, must be frustrated by him at times, but, whatever he may lack in terms of dynamism or industry, there is no more composed finisher in the Old Trafford dressing-room. In many ways he is the antithesis to Carlos Tévez, who has returned to Argentina to address what Ferguson called a “family issue”, but, in a season when errant finishing has posed the greatest threat to United’s ambitions, it is little wonder that the United manager has usually found himself turning to Berbatov rather than Tévez.

This was a performance that summed up some of United’s difficulties this season, with their profligacy in front of goal at times driving Ferguson to despair. There was also frustration for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose acute sense of injustice in recent weeks will only be heightened by his running battle with Emanuel Pogatetz, which carried on into the players’ tunnel at half-time, but by the time the forward took his leave with six minutes remaining, United had done enough. The Portugal winger will continue to brood over his treatment by opposition defenders, but he should be relieved that Berbatov spared him, Park Ji Sung, Wayne Rooney and others a sleepless night about the number of chances spurned.

Perhaps on this occasion Ronaldo was a little too desperate to score, to settle a few scores with Middlesbrough and in particular with Pogatetz. The enmity between these teams may have grown in September when Rodrigo Possebon, the United youngster, was injured by an horrific challenge from Pogatetz, but their recent meetings have almost always descended into controversy and acrimony. As the first half came to an end, with Ronaldo charging up to Pogatetz to complain at having been wrestled to the ground at a United corner moments earlier, tensions briefly seemed in danger of boiling over.

The two men stood forehead to forehead like a pair of adolescent stags. Berbatov held Ronaldo back, but the shouting match continued into the tunnel, with witnesses saying that members of Gareth Southgate’s coaching staff also got involved. No punches were thrown, but this is football, where even the worst flare-ups tend to be filed under the term “handbags”.

Beyond their petty spat, there was, after all, a football match taking place. It was one in which Middlesbrough were acquitting themselves well, having drawn encouragement from United’s lack of killer instinct. Ronaldo was the most obvious culprit, twice missing the target when chances fell on his left foot, but Rafael Da Silva squandered an equally good opportunity with a wild shot, while Park could not match his approach work with a calm finish. Middlesbrough were riding their luck, but they were also growing in confidence and could point to a number of half-chances. Afonso Alves shot over the crossbar midway through the first half and then, early in the second period, had an effort deflected wide. Just after the hour they went closer still, with Tuncay Sanli sending a diving header just wide.

That was the cue for Ferguson to send on Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, no doubt in search of greater composure, but it was Berbatov who provided it. A dummy from Park gave Michael Carrick the chance to cross and, while Bates blocked the midfield player’s first effort, the second was dealt with poorly by David Wheater. The ball bounced once and was steered into the net by Berbatov, sparking scenes of familiar delirium at the Stretford End. Less haste from Berbatov, full speed ahead for United.

Manchester United (4-4-2): E van der Sar — Rafael Da Silva (sub: G Neville, 62min), N Vidic, J Evans, J O’Shea — C Ronaldo (sub: R Giggs, 84), M Carrick, D Fletcher (sub: P Scholes, 62), Park Ji Sung — W Rooney, D Berbatov. Substitutes not used: T Kuszczak, D Gibson, R Possebon, D Welbeck. Booked: Park, Scholes.

Middlesbrough (4-1-4-1): R Turnbull — M Bates, C Riggott, D Wheater, E Pogatetz — J Arca — J Aliadière (sub: M Emnes, 76), G O’Neil, S Downing, Tunçay Sanli — Afonso Alves. Substitutes not used: B Jones, A Taylor, R Huth, M Shawky, J Walker, N Porrit.

Referee: M Atkinson.