Paul Pogba's brace bailed out Manchester United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side stuttered to a fortuitous 2-1 win against West Ham.
Tuesday's huge Champions League quarter-final challenge in Barcelona looms large, but attention first turned to securing a return to European football's top table next season.
United moved within two points of the top four as a pair of Pogba penalties sealed victory at Old Trafford, but those in attendance will know how fortunate Solskjaer's side were to have secured a point, never mind three.
Felipe Anderson saw an early opener wrongly ruled out for offside, but the Brazilian cancelled out Pogba's contentiously-awarded penalty shortly after half-time as the Hammers capitalised on David De Gea's poor throw.
The United goalkeeper made amends as Manuel Pellegrini's men pushed for a winner, producing an outstanding one-handed save from Michail Antonio shortly after the West Ham substitute rattled the goalframe.
Yet the visitors returned to the capital empty-handed after Pogba smashed home his second spot-kick to keep up United's top-four charge on an evening when the performance will have alarmed Solskjaer.
