Gary Neville scored his second goal in three games and set up another for Louis Saha as Manchester United downed Charlton 2-0 on Tuesday to move within a point second place Chelsea.
With the title seemingly on its way to Arsenal, which is nine points clear with a game in hand, the race for second place is hotting up.
While Chelsea was losing 3-1 to Monaco in the semifinal of the Champions league, United made up ground on Claudio Ranieri's men. The Reds now have 71 points and the Blues 72 both with four games to go.
The Gunners, who have 81 with five to play, could clinch the title on Sunday by winning at north London neighbor Spurs if Chelsea loses at Newcastle.
A crowd of 67,477 defied security scares at Old Trafford to see Saha fire the Reds ahead in the 28th minute and Neville added the second in the 65th.
The arrests of seven people in Manchester on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack sparked security fears that Old Trafford was the target and there were extra checks on the fans arriving at the ground. No problems were reported.
The scare also didn't affect United which had come off a poor 1-0 loss to lowly Portsmouth on Saturday but rebounded in style.
In a typical Reds counterattack, Neville found David Bellion with a crossfield ball and the French youngster's pace took him to the edge of the Charlton area. Bellion released the ball to countryman Saha who fired home from a difficult angle.
Scottish Cup
Dunfermline came from behind to beat Inverness 3-2 to set up a Scottish Cup final meeting with double-chasing Celtic.
Jimmy Calderwood's team faces the Hoops at Hampden Park May 22, when Celtic, which wrapped up its third championship in four years with six games to spare on Sunday, chases its 32nd cup title.
Dunfermline won the cup in 1961 and 1968.
The two teams needed a replay after they tied 1-1 at Hampden Park and an upset looked possible when Paul Ritchie gave Inverness a seventh minute lead.
But Darren Young leveled for the Pars in the 25th minute, Craig Brewster put Dunfermline ahead in the 63rd and Barry Nicholson added the third 12 minutes from the end. Davy Bingham's penalty in the final minute gave Dunfermline a scary period of injury time but Calderwood's team held on
Champions League
Monaco strikers Fernando Morientes and Shabani Nonda both scored late goals as 10-man Monaco beat Chelsea 3-1 in a pulsating Champions League semifinal, first leg at Stade Louis II.
Spanish international Morientes fired a powerful shot into the roof of the net in the 77th minute after collecting a pass from captain Ludovic Giuly, and substitute Nonda scored with his first touch seven minutes from time.
Croatia striker Dado Prso put Monaco ahead in the 16th minute, before Hernan Crespo leveled for Chelsea six minutes later. Monaco midfielder Andreas Zikos was red carded in the second-half for appearing to punch Chelsea's Claude Makelele in the back of the head.
With both teams looking to reach the Champions League final for the first time, the return leg at Stamford Bridge in two weeks time sees Monaco with the advantage as it looks to become the first French side since Marseille in 1993 to win the competition.
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