Manchester United returned to the summit of the Barclays Premier League last night, with Cristiano Ronaldo again taking the plaudits for a spectacular free kick that Sir Alex Ferguson described as the best he has seen in modern times.

Ronaldo, continuing his remarkable recent goalscoring exploits, scored both United goals early in the game to earn a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth at Old Trafford, but it was his second — a swerving, dipping free kick — that drew gasps and led Ferguson to declare that it was the best such goal he had seen in the Premier League, eclipsing those scored by Ronaldo’s predecessors in the United No 7 shirt, David Beckham and Eric Cantona.

Ronaldo said only that it was a reward for hours spent practising on the training ground, but Ferguson had no doubts. “David Beckham’s strike-rate was pretty good and Eric Cantona used to take them too sometimes, but Ronaldo’s strike-rate is phenomenal,” the United manager said. “That, without doubt, must be the best No keeper in the world would have saved that.”

Victory sent United above Arsenal on goal difference, with Ferguson’s only regret that a dominant performance did not yield more goals. “I can’t believe it was only two,” he said. “We missed a few chances, but at the end of the day you’ve got to think about the performance. We wanted to get back [to the top] because it’s a tricky part of the season. We know that every game is important and last season’s experience of winning the title will help us.”

Rafael Benítez is also thinking “just about the next game”, but there may not be many remaining for the Liverpool manager after a last-gasp defeat by West Ham United at Upton Park that leaves his future in serious doubt. Last night, one bookmaker was making the Spaniard the even-money favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his job.

Liverpool are 17 points adrift of the leaders in seventh place, three points behind Everton, who are fourth. They have not won in the league since Boxing Day, but Benítez has largely been shielded from criticism because the fans have focused their ire on the owners. However, with a refinancing deal having been agreed and the Americans’ regime apparently stabilising, attention is now turning again to the football.

Benítez was terse and tetchy after the game, won by West Ham with Mark Noble’s penalty deep into injury time after Jamie Carragher had fouled Fredrik Ljungberg. “You think we deserved to lose?” he said. “We were doing everything for a win but we made a mistake at the end, sometimes football is like this.” He declined to concede the title and said he was confident of sealing a Champions League place. “We must think about how to improve, how to take our chances and how to win games,” he said.

Chelsea kept in touch with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Reading at Stamford Bridge. Michael Ballack scored the only goal with a header from a cross by Paulo Ferreira after half an hour, but they failed to add to the Germany midfield player’s third goal of the season.

Chelsea’s fifth league win in a row keeps them four points behind United and Arsenal. “I’m pleased that we won, but we should have scored more goals,” Avram Grant, the first-team coach, said. “We want to stay where we are at the end of January and then anything can happen.”

Dean Sturridge, 18, followed up his first senior goal in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat against Sheffield United by opening his league account with Manchester City’s equalising goal in the 1-1 draw away to Derby County. Sven- Göran Eriksson’s team moved into the Uefa Cup positions, but their need for a top-line goalscorer was underlined as Darius Vassell spurned five clear opportunities to allow Derby — watched by Andy Appleby, their new chairman — to claim their first point at Pride Park during Paul Jewell’s three-month reign.