Wolves turn the table upside down
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Van Nistelrooy missed a good chance as United crashed at Wolves
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LONDON, England -- Wolverhampton caused the shock of the season so far when they beat English champions and Premier League leaders Manchester United to climb off the foot of the table.
Scottish forward Kenny Miller's first top-flight goal on 67 minutes secured a dramatic 1-0 win at Molineux.
Wolves' sixth league victory of the season also sent Leeds to the bottom as they were beaten 2-1 by Southampton.
United stayed on 50 points, with title rivals Arsenal (49) and Chelsea (45) both playing on Sunday.
It was a disappointing final appearance for United's England defender Rio Ferdinand who limped off in the 50th minute before starting his eight month ban for failing to take a drugs test.
Missed chances
United coach Alex Ferguson blamed the defeat on missed chances saying, "We controlled the match, and particularly in the first half, we played some excellent football.
"The criticism is that we were wasteful with our chances. With the amount of really good positions we got into, we didn't really finish them off. We had some very, very good chances."
He added: "I don't think it was a poor performance at all. I think we got frustrated once Wolves scored and that's a natural reaction."
United old boy Dennis Irwin -- Wolves also fielded former England and United midfielder Paul Ince -- set-up Wolves' goal when he intercepted a weak United throw and released Scottish international Miller.
He sped into the box -- his route to goal eased when subsitute defender Wes Brown slipped -- before calmly shooting past Tim Howard.
Goalkeeper Michael Oakes produced a string of saves to keep United at bay as Wolves held on for the three points.
Tough battle
Wolves coach Dave Jones said: "We expected nothing but a tough battle today and that's what we got. We earned our little bit of luck and defended well. Then, you've always got a chance."
Asked whether his team could avoid the drop, Jones said: "If we keep believing. That's what it's all about. If you believe you can do it, you've got a far better chance of achieving what you want."
Leeds' miserable afternoon was sealed by first half goals from Southampton's Brett Ormerod and Kevin Phillips.
In other matches, Graham Stuart's first half goal earned Charlton a 1-0 win over Everton, securing their hold on fourth place.
Tottenham's unsettled Portuguese striker Helder Postiga scored his first Premier League goal as the London side earned a 2-1 win over fifth-place Liverpool.
Massimo Maccarone scored an injury time equalizer as Middlesbrough salvaged a 3-3 draw at Leicester, while Bolton beat Portsmouth 1-0 and Manchester City and Blackburn drew 1-1.
On Sunday, Arsenal could claim top spot by winning at Aston Villa while third place Chelsea host Birmingham.
