Manchester United piled the pressure on English Premier League leaders Arsenal with a confident 4-1 win over Derby County on Saturday, lifting them to within a point of the Gunners.

Ryan Giggs put United ahead with his 100th goal for the club and Carlos Tevez scored twice. Steven Howard pulled one back for Derby but a late penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo completed an easy win.

Chelsea remain two points behind United in third thanks to a stuttering 2-0 win over Sunderland, while Liverpool,a further four points back in fourth, slipped further behind in the title race with a 3-1 defeat away at Reading in the evening kick-off.

It took United 40 minutes to break down a battling Derby side at Old Trafford, side-footing home Ronaldo's cross.

Tevez doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time and the Argentina striker put the game beyond Derby with a third on the hour mark.

Steven Howard bundled in a goal for Derby but Ronaldo scored from the spot after he was fouled by Tyrone Mears to move closer to Arsenal, who are away to Middlesbrough on Sunday.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was pleased with the win but was particularly keen after the final whistle to pay tribute to Ryan Giggs.

"Not many players have scored 100 league goals but the service Ryan has given us, quite apart from the goals, is outstanding," said Ferguson.

"Ryan is a great character, a great person and a fantastic servant to us all" added Ferguson.

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