Sir Alex Ferguson has eased fans' worries about United already trailing Chelsea by reassuring them the five-point gap is "recoverable."

Speaking before the visit of Sunderland to Old Trafford, the boss is hopeful that the 1-0 win against Tottenham last weekend will give the team a boost.

"When you get your first win it helps," insisted Sir Alex.

"We can look at last weekend and say yes, three points is important and it could trigger off a good run. We're one these clubs that can go on a long run. Hopefully that continues against Sunderland. "

The United manager is also aware that the league hasn’t taken its usual shape yet.

"No-one is really winning games by big amounts," he said.

"The results have been pretty close and there haven't been a lot of goals about."

In recent years the battle for the title has been a two-horse race, and Sir Alex feels the same pattern may emerge again.

"We say this every year," reasoned Sir Alex, when asked whether more teams will sustain a strong challenge.

"By January it usually breaks into a couple of teams, but you never know."

Video: You can watch Sir Alex's full press conference on MUTV Online.