Man United can take another stride towards retaining their BPL crown if they overcome Tottenham at Old Trafford.

United's 2-0 win over Portsmouth on Wednesday restored Sir Alex Ferguson's side to the summit, their three-point lead over Liverpool supplemented by a game in hand on their rivals.

The champions' position was further strengthened by Liverpool's amazing 4-4 draw with Arsenal in midweek, but Ferguson admits his side cannot afford to ease off after seeing worrying signs in the second half against Pompey.

"We're in a better position today than we were yesterday morning, that's for sure," Ferguson told MUTV after Wednesday's match.

"Having seen that second half and how we got so casual, I'm not taking anything for granted.

"We've got to put our foot down all the time.

"I don't even consider leeway in this situation, I don't think we have a leeway unless we keep performing properly."

United cannot afford to have an off-day against resurgent Spurs, who under the guidance of Harry Redknapp have been transformed from relegation candidates to Europa League contenders, collecting 23 points from the last 33 available.

Liverpool will be hoping to shore up their defensive deficiencies on the road at free-falling Hull.

Rafael Benitez's side have been shipping goals for fun of late, losing 7-5 over two legs to Chelsea in the last eight of the Champions League and conceding four at Anfield in the week, three of those goals the result of glaring defensive errors.

"We have never had a run like this - conceding 11 goals in four games," Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina told Liverpoolfc.tv.

"We are scoring a lot of goals but we have to try and improve in defence.

"Scoring goals is the most difficult thing in football but now we must sort some of the problems we're having in defence.

"We've always had the balance between attack and defence. That's why we're always there in the Champions League and cup competitions, because we are a team with balance. We have to get back to this way."

A trip to the KC Stadium to play the wounded Tigers could be just what the doctor ordered for Liverpool's beleaguered backline, with Phil Brown's men carrying the stigma of having won the least home games in the top flight.

No wins and just two goals scored in five matches have dragged City into the thick of the relegation battle, but Brown's troops will take heart from their battling 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture at Anfield in December.

Third-placed Chelsea effectively relinquished any hopes they had of wresting the title from United with their midweek stalemate at home to Everton, but manager Guus Hiddink will nevertheless expect a strong response at Europa League-chasing West Ham.

FA Cup finalists Everton can move into fifth place if they defeat Manchester City at Goodison Park and Aston Villa fail to win at Bolton, while in-form Stoke can all but confirm their survival with a win at Fulham.

Rock-bottom West Brom, meanwhile, will have their faint survival hopes effectively extinguished if they fail to defeat fellow strugglers Sunderland at the Hawthorns.

On Sunday, fourth-placed Arsenal could damage Middlesbrough's bid to beat the drop when they meet at the Emirates Stadium, while Blackburn, just one place above the drop zone, face Wigan in a must-win game for Rovers manager Sam Allardyce.

The latest round of fixtures conclude on Monday when second-bottom Newcastle entertain Portsmouth in a game which will have a huge bearing on whether St James' Park will be hosting Premier League football next term.