Ruud shows Ipswich the trapdoor

Ipswich Town 0 Manchester United 1

Something had to give on an evening of clammy palms, racing pulses and raw throats, and in the end it was Ipswich's already tentative grasp on their Premiership status which all but disappeared.

True, George Burley's men suffered from an aberration by referee Rob Styles in conceding a penalty – which yielded the winning goal – to Manchester United, a club who scarcely need any obliging assistance from officialdom, for the most innocuous of challenges by Titus Bramble on Ruud van Nistelrooy. And the more pedantic of Town's followers will protest that a shaft of light, should results conspire obligingly, may still lead their team out of the gloom.

But as the visiting fans departed in raucous joy, highly satisfied that their championship challenge had been regenerated by virtually a second-string side, the home faithful could only acknowledge what they knew already in their hearts. That their club are destined for the First Division, not just because of this defeat, but because of a season which has produced a mere nine victories.

It was an evening when every ball was kicked by every member of the home supporters among the 28,000 crowd and ultimately it proved to be a futile use of energy. Though how different it might have turned out if Mr Styles had taken a more benign view of an incident in added time at the end of the first half. Roy Keane, one of only four first choices in the United starting line-up, floated a high cross into the heart of the home rearguard and, as Van Nistelrooy went for a header, he appeared merely to stumble and fall under the slightest hint of contact with Bramble.

Amid uproar, referee Styles deliberated for a second before awarding a spot-kick for which the Dutch international picked himself up to score with his usual deadly accuracy. Bramble and Hermann Hreidarsson were cautioned in the ensuing debate with the official.

Burley, normally the most phlegmatic of men, had no doubts about the injustice. "Van Nistelrooy was looking for it, and the ref got suckered into making the decision," he insisted. "It was a crucial decision and it was wrong."

Until that moment, optimism pervaded the stadium as a frantic crowd gave eardrum-perforating vocal accompaniment to Ipswich's early efforts. Charlton striker Kevin Lisbie's 82nd-minute equaliser against Sunderland in the afternoon fixture meant that an Ipswich victory would propel them past the Wearsiders and out of the relegation mire. However, even that would have probably offered them only a temporary sanctuary with Liverpool to come in their final game, and Sunderland at home to Derby. Now Burley's team have to win at Anfield on Saturday week and hope that Peter Reid's men find Derby too strong at the Stadium of Light. It looks a forlorn one.

United had served notice with their team-sheet that they were prepared to relinquish the championship and had their minds more attuned to Tuesday night's Champions' League semi-final second leg against Bayer Leverkusen, although injuries had deprived them of David Beckham, Gary Neville, Juan Sebastian Veron, Ryan Giggs and Laurent Blanc.

Before the kick-off, members of the Ipswich team who won the 1961-62 championship under Sir Alf Ramsey took the field. Names like Ted Phillips, Ray Crawford and Jimmy Leadbetter have long disappeared in the annals of Ipswich Town history. But how the home crowd might have wished that today's Town side had been endowed with just some of their point-scoring qualities. Seven defeats in 10 games, and no victories, since the beginning of February tells its own grim truth about this Town generation's decline.

All Ipswich had to show for their industry and early creative enterprise were a tame Martijn Reuser header and a driven cross by the former Ajax player into the United six-yard box which Marcus Bent just failed to convert.

But it was United who came nearest to establishing a lead when Van Nistelrooy volleyed over. Ipswich retaliated and Marcus Bent's powerful header missed by inches.

Then Ipswich began to lose that initial momentum. Their attacks became laboured and passes went astray as United began to impose themselves and Van Nistelrooy combined dangerously with Diego Forlan. The Uruguayan unleashed one venomous volley just over and struck the side netting with another scoring opportunity.

Paul Scholes replaced the Scottish Under-21 midfielder Michael Stewart at the interval and Ferguson later sent on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Van Nistelrooy. Scholes' presence in midfield enhanced United as a potent attacking force and three chances fell to Forlan and one to Denis Irwin, but on each occasion they were frustrated by Andy Marshall. When Keane did eventually beat him, the bar intervened.

Meanwhile, Burley exchanged Fabian Wilnis for Finidi George and Darren Bent came on for Reuser as the Scot sought to make that crucial breakthrough, but increasingly desperation crept in. From a Reuser corner, Bramble was not that far away from equalising early in the second half, and then the inspirational captain Matt Holland headed just over.

With 10 minutes left, Tommy Miller's shot on the turn had the supporters on their feet, but their screams died in the throat as the ball slid frustratingly wide of the far post. United held on despite a mêlée during time added on when Wilnis got a leg to the ball but just failed to find the net.

United are on Arsenal's shoulder again and Ferguson declared: "Anything could happen. If there's a shock on Monday [when Bolton host Arsenal], our game with Arsenal is going to be the biggest game of football in 10 years."

The Tractor Boys can only anticipate the worst. Yet, even worse than relegation in itself is the alarming possibility that their avowed East Anglian rivals Norwich might just sneak their way into the Premiership via the play-offs and replace them. Now that really would be cruel.

Ipswich Town 0 Manchester United 1
Van Nistelrooy pen 45

Half-time: 0-1 Attendance: 28,433