Manchester United took up the Championship gauntlet thrown down by Arsenal's victory over Derby on Tuesday night with their sparkling spanking of Spurs at Old Trafford.

Two goals apiece for David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy condemned Spurs to their customary Old Trafford defeat.

After a less than convincing opening ten minutes for United which saw Teddy Sheringham and Gustavo Poyet force United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez into keeping out their respective 25 yard shots, the Reds went ahead in the 15th minute.

Van Nistelrooy turned Ledley King brilliantly on the right and played the ball outside to the overlapping Beckham.

The England captain brushed off Ben Thatcher's challenge as he raced into the Spurs box before scoring with a low left-foot shot 12 yards out.

Tottenham lost full-back Mauricio Taricco, who was sent off four minutes from half time after dragging back Paul Scholes when the England man broke free in the box to run on to van Nistelrooy's throughball.

Although Taricco could have few complaints, Tottenham could as the foul looked to have been committed outside the penalty area.

Referee Mike Riley awarded United the penalty only after consulting a linesman and van Nistelrooy stepped up to smash the kick right-footed into the roof of the net past static Spurs goalkeeper Neil Sullivan to make it 2-0.

The second half was always going to be a traumatic affair for ten-man Tottenham and so it proved.

Two minutes after the restart, United central defender Laurent Blanc's fierce 20-yard shot was well saved by the diving Sullivan, who also took a shot from Juan Sebastian Veron from the edge of the box in his midrif seconds later.

Diego Forlan, making his full League debut for United since his £7.5million signing from Independente in Janurary, did everything but score.

In the 55th minute, Scholes and Roy Keane opened the Spurs defence to leave the Uruguayan free ten yards out, but he shot inches wide.

Over the next 35 minutes, Forlan fired shots straight at Sullivan, forced a good full length diving save from the Spurs goalkeeper and saw efforts pass narrowly wide of both posts.

But Forlan proved a key figure in Unite'd's third goal after 64 minutes. He outstripped Dean Richards for pace as he raced down the left before delivering a superb low cross into the centre of the penalty area.

Van Nistelrooy was the man Forlan found and the Dutchman turned the ball to his right where Beckham raced in to lash a ferocious 12-yard shot into the roof of the net.

But United were still not finished. In the 76th minute, Keane's surging run took him to the right by-line.

The Reds skipper pulled a low cross back to van Nistelrooy on the near post where he wriggled and jinked his way clear of Sullivan and two Spurs defenders before turning to drive a low right-foot shot into the net from six yards.

United looked good for even more goals against a crumbling Spurs defence in the last ten minutes.

Excellent work by van Nistelrooy on the right side of the Tottenham penalty area set up Keane to blaze one shot narrowly wide.

Beckham must have thought that he had notched his hat-trick three minutes from time when he blazed a shot from the edge of the Spurs box inches over the bar.

Sullivan turned over a powerful drive by Keane seconds later and substitute Nicky Butt was foiled by the Spurs goalkeeper in injury time.

So United are back on top, but the only thing certain is that as the title race is sure to go on until at least their top of the table clash with Arsenal at Old Trafford, scheduled for the middle of next month.

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