Reid insisted as his side prepared for the game that they would not sit back and allow the champions to play, and they were as good as his word in the early stages as they worked hard to hustle United off the ball.

But as the first-half wore on, Alex Ferguson's men began to impose themselves and should really have wrapped up the points long before the half-time whistle gave them a chance to reflect on the first 45 minutes.

Considering their lack of a killer touch in front of goal, though, it was perhaps no surprise that when the breakthrough did finally arrive, it came courtesy of an own goal.

Having said that, the build-up, courtesy of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Scholes, who gave Chadwick the chance to cross from the right, was worthy of some reward, although it was Slovakian defender Varga rather than the advancing Scholes who applied the finishing touch.

Reid replaced the injured Kevin Kilbane with David Bellion at the break and the young Frenchman was to the fore as the Wearsiders pushed the visitors back inside their own half.

He might have earned his side a penalty when Wes Brown appeared to clip his heels as he surged through on 49 minutes, but referee Graham Poll was not interested.

Philiips got in on the act with a well-struck 55th-minute effort which flew just wide, but as the Black Cats threw men forward, United unleashed a fresh assault to devastating effect.

Cole picked up possession on the left edge of the penalty area with 59 minutes gone and waited for Giggs to run into the gap, and when he did, the Welshman took the ball in his stride and lifted it over the advancing Sorensen.

Cole could have helped himself to another five minutes later, only for his shot to come back off the post, but he made no mistake two minutes later when Chadwick gave him the simplest of chances to make it 3-0.

Phillips finally got his reward seven minutes from time as he out-paced Brown and rounded Carroll, but Cole was unfortunate to see a header some back off the bar seconds later.