MANCHESTER UNITED tiptoed almost apologetically to the top of the Premier League as their supposedly main title rivals Chelsea and Liverpool slipped up again.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, United have rarely bothered to stretch out towards the summit until well after the singing of Auld Lang Syne, so to see them reach the top in the middle of October was as surprising as watching Sea The Stars pull three lengths clear at a seven-furlong pole.

It was a close-run thing at the end, so much so that we had the unprecedented Old Trafford sight of Ryan Giggs trying to see out stoppage time by playing one-twos with the corner flag at the Bolton end.

He was much more positive and influential for the rest of the game. Giggs, who turns 36 next month, is supposed to carry less of an attacking edge these days, playing a prompting role in midfield more suited to his advancing years than that of a quicksilver winger.

But he subjected poor Sam Ricketts to the sort of roasting that George Best regularly used to hand out to full-backs here. Sadly, Giggs is doubtful for Wednesday’s Champions League tie away to CSKA Moscow because of a knock.

On the other wing, Antonio Valencia was all power and pace, scoring his first goal for the club in the 33rd minute with a thumping effort after a return pass from Gary Neville, another United veteran still successfully riding tackles from Old Father Time.

That looked to be game over, Bolton centre-half Zat Knight having headed into his own net in the fifth minute, deceived and wrong-footed by the awfulness of Michael Owen’s header from Patrice Evra’s fine cross.

Owen had a chance to do better when Dimitar Berbatov’s back-flick sent him on goal in the second half, but he was too slow to take advantage, which may explain why the only invitation extended to him by England’s manager, Fabio Capello, recently has been in a spectating role.

Capello would also have been dismayed by another strange performance from Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand’s head appeared to be still in the Ukraine when Kevin Davies ran in front of him to head a great chance wide.

Even the return of goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar did not give the back four a convincing look.

United should at least be strengthened by the return of centre-half Nemanja Vidic in Moscow and Wayne Rooney could boost their attacking options if he shakes off the injury that kept him out of England’s game against Belarus.

Bolton, to their credit, rallied after substitutes Ivan Klasnic and Mark Davies arrived, while Kevin Davies was an excellent leader of the line. Their manager, Gary Megson, said: “We gave it a go but we should have played in the first half-hour like we did at the end.”

Ferguson, facing an FA charge for claiming that referee Alan Wiley looked unfit in United’s 2-2 draw here against Sunderland a fortnight ago, used his programme notes to make yet another apology. Saying sorry used to be as much anathema to Fergie as MPs caught with their hands in the expenses drawer but, no doubt, there is already a Christmas card in the post for Wiley, as well as a bottle of something French and expensively red.

It was Megson’s turn to criticise the referee, saying Mark Clattenburg was “ridiculous” to rule out a Klasnic strike either because of handball or a foul by Ricardo Gardner.

Ferguson said: “You have to give Bolton credit but we gave away a soft goal. We have won championships by having runs without conceding goals and we definitely need to get back to doing that.”

The game was petering out, looking likely to be one of the most routine wins of the Premier League, United’s ninth in 10 against their northwest neighbours, until a Kevin Davies cross was met with a great header from Matthew Taylor. Bolton sensed that they could earn a point and poured forward, Gary Cahill missing an outstanding chance to equalise in the 94th minute.

Clattenburg blew almost immediately afterwards, leaving Ferguson for once happy to see an Old Trafford match finish inside two hours.

Star man: Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)

Yellow card: Bolton: K Davies

Referee: M Clattenburg

Attendance: 75,103

MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Jonathan Evans, Evra (O’Shea 83min), Valencia, Carrick, Anderson (Scholes 86min), Giggs, Owen (Welbeck 83min), Berbatov

BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Ricketts, Knight, Cahill, Samuel, Lee (Klasnic 53min), Cohen (M Davies 63min), Muamba (Basham 77min), Gardner, Taylor, K Davies