Gallery: Baggies beaten

Manchester United head into 2013 with a seven-point lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League following a hard-fought and slightly nervy 2-0 win over West Brom at Old Trafford.

The Reds completely dominated the first half and held a deserved lead at the break after Gareth McAuley diverted past Ben Foster following good work from Ashley Young.

The second half was a different story as the Baggies applied some late pressure, but any hopes they might have had of parity were thwarted by Robin van Persie’s superb 90th-minute winner.

In the end, this was a routine victory for United and Sir Alex Ferguson will be more than happy with the three points, plus a clean sheet, on a rain-sodden pitch at the Theatre of Dreams.

As usual, official club photographers John and Matt Peters were in attendance to capture the action and to help retell the story of Saturday’s match, we’ve compiled the best of their work in our ManUtd.com gallery.

More: West Brom match report | Man of the Match poll | Video highlights