But Sir Alex Fergusons reigning English champions were pushed all the way at the KC Stadium by a brave Hull team, who equalised through Craig Fagans penalty on the hour mark after Rafael da Silva fouled Jozy Altidore.

The England striker pounced on the stroke of half-time with a close range finish to notch his 14th goal of the season and sixth in as many games.

Rooneys cross forced an own goal from Andy Dawson in the 73rd minute to restore Uniteds advantage before his sublime pass allowed Dimitar Berbatov to make it 3-1 with eight minutes remaining.

An upset looked on the cards until United decided to step-up a gear and take the game away from Hull.

Tigers Phil Brown dropped Paul McShane, the Republic of Ireland defender, and recalled Bernard Mendy in his place.

Second bottom Hull made three changes after last weeks defeat at Arsenal.

Ferguson, meanwhile, was given a belated Christmas present as he welcomed back from injury three defenders in Wes Brown, Nemanja Vidic and da Silva.

Brazilian playmaker Geovanni was also left out while Nick Barmby was sidelined with a calf injury. In came Seyi Olofinjana for his aggressive qualities in midfield and Altidore was also recalled in attack.

But Giggss spectacular volley whistled just over the crossbar.

United, whod lost two of their three previous league matches, almost made the perfect start inside the first six minutes when Antonio Valencia showed a clean pair of heels to Dawson and crossed for the unmarked Ryan Giggs at the back post.

Giggs was the next to threaten in the 16th minute but his free-kick was a whisker the wrong side of Myhills left post and Hull continued to survive. No-one personified Hulls stubbornness more than Mendy, who flung himself at Rooney moments later to somehow block the England forwards goalbound drive after Darren Fletchers initial drive had deflected kindly into his path.

Moments later Rooney struck a powerful centre across Boaz Myhills goal before releasing Berbatov with a sublime pass only for the Bulgarian to be denied by the on-rushing Hull keeper.

But United continued to press, with Myhill producing fine saves to deny Rooney and then da Silva, only to see the stalemate broken on the stroke of half-time when Rooney pounced on Fletchers cross to fire United ahead.

Hull began to grow in confidence with Olofinjana forcing a smart save from Tomasz Kuszczak in the 21st minute and Stephen Hunt seeing an angled drive go inches wide of the far post.

Rooney gave the ball away to Fagan, who rounded Kuszczak and crossed to the back post, where da Silva felled Altidore to concede the penalty.

Yet just as everyone expected United to canter out of sight Hull refused to buckle and found a way back into the contest just before the hour mark courtesy of some woeful defending from United.

Soon afterwards United were ahead again when Dawson turned Rooneys cross into his own net.

Fagan made no mistake to level the scores and Richard Garcia could have headed Hull in front in the 66th minute but the Australians glancing header went just wide.

Berbatov then put the result beyond doubt with a simple finish after Rooney had the vision and skill to pick him out at the far post.

But victory against a Villa side who stayed fourth in the table was anything but assured until the 57th-minute introduction of Spain midfielder Fabregas.

Sundays success at their Emirates Stadium home saw Arsenal move to within four points of Premier League leaders and London rivals Chelsea.

But in the process of scoring that second goal, Fabregas suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury and soon afterwards his decisive 28-minute spell on the field was over, although Arsenal still managed a third goal in stoppage time through Abou Diaby.

The skipper struck a superb curling shot from a 25-yard free-kick he himself had won to put Arsenal 1-0 in front in the 65th minute and then made sure his team collected all three points by finishing a sweeping move nine minutes from time.

“We knew before the game it was not perfect. We will see if we have long regrets or short regrets. I dont believe its too bad, he doesnt think its too bad.”

“Its a recurrence of his hamstring,” Wenger told Sky Sports.

The Frenchman refused to say if Arsenal would have won had Fabregas stayed on the bench.

Wenger added: “If its a pull again its three weeks so we hope it is only a scar.”

But Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen had no doubt about Fabregass impact, saying: “He was great. He had an injury and he did everything to make this game. Hes a fantastic player.

“Thats very difficult to predict. I believe we were dominant. I believe in the last 20 minutes we could have made the difference (to win the game).”

Meanwhile, Wenger added he was pondering signing a striker in the January transfer window because of Dutch international Robin van Persies ankle injury.

“We didnt create as many chances and when he came on he gave us more opportunities to score.”

“We are in the market with our eyes open. We are a bit short as we planned to play with Robin the whole season.”

Forsberg has won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche and was the NHL’s MVP in 2003. He now plays for Swedish team Modo but has dealt with nagging ankle and foot problems for several years.

The veteran center was selected for the 23-man Olympic team announced Sunday by coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson.

The Swedish roster also includes Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson and Nicklas Lidstrom, the winner of six Norris trophies as the NHL’s top defensive player with the Detroit Red Wings.

Gustafsson says he is not worried about Forsberg’s injuries ahead of the Olympics.

Goalkeepers: Jonas Gustavsson (Toronto Maple Leafs), Stefan Liv (HV71), Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers).

Forsberg helped Sweden win gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, scoring the clinching goal in a penalty shootout against Canada. In the 2006 Olympic final, he set up the last goal to secure a 3-2 victory over Finland.

Forwards: Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators), Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals), Loui Eriksson (Dallas Stars), Peter Forsberg (Modo Hockey), Tomas Holmstrom (Detroit Red Wings), Patric Hornqvist (Nashville Predators), Fredrik Modin (Columbus Blue Jackets), Samuel Pahlsson (Columbus Blue Jackets), Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks), Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks) Mattias Weinhandl (Dynamo Moskva), Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit Red Wings).

Defenders: Tobias Enstrom (Atlanta Thrashers), Magnus Johansson (Linkopings HC), Niklas Kronwall (Detroit Red Wings), Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings), Douglas Murray (San Jose Sharks), Johnny Oduya (New Jersey Devils), Henrik Tallinder (Buffalo Sabres), Mattias Ohlund (Tampa Bay Lightning).

Villa stayed fourth but defeat ended the Midlands clubs eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

Victory saw Arsenal move up into second place although they will drop back down to third if reigning champions Manchester United beat Hull in Sundays other Premier League match.

And with nine minutes left, the Spain international midfielder latched onto a through-ball from Theo Walcott before coolly shooting home to make it 2-0.

Gunners captain Fabregas, a second-half replacement for Denilson, fired the home side in front with a superbly struck 65th minute free-kick from the edge of the box that curled past the right hand of diving keeper Brad Friedel.

But the Gunners had something else to cheer in stoppage time when Abou Diaby made it 3-0 against a Villa team that had won their four previous league matches without conceding a goal.

However, it seemed as if he may have aggravated an existing hamstring injury in the process and, after just 28 minutes on the pitch, Fabregas was taken off by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

But Scottish champions Rangers hit back through a Kenny Miller double, with Kris Boyd and Nacho Novo also scoring for the Glasgow giants as Hibs run of 13 unbeaten league games was brought to an end in emphatic fashion.

Anthony Stokes fired the home side ahead at Easter Road with a goal timed officially at 12.4 seconds - beating the record previous record set by Hearts Saulius Mikoliunas in 2006 - but that was as good as it got for the Edinburgh club, who still remained third after this defeat.

Merouanne Zemmama created Hibs rapid opener, receiving the ball from the kick-off and finding a way through Rangers defence before releasing Stokes, who shot into the far corner from a tight angle.

Victory ensured Rangers would finish 2009 as league leaders, regardless of the results of Wednesdays matches when second-placed Celtic are away to Kilmarnock and the Gers are at home to Dundee United.

Boyd, following a Novo interception, found Miller with a neat reverse pass and the Scotland internationals low, curling, 20-yard shot beat Hibs keeper Ma-Kalambay.

But the speed with which the hosts struck left Rangers with plenty of time to recover and the visitors equalised in the 21st minute through former Hibs striker Miller.

Hibs then suffered an even more glaring self-inflicted wound early in the second half when Ma-Kalambay, seemingly struggling with a leg injury, was beaten at his near-post by Novos mis-hit cross as Rangers went 3-1 ahead.

It looked as if the teams might go in level at half-time but eight minutes before the break Boyd put Rangers in front after getting on the end of a cross from Madjid Bougherra, who had dispossessed Derek Riordan.

Rangers strike duo then combined again, with Boyd once more the provider, in the 66th minute when Miller beat the offside trap to fire in his second and his teams fourth, Ma-Kalambay getting a hand to the ball but unable to keep it out of the Hibs net.

But the former Inter Milan manager clearly has still to resolve the situation concerning Robinho, who has been widely criticised for his perceived role in the failure of Mancini?s predecessor Mark Hughes.

The Italian was given a warm reception by the City supporters and he described himself as equally moved by the welcome he received from a squad that includes several players with close ties to his ousted predecessor Mark Hughes.

Carlos Tevez secured the victory with a goal in first-half injury-time although Robinho?s lack of fitness and industry saw him brought off with 20 minutes to play.

Robinho started for Mancini, with known Hughes ally Craig Bellamy left on the bench, and the Brazilian had a hand in the first goal, scored by Martin Petrov.

Mancini hinted broadly afterwards that Bellamy may be preferred to Robinho for Monday?s visit to Wolves and the status of the Brazilian, consistently linked with a move away from City, is still one of the biggest issues facing the new manager.

The Brazilian was replaced by Bellamy, who was afforded a heros welcome from the supporters before putting in an energetic cameo in which he almost scored a third goal for City.

“They clapped me and I was very happy with that. I can only answer the fans with my hard work and, at the moment, I think we can play well and do a good job here.

In the meantime, Mancini could feel delighted with the way the day went. “Im very happy with what the fans did before the game,” he said.

Asked if his target of securing a top four finish was realistic, Mancini replied: “It is possible but to arrive in the top four we must work, work every day.”

“Mark was a fantastic player, here in England and for Wales. He is popular. Im not popular in England but I am popular in Italy. I like Italy, obviously, but the atmosphere here was beautiful and Im very happy to be here. I love the crowd in England and the players responded.”

“Bellamy is my friend!” he said. “I spoke with him before the match two days ago and I think when the squad wins, all the players are happy.

The new manager insisted Bellamy had been one of the many City players to offer him a warm welcome.

“Robinho played a good game. But after 65 minutes he was tired and I wanted to change and bring on another player. I think he could improve his fitness but I think all the players, and me, we can improve. That is our job but we can only do it with hard work during the week.”

“I spoke with him because we have two games in three days and I need all the players at 100 percent. Today, I played Robinho, it is possible I could play Craig (on Monday).

“It is my colour. This colour - Sampdoria, Lazio, Inter - its the same colour,” he laughed.

Mancini also enjoyed a joke with Italian media who informed him that fans in his homeland, watching the game live on television, had bemoaned the fact he was wearing an unfamiliar sky-blue-and-white City scarf on the touchlines.

“Weve had four of our last six games away from home, thats a tough run of games and, as a Premier League club, you have to accept there are runs of games when it is going to be difficult to pick points up.”

Opposite number Tony Pulis, meanwhile, bemoaned a tough run of fixtures that have seen his team slump to within four points of the relegation zone.

Atlanta enjoyed a rest day before their most recent triumph, a factor that was key to their performance.

Al Horford led the way with 25 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks while Joe Johnson scored 24 points as the Hawks split their away games 2-2 to improve to 21-8.

Indiana (9-19) suffered their fifth straight loss despite three players, Troy Murphy, Luther Head and rookie Tyler Hansbrough, each contributing 19 points.

“I thought the day off really rejuvenated us,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson told reporters. “We had fresh legs. I thought we came out and established our game right off. We had a lot of juice going. I thought it carried over throughout the game.”

“You cant get down on a good team like Atlanta and expect to dig out,” Murphy said. “Theyre too strong and too good of a basketball team.”

The Hawks led from start to finish, scoring the first nine points of the game and building a 17-point margin in the first quarter to pull within half a game of Southeast Division leaders Orlando Magic.

Josh Smith chipped in 22 points and five blocks and the Hawks got 19 points off the bench from Jamal Crawford, who is among the league leaders in scoring from a reserve.

Atlanta was coming off a lopsided 124-104 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, but rebounded with an all-around effort.

The struggling Pacers have lost 16 of their last 20 games. Forward Murphy added 12 boards and has been carrying the load for the team in the absence of leading scorer Danny Granger, who has been out with injury since early this month.

Beno Udrih scored 23 points for the Kings, who held the Lakers scoreless in the final 3:35 of the fourth quarter to force overtime. Tyreke Evans had 18 points, Donte Greene had 16 and Omri Casspi added 15 points and 10 rebounds.

After Lamar Odom opened the second overtime with a putback basket, Bryant connected on a pair of 3-pointers to put the Lakers in front 109-103 with 2:37 left. Los Angeles outscored the Kings 11-2 in the second OT.

The Lakers lost 102-87 to Cleveland on Friday before a national TV audience and are in a stretch of four games in five days, concluding Tuesday at home against Golden State. They played without starting forward Ron Artest, who the team said suffered a concussion on Christmas evening, falling while carrying boxes down a flight of stairs and injuring his left elbow at his Los Angeles home.

Pau Gasol had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who avoided losing consecutive games for the second time this season. Shannon Brown scored 15 points and Odom had 13 points and 15 rebounds.

The youthful Kings were stagnant on offense late in the first overtime and it carried over into the second, when their only basket was a driving layup by Evans with 3:01 remaining. The Kings lost a game earlier in the week against Cleveland when they were outscored 13-0 in overtime.

Artest was treated at UCLA Medical Center, undergoing a CT scan and receiving stitches in the back of his head and his elbow. The team said a neurologist examined Artest on Saturday. He is day to day and didn’t travel with the team on its Saturday flight to Sacramento.

The victory moved the Lakers (24-5) past idle Boston for the best record in the NBA.

After the Kings scored the first seven points in the first overtime, they went scoreless over the final 2:40 as the Lakers rallied. Gasol tipped in a missed shot by Derek Fisher from close range, tying the game at 101 with .04 seconds left.

Bryant was his usual self offensively, but it was Brown helping the Lakers pull away in the fourth quarter. Brown scored eight points over a two-minute stretch, his three-point play putting Los Angeles ahead 92-85 with 4:23 remaining.

Seemingly bothered by a sore right arm, Bryant missed all four shots in the fourth quarter, when he began passing and shooting with his left. Yet Bryant did slap the ball away Evans in the closing seconds as the Kings never got a shot off, forcing overtime with a 94-all tie.

Despite Bryant making his first five shots and scoring 16 points in the third quarter, the Kings would not back down. It took a late 3-pointer and a breakaway dunk by Bryant in the final 1:04 to pull the Lakers even at 78 heading into the fourth.

An enthusiastic crowd, only the second sellout of the season, loudly booed the Lakers when starting lineups were announced and began chanting “Beat LA!” It was reminiscent of the crowds that cheered the Kings in the Chris Webber era, when Sacramento was typically battling the Lakers for supremacy in the Western Conference.

NOTES: Greene took an elbow from Andrew Bynum in the second quarter that opened a cut on his chin that required six stitches. Greene returned to start the second half. The teams meet again New Year’s Day in Los Angeles. New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia watched the game from courtside seats.

Udrih capped off a highly productive first half by dribbling past Bryant and hitting a 3-pointer with a second left to give Sacramento a 57-55 lead. Making a rare start, Udrih scored 13 points and Greene had 11 for the Kings. Bryant had 14 points and Gasol added 12 for the Lakers, who shot 55 percent.

Steve Nash had 36 points and nine assists for Phoenix, but the veteran point guard missed a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds that would have tied the game. The Suns have lost seven straight road games.

Stephen Curry added 13 points, including two free throws with 3 seconds remaining, as Golden State outlasted Phoenix in a game that featured little defense from either team. Six players scored in double figures for the Warriors, who had lost 13 of 15 before ending a four-game losing streak to the Suns.

After Nash scored on a driving layup, Maggette made two free throws to make it 129-125. Nash, who had 19 points in the third quarter, scored on another layup but Anthony Morrow made a free throw before Nash missed the 3-pointer.

Maggette went 13 of 17 from the floor and scored four points in the final 90 seconds, including a follow-up dunk that gave Golden State a 127-123 lead after Ellis missed a jumper.

Phoenix’s Jason Richardson had 22 points against his former team while Amare Stoudamire had just nine points and seven rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

Anthony Randolph had 17 points, while Morrow and C.J. Watson had 14 points apiece for Golden State, who hadn’t won since beating New Jersey 105-89 on Dec. 9.

Phoenix led 108-104 after three quarters but was outscored 17-8 to start the final period and couldn’t catch up after that.

The Suns were coming off a 124-93 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas Day, which might have had an effect late in the game against Golden State.

Surprisingly, the Warriors played better the second time around with less than a full roster of healthy players.

Phoenix beat Golden State 123-101 when the two teams played at US Airways Center on Oct. 30. Warriors coach Don Nelson had a full roster to work with in that first matchup but since then the team has traded disgruntled forward and former team captain Stephen Jackson to Charlotte, lost Kalenna Azubuike to a season-ending knee injury and has been without injured starting center Andris Biedrins.

The trend continued into the third quarter when Ellis and Maggette had 12 points apiece for Golden State. But the Warriors couldn’t stop Nash, who made four 3-pointers, to give Phoenix a 108-104 edge.

Neither team played much defense in the first half, a typical theme when the two Pacific Division teams meet. The Suns led 71-70 at the break.

NOTES: Golden State’s Ronny Turiaf had seven points and five rebounds in his first game since Nov. 30. … Biedrins (lower back strain) will try to play Monday when Golden State hosts Boston. … Phoenix hasn’t won back-to-back games since Nov. 27-29.

Ryan Potulny scored for Edmonton. The Oilers have lost six in a row.

Henrik Sedin had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Kesler and Christian Ehrhoff also scored for Vancouver. The Canucks moved into sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference, finishing an eight-game homestand with a 6-2 record.

Daniel Sedin opened the scoring off a pass from Henrik Sedin, firing a shot in off Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray. Eighteen seconds later, with Potulny still in the penalty box, Kesler deflected in Alex Edler’s point shot to make it 2-0.

Early in the second, the Oilers gave the Canucks a 5-on-3 power play when Ethan Moreau was called for goalie interference and Potulny took a delay-of-game penalty.

Ehrhoff gave the Canucks a 3-1 advantage early in the third. He took a pass from Rick Rypien on a rush and roofed a backhander over goalie Jeff Deslauriers.

Potulny then backhanded home a sharp-angle shot at 11:22 of the second.

NOTES: Canucks C Ryan Johnson missed the game because of a sore foot. … Edmonton’s Mike Comrie missed his 18th straight game due to mononucleosis. … Vancouver tough guy Darcy Hordichuck returned to the lineup after sitting out three straight as a healthy scratch. … Oilers winger Dustin Penner played his 299th NHL game.

Henrik Sedin completed the scoring with an empty-net goal.