Sir Bobby Charlton backs Manchester United in Premier League title race

Victory over Arsenal took United up to fifth in the league table

Robin van Persie celebrates the only goal of the game against his former team (AP)

Sir Bobby Charlton is backing Manchester United to make a sustained Premier League title charge.

United's victory over Arsenal has moved them into fifth position, just five points adrift of the Gunners, who remain at the head of the .

Yet, with Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City all dropping points over the weekend, the table has become far more congested than normal.

Even United could not expect to be in such close contention given they won only three of their first eight league games following David Moyes' move into the hot-seat as Sir Alex Ferguson's replacement.

However, now nine games unbeaten in all competitions, the Red Devils look well placed to make their customary mid-season surge towards the top, with doubts over Moyes' appointment slowly being dispelled.

"There was a little bit of criticism going on but I am pleased I didn't have to answer it because David has done it himself," Charlton told United Review.

"We are not the type of team who can languish in the bottom half of the league and it is promising to see us putting together some good results.

"We have had a lot of publicity from changing manager after so long and I've had the sense that teams have maybe been upping their game a little bit against us. But we have been first-class recently.

"Here we are, creeping up the table again and that is what we want.

"I think we are still very much in the race to win the title.

"We do have a tendency to start slowly and come good as the season wears on.

"I would have to agree with Sir Alex Ferguson's recent assertion that we are the only team in this league who can win the league title by coming back from a big deficit."

PA