Manchester United will be keen to bury the memory of their sobering loss to City and get back on course for an early wrap-up of the Premier League title by beating relegation-haunted Stoke on Sunday.

A win at Britannia Stadium will restore the 15-point gap between City and Alex Ferguson’s side and help silence the critics who say United isn’t as good as their sizeable cushion at the top suggests.

“I hear a lot of people talking about us, saying we didn’t deserve the 15-point lead,” said United defender Patrice Evra.

“But if we are here, it is because we are working hard and we deserve to win this title.

“We have to make sure we win at Stoke on Sunday and show we are the best team in England.”

A perennial mid-table finisher, Stoke have been dragged into the relegation dogfight this season with opponents appearing to have found a way to combat the direct, long-ball tactics of Tony Pulis’ powerful side.

Stoke are 15th, three points and three places above the relegation zone.

The bottom two – Reading, who host Liverpool, and Queens Park Rangers, who visit Everton – look doomed, so there appears to be one relegation place remaining.

Sunderland are level on points with third-to-last Wigan ahead of Sunday’s northeast derby against Newcastle, who require one more win to virtually ensure their safety. It will be Paolo Di Canio’s first home match in charge of Sunderland.

The other sides fighting the drop are Aston Villa, who are home to Fulham, and Norwich, who visit Arsenal.

Arsenal will climb above Chelsea and Tottenham into third place with a victory, as their London rivals are inactive in the league this weekend.