Eight minutes is all it took for Manchester United to turn their fortunes around and make Queens Park Rangers look exactly like the club that has been struggling all season, failing to win a single game in the English Premier League.
Jonny Evans, Darren Fletcher and Javier Hernandez struck three goals in under ten minutes to score yet another comeback victory this season, after Jamie Mackie had given the away side a dream lead early in the second half at Old Trafford.
A dull and rather ineffective first half was supplemented for a brilliant second period - Sir Alex Ferguson playing a major part in that in bringing in Hernandez and Anderson, with the latter making a huge impact with his direct running from midfield.
The first period, despite the mundane pace, could have seen two goals, with Mackie denied a goal through offside, and Ashley Young's reputation going against him in winning a possible penalty after Clint Hill brought the winger down.
Mackie, however, did get his goal with six minutes gone in the second period. Kieron Dyer saw his shot, worked off a short corner, palmed perfectly onto the path of Mackie by Anders Lindegaard, with the QPR forward making no mistake in smashing it into an empty net - the ninth time in 13 Premier League games this season that United have gone a goal down.
United are for no reason known as the comeback kings, with Evans anticipating a header down from Danny Welbeck, off a corner, to score from a yard out in the 64th minute.
The scores were level only for four minutes, as Darren Fletcher got his first goal on making a return from ulcerative colitis, rising highest to power home a header off another corner.
If QPR, who were being watched form the stands by new manager Harry Redknapp, thought they could still salvage something from the game, that hope was put to bed in the 72nd minute.
Anderson drove through the middle of the QPR midfield, before placing a perfectly weighted pass to Hernandez, whose first touch was perfect to place it into the bottom corner - the Mexican international scoring again after coming on as a substitute.
QPR's resolve was pretty much broken after the third goal, as the game petered out in the final 15 minutes with United going back top of the Premier League table, for one day at least, two points clear of Manchester City, who visit Chelsea on Sunday.
In other games, West Brom climbed above Chelsea to third in the Premier League table, with an outstanding 4-2 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Zoltan Gera and Shane Long put the Baggies, who have 26 points from 13 games, 2-0 ahead in the first half, before Craig Gardner cut the deficit with a little over 15 minutes remaining. However, Romelu Lukaku got his fourth goal of the season, from the penalty spot, to regain a two-goal lead for West Brom, before Sunderland, refusing to give up, again made it a one-goal game through Stephane Sessegnon.
Marc Antoine-Fortune, however, made the points safe in stoppage time, of a brilliant counter-attack to maintain the West Brom's brilliant start.
Everton and Norwich drew 1-1 at Goodison Park, while Wigan brought Reading back down to earth with an entertaining 3-2 victory. Stoke needed only one goal against Fulham, as the Cottagers, surprisingly, failed to find the target.
Results: Sunderland 2-4 West Brom; Manchester United 3-1 QPR; Everton 1-1 Norwich; Stoke 1-0 Fulham; Wigan 3-2 Reading.
